The following article first appeared in El Listin Diario, a daily in the Dominican Republic on June 28, 2024. We have translated and edited for our English dominant visitors.
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Through this agreement Mondesí, a former Major League player, completes the sentence imposed by the judges against him.
SANTO DOMINGO, RD – The Collegiate Court of San Cristóbal sentenced the former mayor and Raúl Mondesí to six years and nine months in prison, and the payment of a fine of 30 million pesos, for embezzling funds during his tenure as head of the mayor’s office of San Cristóbal., in the period 2010-2016.
The decision came after the agreement reached between the Public Ministry and the defenses.
Through this agreement Mondesí, a former Major League player, completes the sentence imposed by the judges against him.
Along with the former mayor, who served six years of house arrest, the former secretary general of said mayor’s office, Bienvenido Araujo Japa, was also sentenced; the former treasurer, Jesús Antonio Ferreira, and the former comptroller, Pedro Cordero.
In the cases of Japa and Ferreira, both were sentenced to three years, to be served, one year in house arrest and two conditionally suspended, with the conditions imposed by the judge executing the sentence.
Both defendants must also pay a 20 million fine to the Dominican State.
As for Cordero, convicted of violating his obligation to inform the authorities of the city council’s illegalities, as stipulated in article 21 paragraph 4 of Law 176-02, he will have to serve three years suspended with the conditions to be imposed by the judge of the execution of the sentence.
ABOUT THE CASE
In its indictment, the Public Ministry accused the defendants of violating articles 123, 145, 146, 147, 148, 166, 167, 169, 170, 171, 172, 175, 265 and 266 of the Dominican Penal Code, which provide the crimes of coalition of officials, falsification of documents, use of false documents, prevarication, embezzlement, crimes of mixing in matters incompatible with the quality of official and association of criminals, preceded by the prescriptions of the provisions of Decree No. 319-98 of August 25, 1998, in its articles 1, 2 and 3, articles 1, 2 and 3 of Law No. 6-86 that creates the Pension Fund for Workers in the Construction Area, article 62 of Law No. 87-01 that creates the Social Security System and article 61 of the Tax Code (Law No. 11-92), of April 13, 1998); article 16, 17 and 65, paragraph II, of Law No. 340-06 on purchases and contracting of Goods, Services, Works and Concessions; article 21, Paragraph IV, and 60 of Law No. 176-07, of the National District and the Municipalities; articles 14 and 17 of Law No. 1832-48 of the General Directorate of National Assets, articles 15, 23, 24, paragraph III, and 31 of Regulation No. 6105-49 on National Assets, and article 146 of the Constitution of the Republic on the prohibition of corruption,” says the Public Ministry.