The president of the Constitutional Court in the Dominican Republic, Milton Ray Guevara says that the escape by Alejandro Castillo Paniagua “Quirinito”, originally sentenced to 30 years in jail for murder, puts at stake the credibility of justice in the Dominican Republic. Local justice has been frequently criticized for cases of corruption and impunity for a price.
The Attorney General Office carried out an investigation after the case of the unknown whereabouts of the supposed body of Quirinito was reported in the media that confirmed this with the unawareness of close relatives of his death.
Guevara said that the case requires a thorough investigation to establish all those responsible. He highlighted that this case once more puts a stake the judiciary in the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, Servio Tulio Castaños, vice president of the Foundation for Institutionalism and Justice (Finjus) said that a network of persons acted in the escape of “Quirinito” putting into evidence complicities within the judicial authorities.
Quirinito, who gets his nickname for being nephew of infamous drug trafficker Ernesto Quirino Paulino Castillo, was originally sentenced in San Cristóbal to 30 years for murder. He would then secure a reduction of that sentence to 20 years, and then domiciliary arrest in San Francisco de Macorís on allegations that he was terminally ill with mouth cancer. Two oncologists, Cesar Nuñez Rojas and Angel Garabot Polanco certified the illness, but these certificates were not confirmed by the National Institute of Forensic Science (Inacif) as required by law.
The judiciary has suspended the forensic physician who issued the death certificate, and the two judges, Willy de Jesus from San Cristóbal and Aleida Jiménez Acosta in San Francisco de Macoris that acted in the case.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
5 October 2017
