On Friday, eight individuals and their respective companies involved in the corruption case Operation Medusa appeared before the judge of the Second Instruction Court to agree to settlements with the Public Ministry, admitting guilt to the charges.
Together with previously announced agreements, a total of "21 individuals physically and legally" out of 63 mentioned in the embezzlement case during the tenure of former prosecutor Jean Alain Rodríguez have decided to plead guilty in expedited trials.
The group that admitted guilt on Friday, March 22, is led by Lisandro José Macarrulla Martínez, son of the former Minister of the Presidency in the current government of Luis Abinader, Lisandro Macarrulla, who resigned after his son’s accusation.
Other defendants who negotiated with the prosecution include Ricardo Antonio Carrasquero, José Antonio Santana Julián, Reynaldo de Jesús Santos, Rafael Salvador Razuk Sánchez, engineer Jenny Marte Peña, Mercedes Camelia Salcedo Disa, and Carolina Pimentel Bonifacio.
Earlier in the month, agreements were made with the Special Prosecution Office for Corruption Prosecution (Pepca) including defendants Carlos Augusto Guzmán Oliver, César Nicolás Rizik Pimentel, Daniel Enrique and Francisco Alberto Vásquez Féliz, Fausto José Cáceres Santerio, La Parasata Mercantil company, and Francisco Arturo Santos Gómez.
The total of "21 individuals physically and legally" was disclosed by the Litigation Coordinator of Pepca, Mirna Ortiz.
The Penalties Imposed
Macarrulla Martínez and his company Mac Construcciones SRL are accused of paying bribes to the Prosecutor’s Office to secure the award of lot number 5 of La Nueva Victoria prison for a sum of RD,298,210,894.40, plus an addendum exceeding RD,000,000 as per the Medusa case file.
The Public Ministry requested, and Macarrulla Martínez agreed to, three years of suspended imprisonment and the delivery of RD,000,039,800, the amount seized in forfeitures.
Moreover, he must hand over more than 57 million pesos in administration checks and a property in the M2 Tower valued at RD,000,000. The business registration of Mac Construcciones SRL will also be canceled for two years.
For Santana Julián, a one-year suspended imprisonment sentence was requested in an expedited trial, along with the return of RD,000,000 paid as a bribe to the Prosecutor’s Office during Jean Alain Rodríguez’s tenure.
His company, Abastesa, will have its business registration suspended for a year and must also repay RD,900,000.
Pepca also requested three years of suspended imprisonment for Rafael Salvador Razuk Sánchez. Razuk Sánchez’s company, F & F Import, will be fined RD2,744, face forfeiture of the company’s shares, and have its business registration suspended.
Reynaldo de Jesús Santos was asked to serve a three-year suspended imprisonment sentence, while his entity, Swaziland SRL, was directed to pay a fine of RD2,744 and forfeit the company’s shares to the State.
"Deeply Regretful" Tears
Engineer Yenny Marte Peña, in tears, expressed being "deeply regretful" and reaching an agreement to rebuild her life.
Her settlement with Pepca includes a five-year imprisonment sentence, counting time spent under house arrest towards the total, and the remaining time on probation.
Marte Peña must also pay a fine of 300 minimum wages set by the State.
Others who admitted their charges are Mercedes Camelia Salcedo Disla and Carolina Pimentel Bonifacio, facing a three-year suspended imprisonment sentence in an expedited trial. They must reside at a designated place provided by the court, refrain from traveling abroad without authorization, possess no firearms, and abstain from alcohol consumption.
Jean Alain’s Response
Jean Alain Rodríguez’s Defense Council responded to the new agreements stating that the over 20 food suppliers and former officials of the Attorney General’s Office who have pleaded guilty under agreements with the institution "exempt him from responsibility, do not implicate him, and don’t even know him in any way."
Postponed to Tuesday
The Medusa case hearing has been postponed to Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. in the Old Supreme Court of the Heroes' Center.
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