He Permanent Attention Court of Santo Domingo Este postponed for Sunday December 7at 10:00 in the morning, the hearing of coercive measures against the former councilor of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), Francisco Alberto Paulino Castro (alias “Francis” or “El Compadre”), and the rest 15 accused in the Operation Kraken.
The magistrate Leomar Cruz Quezada made the decision after accepting a request presented by the defense lawyerswho alleged on the stand that They didn’t know the file and they needed sufficient time to analyze the evidence deposited by the Public Ministry.
Arguments of the Parties
Those involved are part of an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering network dismantled during the so-called “Operation Kraken”.
- The Defense: The defense of several of those accused expressed that the request for measures does not have solid evidence that establish direct links between their clients and the alleged acts. The lawyer Valentin Medranorepresentative of the former councilor, denied the accusation, pointing out that it only indicates that his client “used the services of a laundering network” without offering further details.
- The Public Ministry: The prosecution body maintained that the accusations are based on an exhaustive investigation and that the evidence provided is sufficient to sustain the involvement of each person involved.
