NewsWhore
07-25-2011, 01:40 PM
After Grupo SIN announced it had contracted the full spread of the DR-related WikiLeaks, the flow of documents from the US Embassy in the Dominican Republic has picked up pace.
The new documents published last week brought up matters related to Supreme Court of Justice president Jorge Subero Isa, in which he was described as unwilling to combat corruption at high official levels and vice president of the Supreme Court Rafael Luciano Pichardo, mentioned for a US$40,000 check and events related to his sons. Luciano Pichardo has always disputed the retirement age of Supreme Court judges, which is set at 75. 13 Supreme Court of Justice judges need to elected, as two have died and others have reached the mandatory retirement age. The Supreme Court has also been in the press demanding that their retirement package include paying them their same wages and other benefits.
Then on Saturday, newspapers reminded Dominicans of the controversial coverage and press scandals in 2004 focused on several key officials in the administration of former President Hipolito Mejia n namely former presidential legal advisor Guido Gomez Mazara, former director of Migration Miguel Vasquez and prosecutor general Victor Cespedes, known for his many pardons. El Caribe published several translated versions of the documents.
In file 14470 - dated 2 March 2004, the US Embassy expresses as an objective for the first quarter of 2004 to obtain the removal of at least one official believed to be complicit in trafficking or corruption n mentioning Miguel Vasquez, Attorney General Cespedes, and ambassador to Argentina Guido Gomez.
In documents 13709 - 3 February 2004, Dominicans are reminded of the case of arrested drug trafficker Josefina Rojas, who despite an extradition order was released by Prosecutor Cespedes. The report says that before Cespedes was appointed as prosecutor, no fugitive from US justice who had been arrested after an official request of the USA for extradition had been released by order of the Prosecutor General, violating an order from the President. It highlights that the case of Rojas is the first time that a prisoner has been released by the order of the prosecutor and afterwards arrested and extradited.
The file looks into other cases of fugitives it deems irregular following actions by Cespedes. In document 20224 dated 30 August 2004, the Embassy requests the revoking of the visa B1B2 of former prosecutor general Victor Cespedes. In this file, the Embassy says that two days before leaving office with the change of government, Cespedes ordered the early release from prison of a former Dominican vice-consul in Haiti, Ormis Freddy Pena Mendez, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking 43 kilograms of cocaine, and who had served only two years in jail, as another example of why the visa should be revoked. The Embassy said that Cespedes had a record of freeing known drug traffickers, and this was given as reason why the revocation of the visa was appropriate.
Also mentioned are several other cases, concluding that Cespedes has a record of releasing known drug traffickers.
On Sunday, El Nacional carried statements by Cespedes saying he had been cleared in court of the above accusations.
www.noticiassin.com/2011/07/cuatro-ex-funcionarios-son-el-centro-de-atencion-de-los-cables-de-wikileaks/ (http://www.noticiassin.com/2011/07/cuatro-ex-funcionarios-son-el-centro-de-atencion-de-los-cables-de-wikileaks/)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)
The new documents published last week brought up matters related to Supreme Court of Justice president Jorge Subero Isa, in which he was described as unwilling to combat corruption at high official levels and vice president of the Supreme Court Rafael Luciano Pichardo, mentioned for a US$40,000 check and events related to his sons. Luciano Pichardo has always disputed the retirement age of Supreme Court judges, which is set at 75. 13 Supreme Court of Justice judges need to elected, as two have died and others have reached the mandatory retirement age. The Supreme Court has also been in the press demanding that their retirement package include paying them their same wages and other benefits.
Then on Saturday, newspapers reminded Dominicans of the controversial coverage and press scandals in 2004 focused on several key officials in the administration of former President Hipolito Mejia n namely former presidential legal advisor Guido Gomez Mazara, former director of Migration Miguel Vasquez and prosecutor general Victor Cespedes, known for his many pardons. El Caribe published several translated versions of the documents.
In file 14470 - dated 2 March 2004, the US Embassy expresses as an objective for the first quarter of 2004 to obtain the removal of at least one official believed to be complicit in trafficking or corruption n mentioning Miguel Vasquez, Attorney General Cespedes, and ambassador to Argentina Guido Gomez.
In documents 13709 - 3 February 2004, Dominicans are reminded of the case of arrested drug trafficker Josefina Rojas, who despite an extradition order was released by Prosecutor Cespedes. The report says that before Cespedes was appointed as prosecutor, no fugitive from US justice who had been arrested after an official request of the USA for extradition had been released by order of the Prosecutor General, violating an order from the President. It highlights that the case of Rojas is the first time that a prisoner has been released by the order of the prosecutor and afterwards arrested and extradited.
The file looks into other cases of fugitives it deems irregular following actions by Cespedes. In document 20224 dated 30 August 2004, the Embassy requests the revoking of the visa B1B2 of former prosecutor general Victor Cespedes. In this file, the Embassy says that two days before leaving office with the change of government, Cespedes ordered the early release from prison of a former Dominican vice-consul in Haiti, Ormis Freddy Pena Mendez, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for trafficking 43 kilograms of cocaine, and who had served only two years in jail, as another example of why the visa should be revoked. The Embassy said that Cespedes had a record of freeing known drug traffickers, and this was given as reason why the revocation of the visa was appropriate.
Also mentioned are several other cases, concluding that Cespedes has a record of releasing known drug traffickers.
On Sunday, El Nacional carried statements by Cespedes saying he had been cleared in court of the above accusations.
www.noticiassin.com/2011/07/cuatro-ex-funcionarios-son-el-centro-de-atencion-de-los-cables-de-wikileaks/ (http://www.noticiassin.com/2011/07/cuatro-ex-funcionarios-son-el-centro-de-atencion-de-los-cables-de-wikileaks/)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#10)