The 14th man who faces charges in the Odebrecht bribes case arrived yesterday, 2 August 2017 from Panama to Las Americas International Airport and was awaited by National District prosecutors who arrested him. Castellanos spent his first night at the jail of the National District prosecutors offices. His lawyer Marino Elsevyf said the arrest was illegal and arbitrary because the arrest order was not issued by the judge who is preparing the case. Castellanos had been summoned to appear in court on Friday, 4 August.
Because he was abroad, Castellanos’ case will be heard separately from the 13 others charged in the Odebrecht bribes case. The others are Temístocles Montás, Víctor Díaz Rúa, Conrado Pittaluga, Andrés Bautista, Ruddy González, César Sánchez, Máximo De Óleo, Radhamés Segura, Roberto Rodríguez Hernández, Julio César Valentín, Tommy Alberto Galán and Alfredo Pacheco.
Bernardo Castellanos was director for hydroelectric projects for the Empresa de Generación Hidroeléctrica Dominicana (EgeHID) from 2000 to 2004. The Attorney General accuses him of having received money from Odebrecht lobbyist Angel Rondón to give a favorable opinion on the construction of the Pinalito hydroelectric. Castellanos said that the construction of Pinalito began after he left the post. He said he acted as a technician, without a role in the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) and thus did not have a deciding vote in the implementation of the project.
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Diario Libre
3 August 2017
