Tomas Castro, president of the Dominican Lawyers’ Association and the lawyer representing suspended judge Awilda Reyes has gone public in defense of his client on radio and TV to deny accusations by Supreme Court of Justice president Mariano German who says that Reyes admitted to accepting bribes in return for issuing favorable decisions.
As reported in MetroRD today, Wednesday 25 November 2015, Castro states that his client was responding to orders from high up. Castro said the release of councilor Ericson de los Santos of the PRD, accused of links with contract killers, was part of the political agreement in which Miguel Vargas gave the votes of PRD legislators for the change of the Cosntitution to allow for the re-election of President Danilo Medina.
Others mentioned as “puppeteers” include Radhames Jimenez Pena, the former attorney general (2006-2012 under Leonel Fernandez), and the president of the Supreme Court of Justice Mariano German himself. German is the president of the Judicial Branch Council (CPJ).
In reference to the scandalous release of the Pedro Brand councilor accused of links to contract killings, Castro said that Reyes had received orders from CPJ resigning judge Arias Valera, who he says acted as a messenger for Supreme Court of Justice president Mariano German. Castro said that Arias Valera gave the instructions to judge Reyes. Castro said Arias was acting in the name of the president of the Supreme Court, but that his defendant never received direct instructions from the president of the Supreme Court because the president of the Supreme Court would not call any judge, as reported in the printed edition of MetroRD.
Castro said his defendant was just a pawn in the political chess game. “Those are political elements that are necessarily linked to the decision to release him with the agreements between the two political parties. One does not have to go to Harvard to know that,” stated Castro.
As reported in Hoy, Castro said that resigning member of the Judicial Branch Council (CPJ) Arias Valera was the representative of the first instance judges before the CPJ, “in other words, one of the individuals who when he speaks, is speaking for the boss, regardless whether the boss is the one who is saying so directly and that is why (Mariano) can say he did not issue those orders.”
Castro said that what has been said about his client would have to be defended in court.
Radhames Jimenez Pena has denied Castro’s statements. “I have not participated, neither on a personal level nor through anyone in any case that has to do with drug trafficking or asset laundering, let alone with murder,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the president of the Dominican Association Against Corruption (Adocco) Julio Cesar de la Rosa Tiburcio called for the resignation of Supreme Court of Justice president Mariano German for allowing judges to act to the detriment of Dominican institutionalism.
Awilda Reyes is also under investigation for rulings that benefitted known drug traffickers and in the case of collapsed Banco Peravia bank.
http://www.metrord.do/noticias/adocco-solicita-renuncia-del-presidente-de-la-suprema-corte-de-justicia/ftwokx—URQN8wbFmRXOA/
http://www.metrord.do/noticias/acusaciones-y-defensas-mueven-el-caso-jueza/ftwoky—VUUfMJLisnmI6/