Judge Esther Agelan Casasnova ruled on the Hernani Salazar vs. Marino Vinicio (Vincho) Castillo libel suit at 3:35 am after the close of hearings at 7:40 pm yesterday. Castillo was found not guilty of breaking the law on expression of thought against former Engineering Supervisor of Public Works of the Presidency and current senator, Hernani Salazar. Nevertheless, he was sentenced to pay one million pesos in damages and to cover the legal charges.
The judge considered that the prosecution did not prove its case. However, she awarded the payment based on the “moral damages” caused.
Castillo was sued by Salazar for having claimed that the latter was a friend of alleged drug trafficker Bladimir Garcia, who is awaiting trial in the US for his involvement in the Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo case. Prosecution attorney Jorge Luis Polanco had demanded one month in prison and RD$100 million in damages from lawyer Vincho Castillo, and a public retraction and apology on Castillo’s La Respuesta TV program.
The only time Salazar himself spoke during the trial, he described the “major upheaval” that Vincho’s allegations had caused to his family (including his wife who is a judge of the Supreme Court of Justice), friends, clients, and acquaintances in his professional and political activities. Castillo replied by stating that Salazar had not informed his family about the helicopter he had paid for and questioned Salazar’s sense of gratitude, revealing that at a time when he was not rich and powerful, Castillo had avoided “a scandal and problems within his (Salazar’s) family”.
After hearing the verdict, the defense immediately stated there would be an appeal on the grounds that there should not be a criminal acquittal and a civil sanction at the same time.
The case was televised and received widespread press coverage for matters such as the revelation that a helicopter belonging to one of the most important drug smugglers in the Caribbean was parked alongside the presidential helicopter at the San Isidro Air Base for over a year; for the revelation that a US$600,000 check for the last payment of the helicopter that was later sold to today arrested drug smuggler Quirino Paulino Castillo was delivered at the First Brigade of the Army military command by former presidential security advisor Pedro Julio Goico (Pepe); and for the revelation that the contract won in a tender by a Venezuelan firm was detained until the latter agreed to split the contract with a firm connected to Salazar’s company that also is affiliated to Construgar, another construction company under investigation in the Quirino Paulino Castillo case.
The case lasted 106 hours and heard testimony from 18 witnesses (including former President Hipolito Mejia) since the first hearing on 30 March.