Dominican Court Rejects Extinction Bid in Jean Alain Rodríguez Corruption Case

The Second Collegiate Court of the National District has rejected the request to extinguish the criminal action against former Dominican Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez, allowing the corruption trial known as Operación Medusa to proceed. Rodríguez is accused of embezzling more than RD$6,000 million (about US$102.5 million) through fraudulent procurement processes during his tenure from 2016 to 2020 Source: infobae. The court ordered the Public Ministry to begin reading the indictment Source: elcaribedr.

The ruling

The judges—Claribel Nivar Arias, Yissel Soto, and Clara Castillo—unanimously denied the defense's request, which argued that the process had exceeded the four-year maximum set by the Criminal Procedure Code. The court acknowledged that the legal deadline had passed but deemed the delay "reasonable" given the case's complexity, citing nearly 12,000 pages of indictment and about 99 hearings in the instruction phase Source: listindiario. The tribunal found no "unjustified delay" by judicial bodies, attributing the timeline to the active procedural dynamics of all parties Source: listindiario.

Conflicting narratives

The defense, led by Carlos Balcácer, insists the delay is the Public Ministry's fault, noting that two tribunals previously recognized such dilations and that Rodríguez spent four years in pretrial detention Source: listindiario. They plan to appeal the ruling once the full sentence is notified on September 7 Source: elcaribedr. In contrast, prosecutor Wilson Camacho argues that the defense has used delaying tactics, including recusals and postponement requests, to avoid facing the evidence. "This tribunal has sent him a message in law and told him he must prepare to defend himself against the evidence, which is what he has wanted to avoid," Camacho said Source: eldiado.

What's next

The court ordered the Public Ministry to begin reading the accusation, a step toward the merits phase. Rodríguez and 14 other defendants remain in trial, while nearly 30 others have already been convicted in abbreviated proceedings Source: diariolibree. The defense has vowed to continue fighting the decision Source: hoydo.