Former Minister of Public Works and Communication, indicted in the corruption scandal involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, Victor Diaz Rua was authorized to travel to Spain supposedly to receive medical treatment for 15 days. As reported, he left on Wednesday, 5 September 2018.
The document authorizing the departure of the accused corrupt official was granted by the judge of Special Instruction of the Dominican Supreme Court, Francisco Ortega. In theory, at least, Diaz Rua has been given a 15-day permit to be out of the country, and he should return within this time frame to continue the preliminary hearings that will begin towards the beginning of October.
Diaz Rua is accused of receiving millions of dollars in bribes from Odebrecht.
The news of the medical leave was known 48 hours after he presented the immigration officials at the Las Americas Airport with the permit issued by Judge Ortega authorizing his trip to Spain for a medical checkup because of “pain in his knees.”
The Diario Libre notes that he might have traveled with close family members, but their names were not registered or available to the press.
Over the weekend a story broke that it is possible that Diaz Rua has Spanish nationality, according to a source who talked to the Diario Libre. The newspaper tried to confirm the information through the defense attorney Miguel Valerio, who has defended Diaz Rua during the judicial process. Valerio stated that he believed that this was so but he did not have any documents to substantiate the claim.
Follow the story in Spanish:
El Nacional
Diario Libre
El Dia
El Dia
10 September 2018
