The president of the Dominican Lawyers Guild (CARD), Miguel Surún Hernández says that in theory the prosecutor and members of the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) involved in the planting of drugs in a barbershop in Villa Vásquez in Montecristi could face up to 20 years in jail if found guilty.
He said that if it is proven that the DNCD agents planted drugs, they could be charged with possession of a controlled substance, criminal association and forgery of public documentation in violation of the Dominican Penal Code and the Law on Drugs.
Surún said that he hoped this type of case would not be repeated as it affects the image of justice and trust in those within the system of justice. He called for the full weight of the law to be applied to them.
He put a damper on expectations that there be sentences in the case. He said in cases where evidence has been obtained in an irregular manner, such as in this case, the case would be declared null and void.
The prosecutor that acted in the case, Carmen Lissbet Núñez Peña, resigned from the position. The Attorney General’s Office has informed that investigations are continuing in an attempt to clarify the actions taken by DNCD members and the prosecutor in the case. The office says that the resigning of prosecutor Nuñez will lead to a simplification of the legal and disciplinary process against her.
Lawyers of the owner of the barbershop have presented a complaint against her and the DNCD agents. Adjunct prosecutor Bolívar Sánchez is in charge of investigations. He is the prosecutor who acted in investigations carried out by the Attorney General Office to remove judge Miriam Germán from the Supreme Court of Justice. He is the same prosecutor who acted in investigations that relieved the physician from the abortion and murder case of Emely Peguero in San Francisco de Macorís.
Dozens of others affected by alleged drug implants have come forward to tell their stories.
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7 August 2019