Santo Domingo.- The general coordinator of Participación Ciudadana, Francisco “Pancho” Álvarez, stated that the recent conviction in the Coral 5G case represents a significant step in strengthening the fight against corruption and the Dominican judicial system.
Álvarez considered it transcendental that major corruption cases are finally reaching trial and culminating in decisions on guilt or innocence, leaving behind the stage where many proceedings remained stalled in preliminary phases.
The jurist also highlighted the performance of the judges who heard the case, noting that they carried out an “exemplary” judicial exercise, publicly explaining the grounds for the ruling and even detailing the dissenting votes issued within the court.
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Likewise, he maintained that complex corruption cases should not be evaluated with simplistic criteria regarding their duration, since files with multiple defendants require time, analysis of evidence, expert reports, and extensive hearings to guarantee sound decisions.
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On another note, Álvarez warned that the country still faces significant institutional challenges, especially regarding aspects of the new Penal Code, which he considered a setback for freedom of expression by maintaining criminal penalties for defamation and slander.
He drew attention to the need for the Public Prosecutor’s Office to continue advancing in pending investigations linked to the Senasa case and other corruption files related to the health system.
