Santo Domingo.– The Public Ministry reiterated the evidentiary force accumulated in the 34 lines of indictment contained in the accusation for administrative corruption against Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez and associates.
The judicial body maintained that the lines of indictment document an organized criminal structure aimed at the systematic predation of public assets, money laundering, and the instrumentalization of the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (PGR) during the administration of Rodríguez Sánchez.
He highlighted that the file against the former official is consolidated as one of the cases with the highest number of lines of investigation in the country’s history, due to the multiplicity and severity of the criminal actions detected and documented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
He recalled that this case involves the theft and embezzlement of more than 6 billion pesos from the Dominican State, with a direct impact on public assets and the justice system.
“Under the direction of the main defendant, Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez, a planned and sustained criminal conduct was orchestrated,” stated the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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“Using the institutionality as an instrument, the network pursued two constant objectives: the accumulation of illicit wealth through the subtraction of public funds and the construction of a political career, reaching the extreme of destroying institutional files,” he added.
Lines of research and criminal actions
The Public Ministry recalled that the magnitude of the acts of corruption is reflected in the number of lines of investigation documented by the teams of prosecutors, which range from extortion and bribery to computer sabotage.
In that sense, he listed the main lines of investigation integrated into the accusation:
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- Purchasing and Contracting Committee: use of the Purchasing and Contracting Committee as an instrument to defraud, embezzle, and misappropriate public funds, as well as a mechanism for extortion and manipulation of processes. According to the case file, it was proven that dozens of the Committee’s minutes were forged.
- Food supply fraud: fraudulent contracting to provide food to penitentiary facilities and juvenile centers, affecting more than 27,000 inmates. The scheme allegedly operated through a network of companies controlled by the accused Rolando Rafael Sebelén, brother-in-law of Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez.
- Fraudulent document maneuvers: forgery and digital superimposition of signatures and stamps to simulate minutes of sessions that never took place.
- Mass destruction of files: systematic shredding of public documents related to purchases executed in July and August 2020, with the aim of concealing illicit acts.
- Fraudulent contracting of the DNA laboratory (INACIF): a scheme of falsehood and bribery that allegedly resulted in the acquisition of unusable equipment, with millionaire losses for the State.
- Humanization Plan: improper use of the Penitentiary System Humanization Plan, including the CCR La Nueva Victoria, to collect millionaire bribes and launder assets through multiple contractor companies. According to the indictment, works were assigned under the condition of delivering millionaire sums, through companies and cash payments.
- Receipt of privileged information and payments for undelivered goods: alleged scheme used to channel bribes through the companies AM Multigráfica and Soluciones Globales Pérez Mella.
- Embezzlement through airline tickets (Global Tours & Travel): acquisition of tickets and lodging for personal and political purposes, allegedly covered up through fake invoices.
- Splitting of contracts for illicit purposes to collect bribes: systematic subdivision of purchases to favor specific companies and evade public bidding processes.
- Illicit financing of a political career (CEI-RD and PGR): alleged diversion of budget, payroll, and public facilities for propaganda and proselytism of the Renovación Political Movement.
- Money laundering through front men (headquarters of the Renovación Movement): acquisition of the political headquarters through the use of straw men and cash payments of US$1,268,500 to hide the real beneficiary.
- Propaganda and harassment structure (“Bot Farm”) financed with corruption money: creation of more than 18,000 fake social media accounts to promote political trends and execute smear campaigns against journalists and opinion leaders.
- Mass payment of “ghost employees” in exchange for salary kickbacks: hiring of employees who, according to the indictment, were forced to return between 85% and 90% of their salaries to allocate those funds to the financing of the so-called “bot farm.”
- Irregular hiring of international advisors (“Los Tequilas”): irregular hiring of Mexican advisors, paid through cash deliveries, international transfers, and bribes, with the purpose of strengthening the accused’s political career.
- Misappropriation of funds for the payment of Public Communication advisors, S.L.: alleged diversion of millions of pesos for political consulting without verifiable institutional products.
- Simulation of institutional training to cover up payments for image consulting and political crisis management: scheme related to the company Desarrollo, Individuo & Organización.
- Embezzlement and fraud in the PSBI-01-2019 auction of seized assets: irregular disposal, fraudulent appraisal, and illegal retention of seized assets for the benefit of the accused, allegedly using a front man.
- Embezzlement in the Seized Assets Custody Unit: alleged millionaire embezzlement through checks issued without foundation and alterations of contracts days before the change of government administration.
- Diversion of evidence (firearms): theft and irregular use of seized weapons that were not returned to the official chain of custody.
- Illicit assignment of seized assets: exploitation for personal benefit of confiscated real estate, vehicles, and machinery, through the use of shell companies.
- Overvaluation in forensic anthropology: manipulation of technical reports to favor suppliers in the illicit purchase of equipment for INACIF with international cooperation funds.
- Transport service fraud: creation of multiple simulated vehicle rental contracts to misappropriate public funds.
- Creation of fictitious needs to monopolize printing services and divert tens of millions of pesos: case related to ACBS Servicios S.R.L.
- Receipt of bribes (Displa and TRANSFA): alleged extortion structure against suppliers in exchange for awards and the release of withheld payments.
- Diversion and theft of materials: theft of construction materials acquired institutionally to be used in private properties.
- Diversion and illicit use of signal jammers (anti-drones): irregular purchase of security equipment with public funds for use in political events and subsequent theft for personal asset benefit.
- Bribery and fraud machinery: alleged use of institutional resources to demand the payment of bribes compulsively, in some cases through threats and blackmail against beneficiaries of fraudulent awards.
- Real estate fraud: millionaire overvaluation in the sale of a plot of land, whose allegedly illicit funds were used to acquire a private apartment.
- Computer sabotage and database deletion: deletion of databases, use of spyware, simulated ransomware attacks, and diversion of technology contracts.
- Fraudulent acquisition and equipping of a villa in Casa de Campo and a yacht: alleged use of money from bribes for the acquisition and equipping of both assets.
- Destruction and attempted destruction of thousands of documents and evidence: actions allegedly aimed at avoiding prosecution and favoring criminal organizations.
- Fraudulent acquisition and equipping of an office space: operation for an amount exceeding 60 million pesos (RD$60,000,000.00).
- Sworn statement and illicit enrichment: alleged concealment of assets, including yachts, real estate, and works of art, as well as overvaluation of assets to justify disproportionate enrichment.
- Corporate money laundering: use of dozens of shell and inoperative companies to legitimize allegedly illicit resources derived from acts of corruption.
Finally, the Public Ministry reiterated its commitment to seek sanctions before the courts against this network, to which it attributes institutional, economic, and moral damage to the Dominican State, as well as its constitutional duty to seek the recovery of the allegedly stolen assets.
