The legal defense of Police Colonel Ramon Antonio Guzman Peralta has presented charges against five state prosecutors. These are accused of committing irregularities in his arrest and prosecution based on false accusations. Guzman Peralta says he was the scapegoat of suspected plan to involve presidential candidate Luis Abinader in alleged sabotage against the municipal elections in February. Guzman had been assigned in charge of the security of the presidential candidate. In an interview with investigative journalist Edith Febles, Guzmán Peralta he tells his story and why he is taking legal actions against the public prosecutors.
His legal defense team seeks that prosecutors Joan Alcántara, Milcíades Guzmán, José Guillermo Soriano, Fernando Quezada and Edward López Ulloa be punished according to the gravity of the facts and specifically that they be removed from their posts in the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PGR).
Last week, the Organization of American States (OAS) investigative mission gave explanations for the e-voting glitch that lead to the cancelation of the 16 February 2020 municipal election. The OAS attributed to mismanagement by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) mismanagement and the choice of a defective software the crash of the automated voting system, entirely discarding any linkages of the police colonel with the computerized failures.
The Presidency had asked for the OAS mission at a time when the Attorney General Office and the Police were moving ahead criminal accusations against Colonel Guzman Peralta and a Claro technician, Manuel Regalado. The Presidency asked the OAS to investigate what really happened. A major civic protest movement very much doubted the investigations carried out by the Attorney General and accusations targeting Guzman Peralta and Regalado.
The investigation began after the ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) president Temistocles Montas had said the elections were sabotaged. The Attorney General and the Police presented a Claro technician and a Police Colonel assigned to the security of opposition party presidential candidate as the responsible parties. The investigations referred to Police Colonel Guzman Peralta as “Colonel Abinader.” Technician Manuel Regalado was in charge of a Claro facility at Las Colinas where equipment used in the election was stored.
As reported, the JCE did not answer questions the OAS mission asked to clarify the possible involvement of Manuel Regalado and Colonel Ramon Antonio Guzmán Peralta. The two knew each other from having worked together in the past.
After the release of the OAS report on the e-voting glitch, investigative journalist Edith Febles interviewed Colonel Guzman Peralta, who moved abroad, concerned for his safety and that of his family.
Guzmán Peralta said that to the best of his knowledge he was falsely accused. Both Guzmán Peralta and Regalado spent around three days in jail, and were subject to long hours of interrogation.
As reported, on 10 March Guzmán Peralta left the country with his family. He said he feared for his life and that of his family. He left his lawyers to proceed to clear his name and his honor and to make amends for the harm done to him and his family. He said he seeks to recover his professional life, because the police have not reinstated him, despite the evidence in his favor.
Follow the story in Spanish:
Edith Febles interview – part 1
Edith Febles interview – part 2
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21 April 2020