SANTO DOMINGO.- “Here we are talking about theft, the misappropriation of money from healthcare; and not just from the healthcare of anyone, but from the health insurance of the poorest, those who do not have the money to pay for private insurance, those who have to go to hospitals only to be told that there are no beds or medicines,” declared Mirna Ortiz, head of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption, yesterday.
He stated that the National Health Insurance (Senasa) case is the most serious corruption case the agency has ever presented. “Operation Cobra is the most serious corruption operation the Public Prosecutor's Office has presented to date,” Ortiz said, following the postponement of the coercive measures against the group accused by the prosecution of embezzling funds from the insurance entity that covers more than 70% of the Dominican population.
Ortiz indicated that the prosecuting body has a file of testimonial and documentary evidence, which, when the coercive measure is known, will prove each of the charges made and the criminal classifications.
He also highlighted that the fraud committed at Senasa is estimated to be around 15 billion pesos, with more than two billion pesos paid in bribes to the highest authorities of the institution.
He emphasized that there were businessmen and legal entities that were used for money laundering and bribery payments.
After the request for coercive measures against the former director of Senasa, Santiago Hazim, and nine other defendants was postponed, the magistrate described the case as a "direct attack on a fundamental right of people."
Operation
Last weekend, the Public Prosecutor's Office launched Operation Cobra, initiating a judicial process seeking criminal penalties and the confiscation of money stolen from public assets through the National Health Insurance ( SeNaSa ).
So far, Santiago Marcelo F. Hazim Albainy, former director of SeNaSa, and nine other people , accused of defrauding that public health risk administrator (ARS) of billions of pesos, while several individuals and legal entities continue to be investigated with the purpose of bringing them to justice as the investigations of the prosecuting body progress.
A total of 25 prosecutors, assisted by more than 200 agents of the National Police, carried out 12 raids as part of the operation that also led to the arrest of Gustavo Enrique Messina Cruz, Germán Rafael Robles Quiñones, Francisco Iván Minaya Pérez, Eduardo Read Estrella, Cinty Acosta Sención, Ramón Alan Speakler Mateo and Ada Ledesma Ubiera.
