Prisons expert Roberto Santana recommends Odebrecht lobbyist Angel Rondon, accused in the US$92 million Odebrecht bribes scandal, be taken to a new model penitentiary and not to the La Victoria jail where he was assigned to by judge Francisco Ortega. In an interview with Listín Diario, Santana recommended Rondon be taken to the Manoguayabo special operations jail, where there are many inmates from the Paya case.
Santana is the director of the Academia Regional Penitenciaria, and a regional expert on penitentiary systems. He has been recognized for his outstanding work in implementing model jails in the Dominican Republic.
He said that if Rondon is taken to la Victoria he will be able to continue doing “anything” because in that jail there are no guarantees.
Santana observed that when a person is sent to jail it is for different reasons – for example, if that person is a threat to society or his or her freedom is an obstacle to the judicial case in which he or she involved must be taken into consideration.
He also observed the Medina administration could be affected. “If something happens to Rondón in jail, what is the population to think… that he did it to himself or that those who do not want him to talk were responsible.” He explained that if something happened to Rondon the public is going believe the government silenced him, since everyone knows the accused are government officers.
Santana said in La Victoria Rondon’s life is at risk because anyone fearing that Rondon would “spill the beans” could attempt to harm him while in jail. Rondón is the only of the 14 accused by the judiciary that was sent to La Victoria Jail. He is accused of being the middleman used by Odebrecht to bribe government officials and legislators.
Santana argued that Rondón is the only one who can offer precise details on the responsibilities of the others involved because he was identified by Odebrecht as being the messenger that delivered the bribes.
“If there is no guarantee that that person (Rondón) will be safe, that he will continue to be alive, to be in health, then who is going to make the accusations,” wondered Santana. He expressed his concern that “the key informant in the case is being sent to the most vulnerable jail or detention center”.
Santana said there is a high possibility the country could be left without being able to bring to justice those who authorized and accepted the bribes (because of the Attorney General homologation deal with Odebrecht that released the company and affiliates from responsibility) and without the messenger that delivered the bribes. “If we lose those two components, then I ask, is there a case? Probably there will not be a case,” said Santana.
Santana recalled that Rondón, after learning that he was being sent to La Victoria, stated: “Now is when this is going to start.” He said that is a statement of accepting a challenge, an announcement of confrontation to come.
Rondón has refuted having carried out the bribes. While he has accepted that he received an amount around US$92 million from Odebrecht, he has insisted these were his fees for helping the company secure the contract work from the Dominican government.
Santana said he releases judge Ortega from responsibility, because all he did was accept recommendations made by the prosecutors.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
12 June 2017
