Lawyer denounces “unnecessary arrest” against former Senasa financial manager

Santo Domingo. - The lawyer Claudio Stephen, legal representative of Gustavo Messina, criticized the procedure used by the authorities in the detention of his client, who served as financial manager of Senasa between 2020 and September 2024 and is one of those detained in the case for alleged millionaire network related to the National Health Insurance. Stephen assured that Messina made himself available to the Public Ministry since he became aware of the investigation, even sending letters and formal communications to the Attorney General's Office. "As soon as the investigation was known, it was made available to the authorities. Several letters were sent, we contacted the Attorney General's Office, as every citizen should do," he said.

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However, he described the detention as "discriminatory and unnecessary", claiming he was never previously questioned. "Some cite him to then arrest him, not this one, they are going to look for him at his house without ever having interrogated him. I really understand that this unnecessarily damages the image of the Attorney General's Office. In a State of Law these things should not happen," he pointed out. Stephen maintained that the Public Ministry must remember that its duty is not only to prosecute, but to administer justice. "The Public Ministry, more than a prosecuting body, is a body of justice and must behave accordingly," he expressed. The lawyer confirmed that the arrest occurred between nine and ten o'clock on Saturday night, and stated that the specific charges are not yet known. "That will only be possible to know when we can have access to the request for a coercive measure, which the Public Ministry will file today or tomorrow, within 48 hours of having been deprived of his liberty," he explained. Regarding his client's emotional state, Stephen noted that he remains calm and concerned about his mother. "He's a young man of just 34 years old, an only child, lives with his mother, is strong for her, and aware that he has not committed any criminal offense." According to the lawyer, Messina only asked that they take care of his mother and keep her informed of the process.
"He has faith in God that things will be clarified, and so do I," he concluded.