Senasa Fraud Case: Pre-trial Detention Reviewed for Former Director Hazim and Five Others

A judge is currently reviewing the mandatory pre-trial detention for Santiago Hazim, the former director of the Dominican Republic's National Health Insurance (Senasa), and five other individuals. They are accused of a significant fraud scheme that allegedly siphoned off more than RD$15 billion from the state-run health insurance provider.

The hearing began before 10:00 AM and continued past noon with debates between the prosecution and defense teams. Besides Hazim, the detention of Gustavo Enrique Messina Cruz, Germán Rafael Robles Quiñones, Francisco Iván Minaya Pérez, Rafael Luis Martínez Hazim, and Ramón Alan Spiekler Mateo is under review. All of them are currently held at the Las Parras Correctional and Rehabilitation Center.

Meanwhile, Ada Ledesma Ubiera, who also faced pre-trial detention in December, has been granted a financial guarantee and house arrest. Other individuals involved in the case, Eduardo Read Estrella, Cinty Acosta Sención, and Heidy Mariela Medina, have been under house arrest since December 2025.

Ángel Luis Guzmán Vásquez, an former auxiliary in Senasa's Medical Authorizations Department, remains imprisoned at Las Parras. He was arrested five months after Hazim's group, reportedly while attempting to travel to the United States. The Public Ministry alleges Guzmán Vásquez was part of a criminal structure that committed fraud through irregular medical authorizations. His pre-trial detention was recently upheld.