The former rector of the state UASD University and San Cristobal senator candidate for the PRM, Mateo Aquino Febrillet, died of a bullet wound after shots were fired at the vehicle in which he was driving, accompanied by PRM deputy pre-candidate Edward Montas on Friday, 11 March 2016. The main suspect is PRM deputy pre-candidate and truckers’ union leader Blas Peralta.
According to reports, Montas, Peralta and Aquino Febrillet had met for lunch at a restaurant in the Mirador Sur area of Santo Domingo. Peralta and Montas had a heated argument.
Listin Diario reports that after Aquino Febrillet tried to mediate in the argument, Montas and his secretary left with him. They were reportedly pursued by Peralta and his companions, who are believed to have intercepted the vehicle and fired shots at it.
As reported in El Nuevo Diario, Edward Montas accused Peralta of firing the shots. “They positioned themselves parallel to us, and when I looked, Peralta was pointing the gun at us, I ducked and I told the others to do so, to not enter [the Police station] and that’s when the shots started,” said Montas. Montas suffered a superficial bullet wound in his left arm.
He explained they had met for lunch to coordinate their work as well as to deal with the aggressive attitude that Blas Peralta was displaying. According to Montas, Peralta was angry with some of his political rivals in San Cristobal province.
Montas said that at the restaurant, Blas Peralta insulted him verbally and physically and he pushed Peralta in self-defense. Aquino Febrillet held him back and that was when he suggested they leave together.
When they left, they noticed Peralta was following them. Montas said that they tried to shake him off, and even stopped outside President Danilo Medina’s home nearby knowing there was always security there, but it was not the case so they decided to go to the Mirador del Sur police station to make a complaint.
Peralta is the leader of the Fenatrado truckers union. Fenatrado is known for its vandalistic imposition of the cargo truckers’ monopoly in the country with government lenience.
The next day, Saturday 12 March 2016, Peralta turned himself in to the authorities for the investigation, but denied firing the shots. He said he does not carry a gun, but Police spokesman Maximo Baez Aybar has disputed this, saying that Peralta had guns registered in his name.
As reported, Blas Peralta says he was not anywhere near the restaurant when the SUV was attacked. He admitted pursuing Aquino Febrillet after they left, but then said they lost him. Peralta claims that he only heard about Aquino Febrillet’s death while he was on his way to Jarabacoa with his family.
Doctors at the Centro Medico Real, where Aquino Febrillet was taken, said that the cause of death was a bullet wound to the shoulder. Aquino Febrillet’s secretary, who was also in the vehicle, was superficially injured, as reported.
As reported, the former university rector’s vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado has two bullet holes.
Febrillet served as rector from 2011-2014 and was a professor at the university for 35 years.
National District prosecutors have now formally accused truck union president Blas Peralta, Colonel Rafael Herrera Pena, Gerardo Felix Bautista and Franklin Venegas of having fired at the SUV in which former rector Mateo Aquino Febrillet, his assistant Elaine Manana and PRM candidate for deputy for San Cristobal Eduardo Montas were traveling.
Aquino Febrillet’s relatives have also filed a case accusing the men of the killing.
Jose Parra Baez, lawyer for the family, says the prosecutors have sufficient proof that Peralta fired the shot that killed Aquino Febrillet. As reported in Hoy, the lawyer said he hoped that the charges against Peralta would not be dismissed as has occurred in the past because “it was not a trucker who he killed.”
Fiscalía solicitó anoche prisión preventiva contra Blas Peralta
Fiscalía pide prisión contra Blas; familiares lo someten a Justicia
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/03/12/411403/abinader-hipolito-y-carolina-hacen-guardia-de-honor-ante-feretro-de-aquino-febrillet
http://elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=468868
http://notireal.com/2016/03/12/se-entrega-a-las-autoridades-blas-peralta-supuesto-imputado-del-asesinato-de-aquino-febrillet/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/edward-montas-se-pararon-paralelo-a-nosotros-cuando-miro-lo-que-veo-es-a-peralta-apuntando-MH3009169
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/asistente-de-exrector-acude-a-la-policia-a-dar-su-version-sobre-la-muerte-del-academico-GY3010008
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/blas-peralta-y-edward-montas-se-entregan-para-ser-investigados-por-muerte-de-mateo-aquino-febrillet-FH3009016
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/sucesos/blas-peralta-declara-no-tuvo-que-ver-con-muerte-de-febrillet-BG3008254
Apresan doce en allanamiento a local de Fenatrado tras asesinato de Febrillet
Se entrega Edward Montás, implicado en la muerte de rector Mateo Aquino Febrillet
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2016/03/13/411396/relacionado-con
http://www.uasd.edu.do/index.php/psicologia/180-uasd/rectoria/1490-resumen-curricular-mateo-aquino-febrillet-2
