On 28 May 2024, the Second Penal Court of the Supreme Court of Justice sentenced the ruling party legislator Rosa Amalia Pilarte to five years in prison for her ties to the drug trafficking-related activities of her family. A separate court case is held against her family in the regular jurisdiction. In addition to her husband and sons, the accusation in the regular jurisdiction is also against Pilarte’s sister, Ada María Pilarte and her sister’s husband, Manuel Antonio Ynoa Valdez.
Pilarte is to serve the sentence in the Rafey Correction and Rehabilitation Center (CCR) in Santiago. She is also ordered to pay a fine of 200 public sector minimum wages. Several assets shared in her name are ordered to be confiscated in benefit of the Dominican state.
The decision was made unanimously by the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) Second Penal Court judges Francisco Jerez Mena, (president), Francisco Ortega Polanco, Marìa Garabito, Fran Soto and Nancy Salcedo.
The court ruled that the Public Ministry investigation led to the only logical conclusion that the accused knew of the illicit origin of the assets. The court declared that the legislator representing the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party in the Chamber of Deputies purchased real estate and used the banking system in violation of the Assets and Financing of Terrorism Law 155-17 affecting the Dominican state.
The prosecutors were Pedro Amador, Pelagio Alcántara and Fernando Quezada filed the case against Pilarte on 2 August 2023 in the Supreme Court of Justice, accusing the later of money laundering for RD$4 billion from drug trafficking activities.
Among assets ordered confiscated are:
1- A 3,081.41 m2 plot of land in La Vega, in the Comunidad El Quemao, entrance to the Represa Manga Larga.
2- A land plot of 728.11 mt2 in La Vega.
3- A land plot of 811.45 m2 in La Vega.
4- A land plot of 682.50 m2 in La Vega.
5- A land plot of 1,492.42 m2 in La Vega.
6- A land plot of 28,273 m2 in Arroyo Hondo Río Verde Arriba.
7- Commercial premises built on the second floor within parcel number 41-C of the Land Registry District #5 of the Municipality of La Vega, with an extension of 31.55 m2.
8- A unit in the condominium Yosiri Santos Primero, located in La Vega.
9- A land plot of 1,728.69 m2 in Jarabacoa, La Vega.
10- A land plot of 15,251.21 m2 in La Vega.
11- A land plot of 11,314 m2.
12- A commercial property of 19.04 m2.
13- A land property in Jarabacoa of 628,863.50 m2.
Hoy reports that the deputy does not list her professional background on her webpage in the Chamber of Deputies. Hoy reporters indicate Pilarte is married to Miguel Arturo López Florencio (Miky), who prosecutors say is the head of a money laundering operation to hide yields of drug trafficking activities from 2007 and 2019.
When running for deputy, the public ministry provided evidence she had carried out financial transactions for more than RD$2.5 billion.
As of June 2020, the authorities began to link Rosa Amalia Pilarte to what has been described as one of the most important drug trafficking criminal networks. Other family members accused in the money laundering case are her sons Jose Miguel Lopez Pilarte and Miguel Arturo Lopez Pilarte and other family members.
At all times, deputy Pilarte denied the charges and accusations against the family, calling these gossip and political prosecution and demanding respect to her stature as a legislator. She insists the assets are the result of legitimate business entrepreneurship of her family.
Pilarte maintains her innocence and says she will appeal. The ruling does not go into effect until the appeal is heard. She also maintains her status as a legislator through 16 August 2024 unless the Chamber of Deputies acts to remove her privilege.
Diario Libre reports that the legislator had reported assets of RD$15 million when taking on the position. State prosecutors claim that she instead had assets of RD$4.4 billion that concealed illicit drug trafficking revenues. Diario Libre mentioned in its coverage of the case that the husband of the legislator, Miky López is accused of being the head of an international drug trafficking network with one of the main partners being Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo, who was sentenced by a US court for drug trafficking.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
Hoy
Hoy
Hoy
Noticias SIN
29 May 2024