Supreme Court of Justice ratifies proceedings against Adán Cáceres for the Coral case
The Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) has issued a forceful decision by declaring inadmissible the appeal filed by Major General Adán Cáceres Silvestre. With this resolution, the court supports the position of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, keeping the judicial process against the former head of the Presidential Security Corps (Cusep) on track, who is linked to the administrative corruption cases identified as Operation Coral and Coral 5G.
This ruling marks the fifth occasion on which the Dominican courts have rejected Cáceres Silvestre’s attempts to obtain the dismissal of the criminal action against him. The defendant’s defense had attempted, in repeated instances, to stop the trial by arguing various legal grounds that were dismissed by the judicial authorities, considering that the procedural deadlines have remained within reasonable limits.
A history of judicial rejections
- The First Collegiate Court of the National District dismissed the request for the extinction of the criminal action presented by the defense on three occasions.
- The Second Chamber of the Criminal Court of the Court of Appeals also ruled against the appellant, confirming the previous resolutions.
- Finally, the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice ratified the inadmissibility under the protection of article 441 of the Criminal Procedure Code, finding no basis in the defects alleged by the defendant.
The Supreme Court of Justice’s decision is a firm step toward justice and reinforces the institutional commitment to combat impunity in corruption cases that have affected the public treasury.
Public Prosecutor’s Office
Context of the convictions in the Coral Case
It is important to remember that, last June, Adán Cáceres Silvestre was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a sentence he shares with key figures of the network, such as General Juan Carlos Torres Robiou and Colonel Rafael Núñez de Aza. The criminal structure, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office investigations, operated during the 2012-2020 period, embezzling public funds intended for strategic institutions such as Cusep, Cestur, and the National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani).
In this judicial process, which involved a total of 29 convicted individuals, the 15-year sentence imposed on General Julio Camilo De los Santos Viola and Rossy Maybelline Guzmán Sánchez, known as “the pastor,” also stands out. All those involved face, in addition to the deprivation of liberty, significant financial fines as part of the reparation to the Dominican State.
Following this latest decision by the high court, the judicial process against the former head of Cusep must continue its legal course without further delay, reaffirming the position of the judicial authorities regarding the acts of administrative corruption that were reported following operations Coral and Coral 5G.
