Ex president gets 20 years in prison, from mock court

Santo Domingo.- More than 100 people gathered last night in a park in the upscale sector of Naco where they staged the first parody of popular trials against ex president Leonel Fernandez, who in a symbolic first conviction was sentenced to 20 years in prison, forfeiture of all assets acquired after 1996 and 187,000 “hat slaps” to represent the country’s estimated RD$187.0 billion fiscal hole.

The “tribunal” formed by a group of organizations headed by Liberka Reyes, of the Political Action Network (RAP) also condemned the former chief executive of being responsible for fiscal deficit, equal to 8.5% of the GDP.

The hearing featured two people wearing masks allusive to Fernandez (defendant) and Marino Vinicio Castillo (Vincho) as defense lawyer, while Extended Front general secretary Dionicio Restituyo represented "the prosecutor," who requested a 30 year prison sentence, a 40 year ban on exercising a public function and the confiscation of all his properties, including his Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (Funglode).

The steady rain didn’t halt the mock-trial-protest by dozens of people at the Lira park on Lincoln Av, to rebuke the tax package and demand indictments of the alleged perpetrators

In addition to RAP, the activity was organized by movements of young adults, La Multitud, Juventud Caribe, Juventud Alianza País and La Revuelta.