US$2.5B Baninter bank fraud convict seeks treatment in U.S.

Santo Domingo.- The Justice Ministry’s Human Rights Unit on Wednesday approved specialized medical treatment abroad requested by money-laundering convict Luis Álvarez Renta, with a 60-day permit to travel to John Hopkins Medical Center, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Alvarez, convicted in the US$2.5 billion Baninter bank fraud case, cited humanitarian reasons to submit his request to Justice minister Francisco Domínguez.

The approval however drew quick rebuke from Central Bank lawyer Carlos Salcedo, who called Álvarez’s request "inadmissible and unfounded."

But Eric Raful, the financier’s lawyer, cites a letter from Human Rights Unit director Danissa Cruz, which cites Constitutional reasons and penitentiary law to issue the permit.