Dominican Republic resumes biggest ever govt. corruption trial

Santo Domingo.- Supreme Court Special Instruction justice, Francisco Ortega Polanco, starting 9am today resumes the trial in the Odebrecht graft case after the term given to the accused to submit evidence expired.

Ortega, before granting 40 days to the defendants Ángel Rondón, Víctor Díaz Rúa, Porfirio Andrés Bautista, Tommy Galán, Juan Roberto Rodríguez, Conrad Pittaluga and Jesús -Chú-Vásquez, had placed at their disposal all the evidence gathered by the prosecution.

The defendants are accused of bribery, illicit enrichment, money laundering, forgery and conspiracy.

The defendants were indicted for their role in the US$92.0 million which Odebrecht admitted having paid in exchange for the contracts for 17 public works.

Odebrecht’s executives had entered a plea deal with the Office of the Prosecutor.

The case, which includes the ballooned cost to over US$2.0 billion for the Punta Catalina power plant, makes it Dominican Republic’s biggest ever government corruption scandal.