Santiago.– The director of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA), Wilson Camacho, revealed this Tuesday that the Public Ministry is investigating an alleged embezzlement amounting to RD$3.7 billion at the Cibao Regional Oncology Institute, funds that were allegedly handled irregularly through a fraudulent scheme that affected resources from the National Health Insurance (SeNaSa).
The statements were offered after the postponement of the hearing to hear the request for coercive measures against the main individuals involved in Operation Onco14, a case for which the Public Prosecutor’s Office is requesting 18 months of preventive detention and the declaration of a complex process.
Camacho explained that the investigation has made it possible to identify alleged illicit operations related to the use of funds intended for patient care, a situation that has generated great concern due to the impact it may have had on the health services offered to hundreds of people.
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The head of the PEPCA indicated that the case file accuses the defendants of committing crimes of fraud against the Dominican State, blackmail, money laundering, and other offenses linked to administrative corruption, charges which, he stated, are supported by a large amount of documentary, financial, and expert evidence collected during the investigations.
“The Public Ministry has filed a robust case file and will continue to maintain before the courts the need to impose coercive measures in accordance with the gravity of the investigated facts,” expressed Camacho.
The hearing was rescheduled after the defense attorneys requested more time to study the voluminous accusatory file. The hearing for the coercive measure will continue next Friday at 4:30 in the afternoon.
Operation Onco14 is considered one of the most relevant alleged corruption investigations recently developed in Santiago, due to the millionaire amount under investigation and the fact that the allegedly diverted resources were intended for essential services for patients with cancer and other high-cost diseases
