The fourth investigative court of the national district sent Major General Pedro Rafael Peña Antonio, former Minister of Defense, and Colonel Carlos Piccini Núñez, former director of special projects of the Dominican Air Force (ADF), to the fund for receiving bribes . $ 3.5 million distributed by Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica (Embraer) to be chosen as the supplier of eight Super Tucano aircraft.
The court also filed a lawsuit against Daniel Aquino Hernández, of the company 4D Business Group, SA (today 4D Business Group, SRL), which represents the defendant, as well as the company Magycorp, SA (today Magicorp, SRL).
In the meantime, an order was issued not to prosecute defendants Félix del Orbe Berroa and Ysrael Abreu Rosario.
As for businessman Daniel Aquino Méndez, another of the defendants in the bribery case, he was separated from the preliminary process, the hearing against him being set for April 15 next, for health problems.
The decision was taken by the judge of the fourth court of instruction of the national district, Raquel Astacio, after partially admitting the accusation presented by the Public Ministry, which was represented by prosecutors Rosa Alba García and María Melenciano.
Due to this corruption case, the Embraer company, which admitted the delivery of bribes, was sentenced in 2018 to pay 7 million 40 thousand dollars to the Dominican state.
The Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca) proceeded with its submission to justice for violating several articles of the Dominican Criminal Code, Law no. 448-06 on bribery in trade and investment and the old law 72-02 on money laundering to the detriment of the Dominican state.
During the investigation of the case, which began in 2016, the judiciary managed to obtain sufficient evidence to link the accused to this act of administrative corruption.
The investigations aimed at tracking money transfers in the country and abroad, analyzing and verifying assets, examining bank account movements, as well as locating and investigating the origin of goods.
The Public Ministry provided the information in a press release, where it emphasizes that it remains firm in its intentions to seek justice and obtain an exemplary sentence against the defendants.