The Coral and Coral 5G case is progressing with tension in the First Collegiate Tribunal of the National District. The Public Heritage Recovery Team (ERPP), on behalf of the State, responded by requesting the rejection of the criminal extinction requests filed by the defendants’ legal teams.
The magistrates heard arguments in which the State defended keeping the process intact. They insisted on declaring inadmissible the exclusion of the Dominican State as a plaintiff and civil party, invoking principles such as res judicata and not rolling back concluded stages. This Coral and Coral 5G case investigates an alleged embezzlement of more than RD$4,500 million in public funds, extracted from the Presidential Security Corps (Cusep), Cestur, and Conani.
Main defendant: General Adán Cáceres
The trial, which began on June 27, 2024, has General Adán Cáceres, former head of presidential security, as its central figure. Alongside him, generals such as Cáceres Silvestre, Torres Robiou, and Camilo de los Santos Viola face requests for 20 years in prison and compensation of 400 minimum wages. Boanerges Reyes Batista and Franklin Mata Flores share that request.
Variable sentences for other involved parties
- Rossy Maybelline Guzmán Sánchez, “la Pastora”, Kelman Santana Martínez, and Pedro Roberto Castillo Nolasco: 15 years and 300 minimum wages.
- Major Raúl Alejandro Girón Jiménez: 5 years and 200 minimum wages.
- Carlos Augusto Lantigua Cruz and Miguel Ventura: fines of RD$500,000 each.
The defenses allege undue delay since 2021, when the first coercion measures were imposed. Historically, the Coral and Coral 5G case arose from Operation Coral, dismantling a military corruption network. Previous courts, such as the Second Appeals Chamber, rejected similar extinctions, counting deadlines from May 2021 and validating the progress without unjustified delays.
Adjournment and next steps
The judges postponed the hearing of the Coral and Coral 5G case to Tuesday, April 14, at 9:00 a.m. The defense teams will be able to respond voluntarily, with a 30-minute limit. The Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that there is no violation of the four-year reasonable time limit of the Criminal Procedure Code, despite requests for acquittal by defenses such as those of Boanerges and Mata Flores.
This development keeps attention on the Coral and Coral 5G case, an emblem of the anti-corruption fight in the Dominican Republic, with PEPCA leading the prosecution for massive plundering of taxpayers.