The Attorney General Office’s Public Ministry (PGR) requested on Monday, 30 March 2026, a one-year preventive detention measure against prosecutor Aurelio Valdez Alcantara. Valdez Alcantara was arrested in a sting operation for allegedly accepting a US$10,000 bribe from an individual under criminal investigation related to the ongoing governmental Senasa medical insurance case.
The 50-page coercive measure request was filed by prosecutor Andrés Mena before Judge Ysis Muñiz Almonte, a Special Instruction Judge of the Penal Chamber of the National District Court of Appeals. The case is being personally overseen by Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso and Deputy Prosecutor Wilson Camacho, head of the Prosecution of Corruption Specialized Agency (PEPCA).
Details of the extortion allegations
According to the investigation, Valdez Alcantara’s demands to Senasa case informant Roberto Antonio Canaan were significantly higher than the amount seized during the arrest. Canaan is collaborating with the authorities in the investigation. He was customer manager at Senasa during the administration of Santiago Hazim, who at present is in preventive custody awaiting trial, as the main accused in the scandalous case. Canaán was part of the committee created by Hazim to enroll suppliers who reportedly would pay bribes for the Senasa contracts.
The prosecution alleges that the suspect had initially demanded US$200,000 from Canaan, who is under investigation in the Senasa case, and later dropped the figure to US$150,000. Also mentioned by the PGR is that Valdez Alcantara sought a Rolex watch and a Mercedes-Benz (model 350 or 450) from Canaan.
The arrest was carried out on Friday, 28 March 2026, during a “controlled delivery” authorized by the court, catching the official in the act.
Institutional response
Due to his status as a prosecutor, Valdez Alcantara holds privileged jurisdiction. Consequently, Attorney General Reynoso requested the appointment of a Special Instruction Judge, leading to the designation of Judge Muñiz Almonte by the President of the Penal Chamber of the Court of Appeals, Julio Cesar E. Cano Alfau.
In a statement following the arrest, Attorney General Reynoso emphasized a zero-tolerance policy toward internal corruption, echoing her mandate since assuming office on 26 February 2025.
“We will never tolerate acts of corruption, regardless of who commits them,” Reynoso stated. “We measure everyone with the same yardstick and are working to ensure the courts produce exemplary sanctions in this and all other corruption cases.”
The court is expected to set a hearing date shortly to determine if the one-year preventive detention request will be granted.
Listin Diario reports that Valdez Alcantara has worked on government cases of Los Tres Brazos, Fodearte, Ministry of Agriculture, Operación Medusa in addition to Senasa.
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Noticias SIN
31 March 2026