Diario Libre publishes on 1 July 2024 a story on persons that will be sworn in on 16 August 2024 to serve the nation from the honorary positions of legislators despite past or present criminal records. Several are already legislators who bask in the judicial privileges that come with the legislative positions.
Only a Supreme Court of Justice judge can hear the cases against legislators. Furthermore, the coverage continues even if the legislator is sentenced until the political party that endorsed the candidate removes the legislator from the position. This is the case of Rosa Amalia Peralta, the PRM deputy for La Vega.
Diario Libre reports that in the Senate, Bernardo Alemán Rodríguez, senator-elect of Montecristi for the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), will represent his province despite a record of clashes with authorities over alleged sexual assaults on two minors and alleged involvement in the death of former deputy Antonio Fernández (known as “el Pollero”). Alemán is an experienced legislator. He previously served as senator from 1998 to 2006 and as deputy from 2016 to 2020.
Additionally, current senator Casimiro Antonio Marte Familia was reelected for a second term representing Santiago Rodríguez for the Partido Primero la Gente (First People’s Party), in alliance with the ruling PRM. This transport businessman was convicted of corruption in the Transportation Renewal Plan case, involving a fraud of over RD$1.8 billion. He was sentenced to three years in prison and fined RD$8 million. Although the Supreme Court upheld the sentence in 2008, then-President Leonel Fernández granted him a pardon citing “health reasons.” Marte ran for the alliance of his Partido Primero la Gente (PPG) and the ruling PRM in Santiago Rodríguez. He made a career with his Conatra transport association known for controlling key transport routes by exercising vandalism and violence to keep the privileges. Today Conatra is a multibillion major transport company that continues to control several routes nationwide.
Current deputy Nelson Marmolejos from Santiago’s 3rd district for the PRM received 12,445 votes, enough to remain in Congress. Diario Libre reports that the legislator is under investigation for alleged involvement in money laundering from drug trafficking, known as Operation Falcon.
Also linked to Operation Falcon is PRM legislator Faustina Guerrero Cabrera, better known as Grey Maldonado, who won another term as deputy for the province of El Seibo.
Diario Libre reports that the most voted in the 3rd district of the National District is also under scrutiny. Current ruling PRM party deputy Sergio “Gory” Moya de la Cruz is accused of allegedly leading a criminal structure to divert funds from lottery, sports, and convenience stores, co-authored by the Ministry of Hacienda. The case is under judicial review as part of the Calamar operation.
Diario Libre also recalls that PRM deputy-to-be Kinsberly Taveras Duran (Kimberly) has a past record of being investigated for corruption. She was the first choice of President Luis Abinader to be Minister of Youth when the government began in August 2020, but she lasted only four months, or until investigative journalist Nuria Piera released doubts about the legitimacy of her large personal fortune. She would resign due to investigations into influence peddling. She was accused of her companies supplying various municipalities in violation of Procurement and Contracting Law 340-06. In the recent congressional and presidential elections, Taveras became the most-voted deputy in C5 of Santo Domingo. She is married to the son of the Superintendence of Insurance, Josefa Castillo. Kinsberly Taveras’ husband, Jheyson Amir Garcia Castillo also made the cut for deputy for the ruling PRM party.
Deputies are primarily elected on grounds of the strength of the political party.
Despite requests, the ruling PRM did not adhere to requests that the party purge those with criminal track record from running for the government positions.
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Diario Libre
1 July 2024