Dominican court postpones decision in ex-AG's corruption case

A Dominican court has again postponed a decision on whether to dismiss a corruption case against former Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez. The ruling by the Second Collegiate Court of the National District was initially scheduled for Wednesday morning but was rescheduled twice, now awaiting a decision on August 17. The court has not provided a reason for the repeated delays.

“

the prosecution has a large amount of evidence that supports the case for alleged administrative corruption in the PGR during the 2016-2020 period.

Rodríguez and his defense team argue that the legal proceedings have exceeded the maximum four-year limit stipulated by the Criminal Procedure Code. They contend that the prosecution, not Rodríguez, is responsible for the nearly six-year delay in the case. Rodríguez himself stated in a recent hearing that he has not caused the delays, pointing to two court decisions in 2023 that supported this claim.

“

the knowledge of the accusatory file has widely exceeded the maximum period of four years that, according to them, establishes the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Conversely, the prosecution maintains it possesses substantial evidence to support the charges of administrative corruption during Rodríguez's term from 2016 to 2020. He is accused of misappropriating over 6 billion pesos through fraudulent schemes. Several other individuals are also implicated in the case, facing charges related to corruption, bribery, and fraud against the state.

“

it has not been I who has caused the delay of the process, which, he said, has been prolonged for almost six years.