Judge Amauri Martinez of the Third Court of Instruction of the National District has ordered former Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez to stand trial on corruption charges.
Rodriguez is the main defendant in the Medusa Operation case, and is charged of being the lead man in a major corruption scheme. He is accused of conspiracy, abuse of power, criminal association, and embezzlement from the state. He is also accused of bribery, high-tech crimes, and money laundering.
The same judge also dismissed charges against Sara María Fernández, the wife of another defendant. The judge ruled that she bore no criminal responsibility.
Several companies are also being indicted in the case, including Desarrollo, Individuo y Organización (DIO), S.R.L., Fire Controll Systems S.R.L., and José Luis Liriano y Lirtec S.R.L.
The Public Ministry has said that 20 of the 63 defendants have already reached plea agreements, which must be approved by the court.
The Medusa Operation is a major corruption investigation in the Dominican Republic. It has led to charges against dozens of people, including former government officials and business executives. The file includes accusations for fraudulent operations for more than RD$6 billion against the state.
The head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA), Wilson Camacho, described the decision of Judge Amaury Martínez of the Third Court of Instruction of the National District to send former Prosecutor General Jean Alain Rodríguez and other defendants in Operation Medusa to trial as a “resounding victory” for the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Camacho said: “The decision today is a resounding victory for the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This is a case that from the beginning has been a well-proven process, which is why the indictment had more than 10,000 pages containing the large amount of evidence that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has and which we hope will be more than enough in the trial to produce a conviction for the people who have been sent to trial.”
In addition to Jean Alain Rodríguez, the judge’s ruling also ordered the opening of trial against Jhonatan Joel Rodríguez Imbert, Alfredo Alexander Solano Augusto, Javier Alejandro Forteza Ibarra, Rafael Antonio Mercedes Marte, Miguel José Moya, Braulio Michael Batista Barias, Alejandro Martín Rosa Llanes, Ramón Lucrecio Burgos, Jhonatan Loander Medina Reyes, Isis Tapia, Félix Antonio Rosario Labrada, Francis Ramírez Moreno, Rolando Rafael Sebelén Torres, José Miguel Estrada Jackson, César Nicolás Rizik Pimentel and José Luis Liriano Adames.
Others have stated that the complexities of the case presented open the way for the difficulties in the actual sentencing of the charges and accusations.
Under the Penal Code a maximum of 30 years in jail can be levied against those charged as the code does not allow for accumulated sentences.
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Diario Libre
Diario Libre
El Dia
1 July 2024