Dominican Republic prosecutor takes on the ruling party

Santo Domingo.- National District prosecutor Yeni Berenice Reynoso on Friday called the justice system corrupt and that she has experienced it from within, mostly from the pressures she affirms having received for taking on the embezzlement case against former Public Works minister Victor Diaz Rua, a close collaborator of Leonel Fernandez, former president and head of the ruling PLD party.

Reynoso, speaking during a hearing behind closed doors at the 4th National District Instruction Court on Friday, confronted judge Margarita Cristo Cristo, whom the Prosecutor affirms seeks to shelve the case against Diaz Rua, accused of embezzling and money-laundering during his tenure.

Speaking on Enfoque Matinal on CDN, Reynoso challenged Cristo’s refusal to hear the allegations filed by the movement Citizens Against Corruption (CCC), which accuses the judge of being partial in Diaz Rua’s case.

CCC attorney Remberto Pichardo also noted when a judge is challenged on partiality, it’s the Court of Appeals that must decide.