Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Alfonso Quiñones, judge where Clarissa Molina was crowned, gives ultimatum to Sophinel Báez and announces possible legal actions

The journalist Alfonso Quiñones spoke out regarding the statements made by Sophinel Báez in an interview with Juan Carlos Albelo, where she insinuated that Clarissa Molina had won Miss Dominican Republic Universe 2015 after having a private meeting with a sponsor. The former queen hinted that this alleged approach had involved an undue proposal that influenced the final result of the pageant. Quiñones, who was part of the jury in that edition of the contest and has more than five decades of experience in the media, considered in a conversation on La Fórmula Radio, that these statements not only affect the winner, but also those who made up the evaluation panel. In his opinion, the insinuations call into question the transparency of the process and the honor of the judges. The communicator was emphatic in warning that he will give Báez a week to publicly retract. "I am going to give him a week to retract regarding me at least; I don't know about the others, but regarding me, let him retract," he expressed, making it clear that he will not allow his name to be linked to an alleged fraud. We recommend reading: He also firmly defended his professional reputation against the accusations. "I have been in the media for 55 years and it's not true that I, to make anyone a winner in something they don't deserve, am going to expose my prestige and my 55 years for whatever," he affirmed. Those who even raised the possibility of initiating legal actions for defamation and insult if a rectification is not made. According to him, Báez's statements cast suspicion on his integrity and capacity as a judge, something he considers unacceptable after a consolidated career in Dominican journalism.

Finally, the veteran communicator defended the result of that night and assured that, from his perspective, the election was clear. “Since Clarissa Molina appeared on stage it was known that she would be the winner”, he stated, while questioning what he described as unnecessary attempts to generate conflicts around a contest held several years ago.

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Retired Major General Rafael Antonio Tejeda Báez, former chief of the National Police, passes away.

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