Donald Guerrero would have made use of a non-governmental structure through the Ministry of Finance, where illegal processes were carried out with the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance, a dependency of said Ministry, during the period 2016-2020, which served the interests of the then minister, now under investigation, and which consisted of illegally charging sports benches, lotteries and grocery stores, who had to pay a monthly payment otherwise they would be closed by the Treasury.
This is established in the search request approved by Judge Kenya Romero at the request of the Special Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA), in the so-called Operation Squid, which involves former Ministers of Finance, Donald Guerrero; of Public Works, Gonzalo Castillo, and Administrative of the Presidency, José Ramón Peralta, as well as other officials of the past administration of former President Danilo Medina.
According to the document, the investigated Donald Guerrero used the aforementioned structure composed of the investigated Mimilo Jiménez, Fernando Crisóstomo, José Arturo Ureña, José Pablo Ortiz Giraldo, through the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance, a dependency of the Ministry of Finance in charge of regularize and monitor sports benches, lotteries and the use of slot machines.
He indicates that during the administration of the former Minister of Finance, he had Oscar Arturo Chalas Guerrero as director, who was later replaced by Julián Omar Fernando Figueroa, who were part of the so-called bench project. Both - adds PEPCA - received instructions from Donald Guerrero to make irregular charges to different businesses with games of chance, under the threat of being closed by the Treasury.
The team, he points out, acted under the direction of the structure led in the operational part by Mimilo Jiménez, José Arturo Ureña, Fernando Crisóstomo, among others.
The document details that José Arturo Ureña introduces Frixo Messina Arvelo to the Corruption structure, which was in charge of the illegal collection of sports benches, lotteries and the use of slot machines within the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance of the Ministry of Finance. Messina Arvelo entered from March 4, 2017 until August 8, 2020, holds the position of Operations Manager.
PEPCA explains that the illegality of this project consisted in the fact that collection management was not going to be carried out by State agencies, but rather by the non-governmental structure with the support of those in charge of the Directorate of Casino and Games of Chance, together with the inspectors of the Ministry of Finance, "therefore, the money obtained from the fraudulent collection was not received by the Dominican State, but by the corruption structure led by Donald Guerrero."
"The sports bench, lottery and slot machine project generated millions in sums, since for this concept an average of twenty-two million pesos came in per month for the benefit of the corruption structure led by Donald Guerrero and to the detriment of the Dominican State," says the Anti-corruption attorney.
It maintains that the members of the alleged corruption structure created the fraudulent maneuver to defraud the Dominican State and obtain millions in amounts, "all under the cloak and protection of the Minister of Finance, Donald Guerrero, who facilitated the means to allow the illegal collection, circumventing all processes." administrative and legal control.
That's how it worked
The PEPCA, in the request for a court order for the searches signed by Kenya Romero, describes that as a result of this so-called project or program, the operation of sports and lottery benches was detected illegally, which continue to operate clandestinely, as well as the use of slot machines in places not allowed by law: The existence of the prize envelope, that is to say that they pay more than what is allowed to pay for the play won, the lottery benches to check the computerized quick draw system, the without licenses and lottery benches with licenses but not up to date with the payment of taxes, sports benches that are not up to date with the payment of taxes, sports benches with slot machines, without authorization, sports benches with slot machines that are not up to date with the payment of taxes, grocery stores and grocery stores that have slot machines.
The project or program, the document states, "was a kind of extortion where the owners of benches with people like José Melchor González Calderón, owner of the lottery bank La suerte, King, Salce and sports bank Joel Sport, Out 27, Sport and King Sport, had to make payments to the corruption structure, otherwise the Casino and Games of Chance Directorate proceeded to close the banks and seize slot machines.
The project or program, the document states, "was a kind of extortion where the owners of benches with people like José Melchor González Calderón, owner of the lottery bank La suerte, King, Salce and sports bank Joel Sport, Out 27, Sport and King Sport, had to make payments to the corruption structure, otherwise the Casino and Games of Chance Directorate proceeded to close the banks and seize slot machines.
In that order, he assures that only José Melchor González Calderón made 43 payments of one million pesos, that is, 43 million pesos to the alleged corruption structure.
The investigated Oscar Arturo Chalas Guerrero and Julián Omar Fernando Figueroa, received two million pesos, a month, in cash, for being part of the structure, supporting it from their functions so that the operations could be carried out against those who did not make payments to the structure. or violate their rules.
Operation Squid
The Public Ministry launched Operation Squid on Saturday night, after a complex investigation carried out by the Specialized Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA).
In the operation, 40 raids were carried out distributed in the National District, Santo Domingo province, San Pedro de Macorís and La Romana, in which 40 prosecutors, dozens of technicians from different investigation units, 300 members of the National Police and a Extensive administrative support team.
Among those arrested to be presented as a request for a measure of coercion are the former Minister of Finance, Donald Guerrero; former administrative minister of the presidency, José Ramón Peralta; former Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo; former Comptroller General of the Republic, Daniel Omar Caamaño; the former director of the State Sugar Council (CEA), Luis Miguel Piccirilo; former director of the National Cadastre, Claudio Silver Peña, and former directors of Casinos and Gambling, Oscar Chalas Guerrero and Julián Omar Fernández.
Also arrested are Roberto Santiago Moquete, Agustín Mejía Ávila, Emil Dávila Fernández, Marcial Reyes, Alejandro Constanzo, Yahaira Brito Encarnación and Ana Linda Fernández.
The preliminary accusation of the Public Ministry against the defendants is of association of criminals, embezzlement, coalition of officials, falsification of public and private documents, bribery and illicit campaign financing on an unprecedented scale, money laundering, among others.
