‘Moment of truth’ in Dominican Republic’s biggest corruption scandal

Santo Domingo.- The Justice Ministry on Thurs. began a judicial journey that took 17 months to prepare -including a team of the FBI- the indictments of seven charged with taking US$92.0 million in bribes from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

In a live broadcast a stern Jean Rodriguez, flanked by assistant prosecutors, provided details of the indictments that hours before had been delivered to Special Instruction judge, Francisco Ortega.

Indicted were Ángel Rondón, Conrado Pittaluga, former Public Works minister and senior leader of the ruling party (PLD) Víctor Díaz Rúa, and San Cristóbal (PLD) senator Tommy Galán.

Also former presidents of the Senate, Andrés Bautista, also president of the opposition party (PRM), and Jesús (Chú) Vásquez, its general secretary of the PRM and who wasn’t part of those initially charged, as well as PRM leader and former National Potable Water Institute (Inapa) director Juan Rodríguez.

meanwhile the charges against the following were provisionally sealed: César Sánchez (former CEO of the State Electric CDEEE), the contractor Bernardo Castellanos, businessman Máximo D’Óleo, PRM deputy Alfredo Pacheco, and Ruddy González, former deputy of the pro-government party (PRD) ).

Also former Economy minister Temistocles Montás, former CDEEE CEO, Radhamés Segura, and Santiago senator Julio César Valentín), all three members of the PLD’s top echelon, the Political Committee.

Of the eight, the prosecutor said: “We have not found sufficient evidence”.

The moment of truth

Two days before the deadline to unseal the indictment, Rodriguez said “the moment of truth has come” for the investigation carried out since January 2017.