How a close relative of a major drug trafficker, who had been serving a sentence to murder for 30 years, was able to maneuver through the local judiciary, jail and medical systems reveals the vulnerability of these institutions, highlights Listin Diario in a report on 8 October 2017. Pedro Alejandro Castillo Paniagua (Quirinito) secured forged documents, including false medical and death certificates, and a long series of questionable favorable judiciary resolutions.
Surprisingly, at no time did the judicial system question the authenticity of these documents or reviewed the tainted judicial proceedings until media reports questioned the veracity of Castillo Paniagua’s death.
Castillo Paniagua was sentenced to 30 years in jail on 13 April 2010, by a San Cristóbal court after evidence showed he had murdered alleged drug trafficker Adolfo Cervantes Arellano (Waikiki) who was under investigation for the murder in March of that same year of National Drug Control Agency agent, Guillermo Tejada Kranwinkel.
In less than two months, on 20 June 2010, Castillo obtained an appeals court decision that ordered a new trial. The new trial that took place in a Baní court resulted in a reduced sentence to 20 years.
Castillo was in jail at Najayo jail until 29 September 2016, when his lawyers secured a ruling by Judge Willy de Jesus that allowed for his transfer to the Vista al Valle Jail in San Francisco de Macorís. In less than a year, his lawyers secured an authorization by San Francisco de Macoris judge Aleyda Jimenez Acosta that allowed him to hold domiciliary arrest on grounds that he had terminal mouth cancer.
Forensic physician Orlando Herrera Robles then certified his death, issuing a medical certificate on 5 July 2017 that was used to prepare his death certificate. The health certificate issued in the name of Quirinito’s mother, Monica Paniagua, established that the person suffered from high blood pressure, an illness that affects 30% of the population in the Dominican Republic.
On 3 October 2017, an investigation by the prosecutor Bolivar Sanchez of the Attorney General Office undertaken after the case was discussed in the media, determined Castillo Paniagua had not died and requested his capture by the Police and the Interpol.
Physician Orlando Herrera was suspended from his work at the National Institute of Forensic Science. The National Judiciary Council ordered the suspension from work of justices of San Cristobal and San Francisco that had issued the favorable orders for Castillo. Others suspended are appeals prosecutor in San Francisco de Macoris José Calasanz Morel, and Franklin Ortega, supervision head of the new jail model.
Also under investigation is oncologist Angel Garabot Polanco who had certified the mouth cancer. He referred the patient to the Centro de Radioterapia del Instituto Oncologico Regional del Cibao for treatment with Dr. Naly Cruz Ventura, supervised by Dr. Cesar Nuñez Rojas. Nunez Rojas was whom on 31 March 2017 had diagnosed that Quirinito had cancer.
A report in Diario Libre says that details of a health certificate issued in the name of Monica Paniagua, mother of Quirinito, was used by Quirinito lawyers to justify the transfer from San Cristóbal to San Francisco and accepted by the judiciary.
Diario Libre reports that the oncologist certified Quirinito had mouth cancer ten days after the San Francisco de Macoris judge authorized domiciliary arrest.
San Francisco de Macoris TV program producers, Kirsy Mena and Washington Espino have denounced that they have received telephone death threats after having revealed the case in the media. The local judiciary only began to investigate after the case was broken in the media.
After the supposed death of Quirinito on 5 July 2017, the case had months being discussed in social media with the whereabouts of the body of Castillo Pantaleon unknown until the Attorney General named adjunct prosecutor Bolivar Sanchez to take on the investigation. This is the same prosecutor who resolved the murder case of the late Emely Peguero in 48 hours.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
El Dia
7 Dias
9 October 2017
