José Ramón Peralta gets dismissal in Calamar case

Santo Domingo.- Judge Altagracia Ramírez, of the Fourth Instruction Court of the National District, ruled this Friday to dismiss the case in favor of the former Administrative Minister of the Presidency, José Ramón Peralta, concluding that the evidence provided by the Public Ministry is not sufficient to justify the opening of a trial on the merits against him within the Calamar case. The magistrate made the decision after evaluating during the preliminary phase the evidence presented by the accusing body, which pointed to Peralta as part of the alleged structure of administrative corruption investigated for alleged irregular payments related to expropriations of land declared of public utility. During the reading of the ruling, the court determined that the elements incorporated into the file do not allow to establish, with the solidity required for this procedural stage, a direct link of the former official with the facts attributed by the Public Ministry. The judge maintained that the evidence presented does not reach the necessary level to support a reasonable probability of conviction in a possible trial on the merits, therefore it was appropriate to issue an order of dismissal in favor of the former official.

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Peralta was accused by the Public Ministry of committing crimes such as criminal association, collusion of officials, malfeasance, bribery, embezzlement, and money laundering, among other infractions contemplated in the indictment of the Calamar case.

However, the defense argued during the preliminary hearing that the charges lacked evidentiary support and that there was no evidence to demonstrate the former minister's participation in the actions indicated by the prosecuting body.

With this decision, José Ramón Peralta is excluded from the judicial process related to the Calamar case, unless the Public Prosecutor's Office files the corresponding appeals against the ruling issued by the court.