Santo Domingo.– The head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca), Mirna Ortiz, denied this Thursday that the Public Ministry has reached any agreement with the former executive director of the National Health Insurance (SeNaSa), Santiago Hazim, as had been reported in recent days.
Ortiz spoke upon leaving the mandatory review hearing for the coercive measures in the SeNaSa case, which was postponed once again. He explained that the purpose of this type of hearing is to determine whether the circumstances that led to the initially imposed coercive measures against the defendants have changed.
“At this moment, the Public Prosecutor’s Office cannot state that it has any type of agreements because no such agreements exist,” stated the court prosecutor.
The official, however, clarified that the Public Prosecutor’s Office does not rule out the possibility of reaching agreements with some of the defendants in the future, provided that the conditions established by law are met.
“We are pro-agreement and we do not deny the possibility that in the future, if the conditions were met, those agreements could exist. At this moment they do not exist,” maintained Ortiz.
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Where did the versions about the agreements come from?
Ortiz’s statements come after reports published in mid-July indicated that five of the ten defendants in the SeNaSa case had begun reaching out to the Public Prosecutor’s Office with a view to possible abbreviated plea agreements and to admit responsibility for the investigated facts.
Other publications indicated that some of those prosecuted might be exploring agreements that could include cooperation with the authorities in exchange for procedural benefits. However, those reports did not officially identify the five defendants nor establish that a definitive agreement existed with Santiago Hazim.
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The Public Ministry itself has previously indicated that some defendants have collaborated with the investigation. During the hearing on coercive measures, Ortiz reported that three defendants had admitted their participation and had collaborated with the authorities.
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A case exceeding RD$15 billion
The SeNaSa case, known as Operation Cobra, investigates an alleged administrative corruption scheme that, according to the Public Ministry, caused a millionaire loss to the state insurer.
Among the main defendants is Santiago Hazim, who directed SeNaSa between 2020 and 2025. The accusation maintains that during that period he allegedly operated a structure that involved officials and businessmen in supposed schemes of bribery, irregular contracts, fraudulent billing, and other maneuvers to the detriment of resources destined for public health.
The case file attributes to the defendants crimes such as collusion of officials, prevarication, criminal association, bribery, fraud against the State, embezzlement, forgery, and money laundering.
Investigations have also collected statements from those involved that link part of the money allegedly obtained through bribes to the financing of political and electoral activities. According to published interrogations, one of the declarants maintained that Hazim said the cash was intended for the elections. These claims are part of the investigation and do not constitute a conviction against the individuals mentioned.
Review of measures
This Thursday’s hearing was not intended to determine the guilt or innocence of the defendants, but rather to review whether the conditions that justified the coercive measures still remain.
Hazim and other defendants are in pretrial detention, a measure that was previously ratified by the courts. In April, the court upheld the pretrial detention against Hazim and six other defendants and set July 30 as the date for the mandatory review.
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Following the new postponement, the process remains pending the next hearing, while the Public Prosecutor’s Office keeps the possibility of potential agreements open, but makes it clear that as of this moment, there is no formal agreement with Santiago Hazim.
Ortiz reiterated that any potential negotiation will depend on the required conditions being met and on it being legally appropriate within the process.
