Police tied to killers in Jordi case arraigned in cour

SANTO DOMINGO. Yesterday, the Chief of the National Police, Jose Armando Polanco Gomez, ordered the dismissed major Cristino Batista, the lieutenants Ricardo Perez Mateo and Fernanda Julieta Garcia Urbaez, as well as the sergeant Helpis Ransses Reyes to be sent to the Justice Department in Santiago for their alleged participation in the plot to kill the journalist and lawyer Jordi Veras.

In the meantime, the Attorney General, Radhames Jimenez Peña, announced that he would request the files of the 46 dismissed agents, with the aim of proceeding against those tied to criminal acts in the courts.

For his part, the District Attorney for the National District, Alejandro Moscoso Segarra, said that the police and military personnel that are implicated in criminal should not only be separated from the ranks but should also be taken to the courts.

The police investigators found out that the major, Cristino Batista, the lieutenant, Ricardo Perez Mateo and the sergeant, Helpis Ransses Reyes were working with Francisco Carela, the alleged leader of a gang of killers. They discovered that these men supplied the password assigned to the major, to Cristobal Edcundo de la Cruz and Simon Bolivar Estevez Nelly (David) and were able to obtain the personal information on Jordi Veras from Data Centro.

Polanco Gomez, argued that the second lieutenant Fernanda Julieta Garcia Urbaez, was in an intimate relationship with the Police officer, Roberto Zabala Espinosa, with whom she communicated in relation to the attempt on the lawyer and journalist from Santiago.

He explained, moreover, that the sergeant major, Ada Francisca Lugo Gomez, had been helping Francisco Alberto Carela Castro in his illegal operations for years, even visiting him in jail when he was detained.

Regarding the first lieutenant Manuel de Jesus Medina Cuevas, who was arraigned for trial in Azua, he said that together with Felix Manuel Diclo Mora, Roberto Benitez Leyba and the former privates Radames de Dios Lizardo, Aldrin Neftali Matos Estrella and Melvin Rafael Curiel Breton, were all dismissed from the National Police because they faked the assault on the driver of a Daihatsu truck, license place L 076476.

The Attorney General

Jimenez Peña said that the persons separated from the National Police for involvement in killings for hire, are a danger for the Dominican society and therefore they deserve to be behind bars.

Jimenez Peña called the President's move a proper one and indicated that this type of action is part of the cleanup the government has been conducting, not only with the National Police, but also with the military services.

Moscoso Segarra agreed with Jimenez, and said that there are dismissals that have a disciplinary character, but others were for violations of the penal laws. "We, those of us who are pursuing criminals, are the ones most called upon to respect the lays", said the District Attorney of the National District.

He said that if they are persons that spend their time committing criminal acts and they are not persecuted by the justice system, they will go on with this practice in the streets, which will only cause greater levels of criminal activity.

Involvement denied

The former lieutenant Ricardo Perez Mateo denied being involved in the Jordi Veras case during a visit yesterday to the offices of the Diario Libre. The former officer said that although he was dismissed, he did not take part, nor did he know the other former officers mentioned in the case. "I want my name to be cleared, because I am not tied to any crime", he said. Nevertheless, yesterday the National Police reiterated the involvement of this officer in the case.