NewsWhore
09-05-2007, 05:10 PM
Lawyers representing the accused in the Baninter case, regarded as the fifth largest bank collapse in history, began presenting their closing arguments yesterday. They are expected to continue for another four days. In his opening address, lawyer Juarez Castillo Seman dismissed proof and witnesses on which the prosecutors based their case, especially the validity of Luis Aurich to audit the bank, including the fact that he is not a member of the Dominican Institute of Accountants, and instead relied on his wife, a former operations manager at Baninter, to sign the statements. On the contrary, the defense sought to prove that the witnesses, instead of incriminating, served to validate the defense's case.
The defense continued to stress that the practices where Baninter is accused of wrongdoing were generally accepted practice in banking at the time.
The lawyer attributed the collapse of the bank to external situations created by then President Hipolito Mejia's government. Castillo opened his case with the now legendary statement from Mejia: "I will close the bank and put you in jail." He also brought to light the case against former presidential security advisor Pedro Julio Guerrero and the more than 40 million pesos spent using the so-called Pepe Card issued by Baninter for presidential expenses abroad. "We are proving here, that there was no fraud. What happened was that Hipolito Mejia used the same maneuvers that he used to take Pepe Goico out of jail to incriminate Ramoncito (Baez Figueroa)", Castillo Seman emphasized during the trial.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)
The defense continued to stress that the practices where Baninter is accused of wrongdoing were generally accepted practice in banking at the time.
The lawyer attributed the collapse of the bank to external situations created by then President Hipolito Mejia's government. Castillo opened his case with the now legendary statement from Mejia: "I will close the bank and put you in jail." He also brought to light the case against former presidential security advisor Pedro Julio Guerrero and the more than 40 million pesos spent using the so-called Pepe Card issued by Baninter for presidential expenses abroad. "We are proving here, that there was no fraud. What happened was that Hipolito Mejia used the same maneuvers that he used to take Pepe Goico out of jail to incriminate Ramoncito (Baez Figueroa)", Castillo Seman emphasized during the trial.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#12)