Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez announced on Thursday, 7 June 2018, his office has filed with the Supreme Court of Justice the Odebrechts bribes accusations case related to 17 Odebrecht construction contracts signed during the governments of presidents Hipólito Mejía, Leonel Fernández and Danilo Medina. The cases presented were those in which strong evidence was found to build the individual cases.
Upon making the announcement, he said the prosecutors did not find any evidence to include Punta Catalina thermoelectric power central in the case. He said they are waiting to receive the file from the Chamber of Accounts regarding overvaluations at the power plant. Rodríguez said the accusations are submitted as a result of investigations lasting 130,000 work hours by 50 professionals of different fields.
The case began in January 2017, after a New York City court incriminated the company and disclosed company executives admitted to paying US$92 million in bribes to Dominican government officers for the expediting of the public works in the Dominican Republic.
Rodríguez says the Public Ministry formally accuses Odebrecht commercial representative, businessman Ángel Rondón Rijo, former Minister of Public Works Víctor Díaz Rúa, his lawyer Conrado Enrique Pittaluga Arzeno, former president of the Senate Porfirio Andrés Bautista García (PRM), legislator Tommy Alberto Galán Grullón (PLD-San Cristóbal), Juan Roberto Rodríguez Hernández, and former president of the Senate and PRD leader Jesús Antonio Vásquez Martínez.
The Attorney General said that investigators did not find evidence to incriminate César Domingo Sánchez Torres, Bernardo Castellanos de Moya, Juan Temístocles Montás Domínguez, Julio César Valentín Jiminián, Máximo De Oleo, Alfredo Pacheco Osoria, Ramón Radhamés Segura or Ruddy González with the crimes of bribery, asset laundering and ordered the temporary filing of these cases.
In a speech broadcast on radio on Thursday, 7 June 2018, Rodríguez said the accusations were the following:
Ángel Rondón is accused of association of criminals, bribery and money laundering.
Víctor Díaz Rúa is accused of bribery, prevarication, forgery, illicit enrichment and money laundering.
Conrado Enrique Pittaluga Arzeno, is accused as an accomplice in the crime of bribery, and in crimes of illicit enrichment from criminal activity and money laundering.
Andrés Bautista, Tommy Galán Grullón and Roberto Rodríguez are accused of the crimes of bribery, forgery, illicit enrichment and money laundering.
Jesús Antonio Vásquez Martínez, is accused of bribery, illicit enrichment and money laundering.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
11 June 2018
