Supreme Court upholds conviction against Jean Alain Rodríguez in Marino Zapete case
The First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice has issued a final ruling ratifying the conviction against the former Attorney General of the Republic, Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez. The former official must compensate journalist Marino Zapete in the amount of RD$2 million for moral damages.
This judicial decision arises following the declaration of inadmissibility of the cassation appeal filed by Rodríguez Sánchez’s defense. The court determined that the appeal did not meet the criteria of cassational interest required by Law No. 2-23, which closes the legal path to reverse the previously issued sentence.
Judgment and compensation details
With this ruling, the resolution issued on August 26, 2024, by the Third Civil and Commercial Chamber of the Court of Appeal of the National District remains in effect. In addition to the principal payment of RD$2 million, the court established additional conditions for the compensation:
- The amount must include a judicial interest of 1.5% per month.
- The calculation of said interest shall be applied from the official notification of the judgment until the full payment is made.
The original lawsuit filed by Marino Zapete was based on moral damages derived from various actions attributed to Rodríguez Sánchez, which allegedly directly influenced the suspension of the news program El Jarabe de Zapete.
Aspects excluded from the ruling
Although the court ruled in favor of the journalist regarding moral damages, the tribunal dismissed other points presented in the initial complaint. Among the complementary decisions are:
- The exclusion of Maybeth Rodríguez Sánchez, sister of the former attorney general, from the imposed sentence.
- The rejection of the claims for material damages presented by the communicator, considering that they were not duly proven during the judicial process.
