Santo Domingo.- Alexis Medina Sánchez and the others accused of corruption of the Octopus case They could face sentences of 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted, lawyer Francisco “Pancho” Álvarez said today.
Álvarez explained that both Alexis and the other defendants would have committed the crimes of criminal association, State fraud, embezzlement, complicity in embezzlement, active and passive bribery, use of false documents, illicit financing of political campaigns, influence peddling. and asset laundering.
The judge of the Seventh Investigative Court of the National District, Deiby Peguero, yesterday sent a substantive judgment to both Alexis and Carmen Medina Sanchez, brothers of former President Danilo Medina, and another 19 accused of corruption of the Octopus case.
The lawyer explained that with the decision issued by Judge Peguero, society can “think calmly”, that when the coercive measures were varied, it did not mean that the process would be affected.
Francisco Alvarez Valdez, lawyer.
“One day in house arrest is equivalent to one day in jail, if the process lasts five years, for example, and they are sentenced to that time, it is already prison served,” said the criminal lawyer interviewed on the El Día program, which is broadcast by Telesystem Channel 11.
He recalled that the important thing is that the merits of the case are known and that there is a decision based on the evidence and those who are responsible are convicted.
We invite you to read: Judge sends Alexis Medina and others from the Pulpo corruption network to trial
Condemns Pagan
Regarding the conviction of the former head of the Supervisory Office of State Works (Oisoe), Francisco Pagán, the jurist said that in this case the Public Ministry used all the weapons allowed by the Criminal Procedure Code.
He explained the criterion of opportunity and the two abbreviated penalties mean that the defendants admitted guilt by agreement.
The also former coordinator of Citizen Participation, stated that the magistrate’s decision to send both Alexis and Carmen Medina Sánchez, brothers of former President Danilo Medina, and 19 other accused of corruption, to trial on the merits, is progress in terms of justice for the country .
Francis pays
“We will probably never know in detail the information that he provided because it is part of the confidential process,” Álvarez said.
Francisco Pagán, and Julián Suriel Suazo, They were sentenced to five years in prison, through an abbreviated criminal process.
Pagán will serve the sentence under the modality of two years and one month in prison, which was served during the time he was in the Najayo prison, while the remaining two years and eleven months will remain under house arrest.
Suazo was suspended for three years in prison and must comply with the points agreed with the Public Ministry. Likewise, he orders to notify the judge of the Execution of the Sentence, since that sentence becomes final.
The defendants Domingo Antonio Santiago Muñoz and Lewin Ariel Castillo also reached an agreement. In relation to the accused Muñoz, it was based on the criterion of opportunity, remaining at the disposal of the Public Ministry. For this reason, no sentence was imposed.
The lawyer said that the sentence issued yesterday by magistrate Peguero defeated the jurisprudence of corruption at the judicial level, which was believed “that if you want to prove a crime involving public funds, it could only be done with an audit by the Chamber of Accounts.”
About the state
The judge of the Seventh Investigative Court of the National District, Deiby Peguero, recognized the State as a plaintiff as a civil actor, for being a victim of the punishable acts attributed to the people sent to trial.
He said that in the substantive trial the lawyers appointed by the Dominican state will act with a view to his being compensated.
He further explained that in this process there is 60 seized properties, 67 vehicles, 553 million of pesos in seized banks and one million 400 95 thousand dollars all those selected assets that cannot be touched and that will be subject to forfeiture.
Octopus Label
The judge ordered the Public Ministry to eliminate the label or nickname “Octopus” with which he called the investigation of the network supposedly led by Alexis Medina Sánchez, considering that it violates the fundamental rights of the 47 accused, which includes 25 people and 22 companies.
He stated that labels and nicknames are allowed when the investigation is in progress, but not when the case is in court.
