Senator faked jet’s transfer to hide origin, prosecutor says

Santo Domingo.- The Justice Ministry’s Anti-corruption Dept. (Pepca) on Thursday said it confiscated a Gulfstream American 2 jet registry N16YY and/or N522HS, at Puerto Plata International Airport, as part of the investigation into alleged money laundering and embezzlement by senator Felix Bautista.

Pepca director Laura Guerrero said the jet had been flown to Florida in September under registry N16YY, but returned back in November with the number N522HS, after a “simulated transfer,” in the wake of the October 22 indictment against Bautista and six co-accused, Soraida Abreu Antonia Martínez, José Elías Hernández García, Antonio Bolivar Ventura Rodríguez, Carlos Manuel Ozoria Martinez Bienvenido Apolinar Medina Breton and Gricel Aracelis Soler Pimentel.

She said the lawmaker tries to evade prosecution on money laundering and the forfeiture of the aircraft by concealing the change of registry from N-16YY to N522HS.

Guerrero said the probe into Bautista uncovered that the aircraft was acquired in the U.S. from the company Secure Aircorp Inc., “apparently under the property of the accused Carlos Manuel Ozoria Martinez, friend and close associate of Felix Bautista."