Dominican Republic judge postpones first hearing in Odebrecht case

Santo Domingo.- Supreme Court justice Francisco Ortega on Tuesday postponed for 5pm Wednesday the arraignment of 14 defendants in the case of Odebrecht ‘s admitted US$92.0 million bribe.

Ortega, designated special investigative judge in the landmark case, announced the decision to adjourn the hearing at 1:15am.

The marathon hearing became bogged down when several defense lawyers claimed that their clients hadn’t been notified, leading to a “state of defenselessness” of the accused, and needed more time to prepare a defense.

Lead prosecutor Laura Guerrero acknowledged that the defendants weren’t notified in due time, and didn’t oppose the judge’s decision to adjourn the hearing until after bailiffs subpoena the accused to appear.