Judge Antonio Sanchez Mejia rejected a preventive habeas corpus petition by former Colonel Pedro Julio “Pepe” Goico Guerrero, as he has not proved the existence of threat or persecution by the District Attorney, Jose Manuel Hernandez Peguero. Goico was seeking to stop the judicial process against him but the judge considers that the actions of the Justice Department are legitimate. The Justice Department is investigating Pepe Goico for his alleged association in the laundering of assets related to the Quirino Erneste Paulino Castillo case, in violation of Law 72-02, and not as a simple witness. The law stipulates arrest warrants in his case. Paulino Castillo is in custody in the US where he is accused of drug trafficking and money laundering in relation to the seizure of 1,387 kilos of cocaine in Santo Domingo last December. Goico has been living in Spain where he is studying at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid.