MP: Senasa bribes were delivered in Airbnb apartments; Calamar case caused reshuffle in the network

Santo Domingo.- The Public Ministry revealed that part of the corruption scheme attributed to former directors of the National Health Insurance (Senasa) included the delivery of millionaire bribes in apartments rented through the Airbnb platform. According to the accusation, José Pablo Ortiz Giráldez received more than RD$529 million through his company OGSS Prestadora de Servicios de Salud SRL, money that he subsequently delivered in 90% to the then director of Senasa, Santiago Hazim, following direct instructions.

These deliveries, states the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca), were made at various points in the capital, from streets and vehicles owned by Hazim, to restaurants and apartments rented exclusively for those meetings.

The Public Ministry indicated that Ortiz Giráldez converted the amounts to dollars before handing them over and that the meetings in Airbnb were part of a logistics designed to avoid tracking. However, when Ortiz was investigated in the Operation Calamar judicial process, the criminal structure would have modified its operation to protect itself.

The accused Cinty Acosta Sención informed Hazim that she would no longer be delivering the bribes through Ortiz, which led to an internal reshuffle, the legal consultant of SENASA, Germán Robles Quiñones, completely assumed the role of receiver of the illicit money.

According to the accusation, Robles received more than RD$536 million in cash, delivered directly by Acosta Sención between 2022 and 2023. In addition to this, Jhonny Morales would have received RD$95 million, equivalent to 3% of the amount invoiced by Nutri-Med Marine Alvarado SRL, as payment for managing the irregular contract with Hazim.