Foreign Ministry suspends César Méndez, the Dominican consul in Barcelona involved in the incident

Santo Domingo.- On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex) announced the suspension of the Dominican consul in Barcelona, César Baltazar Méndez Pérez, following reports in Spanish media that he was involved in a vehicle crash, resisted arrest, and refused to undergo a breathalyzer test.

In an official statement, Mirex stated that the decision to suspend Méndez Pérez was made in light of the ongoing investigation by Spanish authorities into the diplomat’s actions. It was also noted that Méndez Pérez was already in the process of transitioning out of his position, as Antonio Gómez had been appointed as his replacement through Decree 163-23.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs further mentioned that it is awaiting official reports on the case from the Spanish Foreign Ministry and the Dominican Embassy in Spain.

Méndez Pérez was appointed to the consul position in September 2020, replacing Francisco Fernando Cáceres Liriano, as outlined in Article 4 of Decree 451-20.

Earlier this week, Méndez Pérez acknowledged being involved in a traffic collision but claimed that he did not undergo the breathalyzer test because the authorities informed him that it was optional for diplomatic officers.