Chief Justice calls Senator Bautista’s new scandal “mere politics”

Santo Domingo.- “Mere politics” is how Dominican Republic’s Chief Justice described the new scandal involving senator Felix Bautista, just hours after the lawmaker was cited in a campaign financing probe announced in Lima, Peru on Tuesday.

Chief justice Mariano German told reporters at the Supreme Court that he doesn’t comment on political affairs, and that he prefers to wait until potential cases are processed by the courts. “I don’t respond on political issues, I’m a judge and proceed only when cases come to the courts.”

When several reporters insisted that he comment on why some cases -especially Bautista’s malfeasance accusation- move slower than others when they reach the courts, German reiterated that he’ll wait until it reaches his.

On Tuesday Peru officials announced a probe into alleged illegal campaign financing for former Peru president Alejandro Toledo by Bautista, ruling party senator for San Juan province and close collaborator of former Dominican president Leonel Fernandez.

Bautista is also accused of funding part of the political campaign for Haiti president Michel Martelly, as well as taking part in the Sunland scandal, an alleged fraud which cost Dominican taxpayers US$120 million.