NewsWhore
12-08-2008, 03:11 PM
The Penal Chamber of the Santo Domingo Court of Appeals has sentenced former Deputy Environment Minister Rene Ledesma to six months in jail and the payment of 10,000 minimum salaries for allowing the dumping of 50,000 tons of rock ash (fly ash) in Samana.
Judges Olga Herrera, Hirohito Reyes and Dario Gomez Herrera, accepted the arguments of assistant prosecutor Carlos Castillo. Defense lawyers Rafael Mejia Guerrero and Jacinto Trejo Liranzo had requested the ratification of the decision by the Court of Appeals in San Francisco de Macoris to discharge the accused. The tribunal revoked the lower court's sentence and found Ledesma guilty of violating Law 64-00 on the Environment. The court ordered the sentence to be suspended under a series of conditions. These include the requirement that the guilty party remain in his house, refrain from traveling outside the country, and provide service to an organization that protects the environment outside of his normal work hours. Although in its reasoning the court said that rock ash was not toxic, it rested its conviction on the handling of the substance that sent dust clouds that could damage the health of residents and harm marine life. The court rejected any civil cases against Ledesma filed by environmental protection organizations. According to Diario Libre, defense lawyer Rafael Mejia Guerrero said that the defense team would be examining the decision before deciding whether to appeal.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
Judges Olga Herrera, Hirohito Reyes and Dario Gomez Herrera, accepted the arguments of assistant prosecutor Carlos Castillo. Defense lawyers Rafael Mejia Guerrero and Jacinto Trejo Liranzo had requested the ratification of the decision by the Court of Appeals in San Francisco de Macoris to discharge the accused. The tribunal revoked the lower court's sentence and found Ledesma guilty of violating Law 64-00 on the Environment. The court ordered the sentence to be suspended under a series of conditions. These include the requirement that the guilty party remain in his house, refrain from traveling outside the country, and provide service to an organization that protects the environment outside of his normal work hours. Although in its reasoning the court said that rock ash was not toxic, it rested its conviction on the handling of the substance that sent dust clouds that could damage the health of residents and harm marine life. The court rejected any civil cases against Ledesma filed by environmental protection organizations. According to Diario Libre, defense lawyer Rafael Mejia Guerrero said that the defense team would be examining the decision before deciding whether to appeal.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)