SANTO DOMINGO – The Collegiate Tribunal of the Judicial District of Puerto Plata has postponed the opening of the new trial against Wander Franco, former Major League player, accused of psychological and sexual abuse against a teenager.
The hearing was rescheduled for March 30th and 31st, and April 1st.
The postponement occurred due to the failure to appear of several witnesses for one of the accused, who were not formally summoned.
Reopening of the Judicial Process
The reopening of the trial was ordered in December by the Court of Appeal of the Criminal Chamber of the same judicial department. This occurred after accepting an appeal filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the sentence issued on June 27, 2025.
The appeals court determined that the case should be reviewed again from the trial phase, allowing new judges to evaluate the evidence and issue a new decision, in accordance with the law.
In the first instance, Franco was sentenced to two years in prison under suspension of the sentence, in addition to a fine equivalent to 10 minimum wages and the payment of legal costs. He was found guilty of violating the provisions of article 396, letters b and c, of the Code for the Protection and Fundamental Rights of Children and Adolescents (Law 136-03).
As part of the imposed conditions, the court ordered that the defendant not approach adolescents for sexual purposes. It was warned that, in case of non-compliance, he must serve the sentence in the San Felipe Correction and Rehabilitation Center, in Puerto Plata.
Situation of the victim’s mother
The new trial also involves the minor’s mother, who in the original sentence was sentenced to 10 years in prison for commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. The woman is serving her sentence at the Rafey Women’s Correction and Rehabilitation Center in Santiago.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered the payment of a fine equivalent to 30 minimum wages and the seizure of various assets seized during the investigation, including a plot of land in Villa Montellano, a 2023 vehicle, bank deposits and sums of money in pesos and dollars, as well as electronic devices and funds held in bank accounts.
With this postponement, the judicial process is halted until the end of March, when the court is expected to resume the case from the beginning, as stipulated by the Court of Appeals.
