La Altagracia.- A judge has granted a habeas corpus petition for American tourist Joshua Riibe, who was with Indian-American Sudiksha Konanki when she disappeared on March 6 from a private beach at the Riu República Hotel in Punta Cana. Judge Edwis Rodríguez ruled that Riibe, 22, has cooperated with the investigation and should not be held in custody.
Riibe’s lawyers argued that the Public Ministry had placed him under surveillance and repeatedly questioned him, though authorities described it as interviews. Disputes also arose over his passport, which prosecutors claim he lost, while Riibe alleged it was confiscated. The judge stated that deciding on the passport’s return was beyond the scope of this ruling.
The decision allows Riibe to leave the country once his passport is recovered or replaced. Meanwhile, Konanki’s parents have urged Dominican authorities to declare their daughter legally deceased, believing she drowned after an exhaustive search yielded no results. The full court ruling will be announced on March 28.
