Former Attorney General, Victor Cespedes, who served under the Hipolito Mejia administration, has been indicted together with a group of people by District Attorney Jose Manuel Hernandez, who accuses them of bribery, prevarication, criminal association, and fraud against a group of inmates who were promised Presidential pardons to be released from prison in exchange for money. According to a report in Listin Diario, the DA explained that after one year of investigations his department has collected sufficient documentary and testimonial evidence to indict the group. “The evidence allows us to identify Mr. Cespedes committing these crimes while he served as Attorney General” stated Hernandez during a press conference in his office. Inmates are said to have paid approximately RD$1.5 million to the former warden of Najayo Prison for their pardons. Individual amounts paid by the inmates are between RD$250,000 and RD$500,000. Some paid US$10,000, EUR8,000 or a combination of dollars and pesos.
Diario Libre indicates that Judge Natividad Ramona Santos was appointed for the case against the former AG, and former Assistant AG Elizabeth Perez Sanchez, former Najayo Prison Warden Oneida Acevedo, former employees of the AG Department and the Prison Department, Maria Marisol Garcia Taveras, Luis Uribe, and Ramon Ogando Alcantara.