Dominican Republic judges ´sell´ rulings to indicted murderers

Santo Domingo.- SuspendedNational District judge Awilda Reyes on Monday denied having signed a receipt releasedto the media, in which she allegedly returns RD$350,000 to Appellate Court judgeFernando Arias, received as an alleged bribe to release a suspected murderer.

On Tuesday the casetook another twist when Francisco Alvarez, of the civic movement Citizen Participation(PC), revealed possessing official documents that allegedly link other judgesin a “corrupt structure” that orders colleagues to hand down sentencesreleasing indicted murderers and people charged with other felonies.

Reyes said she will proveher innocence in due time, and accused Supreme Court chief justice MarianoGerman of becoming prosecutor, judge and jury.

German accuses Reyes oftaking a bribe to release Pedro Brand city councilman Erinson de los Santos, indictedfor allegedly heading a network of hired killers.

Interviewed by NCDN, Reyessaid the fact she has been allegedly judged and convicted without being heard isa violation of her rights.