Santo Domingo.-The defense of the former Minister of Finance, Donald Guerrero, denounced that the report of the Comptroller General used by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Persecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca) as the starting point of the Calamar operation was never notified, which constitutes, in his opinion, a violation of the right of defense and due process.
The lawyer Mario Aguilera asked the Court to be recorded in the minutes that neither Guerrero nor his legal team had access to the document, although he has been summoned several times during the hearings.
“That report exists, has been mentioned as proof in this case, and has never been notified to us. Therefore, we have never been able to exercise any contradiction,” said Aguilera, recalling that Law 107-13 guarantees the right of people to know and discuss the acts of the administration.
He pointed out that the document in question was used by the Public Ministry to justify the investigations initiated in 2020, which resulted in accusations on alleged irregularities in payments of expropriations for more than RD $ 17,000 million.
The hearing was also marked by new complaints of complainants in favor of the former minister.
The Alfredo Nobel Foundation, representatives of the Mota Family and around 40 heirs of the Reyes family withdrew their accusations, adding more than 260 complaints previously extinguished by the fourth court of the National District Instruction for lacking valid legal representation.
Even some complainants were indicated as false claimants by not having property titles and presenting powers signed by deceased people.
With these elements, the defense insists that the Calamar case presents serious procedural irregularities and a progressive weakening of the accusations.
To these withdrawal is added the extinction of the criminal action filed by more than 260 private complainants.
Calamar operation
– Accusation
In the file of the Calamar Operation, the Public Ministry accuses 46 people of an association of malefactors, embezzlement, coalition of officials, falsification of documents, bribery and illicit financing of campaign.
