Dominican Republic ex attorney general faces long jail term

Santo Domingo.- The seriousness of the accusations filed by the Anticorruption Prosecutor (Pepca) against the former attorney general Jean Alain Rodríguez, the existence of risk of withdrawing from the process, based on the high profile of the institutional function performed, is what led Judge Kenya Romero to rule 18 months of pretrial detention against him.

Romero, at the time of giving reasons for her sentence, explained that although the seriousness of the nature of the accusation does not diminish the principle of presumption of innocence, the command position derived from the public function exercised by Alain Rodríguez puts at risk the obstruction of the means of proof.

She also cited “the fact that the social and patrimonial roots offered by his technical defense allow the latent identification of the facilities that he has to withdraw from the process.”

Among other charges, Rodriguez is accused of heading a ring which embezzled over US$54.0 million.