SANTO DOMINGO.– The decision that sent Hugo Beras, José Ángel (Jochi) Gómez Canaán and the others involved in the so-called Intrant case to trial has revived interest in the scope of the accusations against the defendants.
According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the charges held by the court could expose several of them to sentences of up to 20 years in prison if they are found guilty during the trial.
This was stated by Deputy Attorney General Wilson Camacho, head of the General Directorate of Prosecution of the Public Ministry, after Judge Yanibet Rivas, of the Sixth Court of Instruction of the National District, issued an order to open the trial against the main defendants in the case last Friday, June 5.
The magistrate accepted most of the accusation presented by the Public Prosecutor's Office, although she excluded the legal classification of terrorism initially proposed by the prosecuting body.
Why is the Public Prosecutor's Office talking about up to 20 years?
According to Camacho, the possibility that the accused could face sentences of up to two decades in prison is not linked to a single crime, but to the set of infractions that the Public Prosecutor's Office maintains were committed within a structure that allegedly operated to benefit private interests through public contracts.
The official noted that, although the court dismissed the terrorism charge, it maintained other criminal charges that are part of the case file, including sabotage, money laundering, administrative corruption, fraud in public contracts, fraud against the State, document forgery, and high-tech crimes.
“The legal classification retained by the court includes money laundering, which means that in this case there could be sentences of up to 20 years in prison,” Camacho said when assessing the judicial decision.
The representative of the Public Ministry also maintained that the exclusion of the terrorism charge does not weaken the accusation presented by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca).
“The facts stand, the evidence stands, and the court upheld the sabotage charge,” he stated.
From the multi-million dollar contract to the courts
The origin of the case dates back to June 2023, when the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant) awarded the company Transcore Latam SRL a contract valued at more than RD$1,317 million for the modernization, expansion, supervision and management of the Integrated System of the Traffic Control Center and the Traffic Light Network of Greater Santo Domingo.
From the outset, several participating companies questioned the award, alleging irregularities in the process and deficiencies in the technical capacity of the selected company.
The complaints prompted an investigation by the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP), which suspended the contract and subsequently cancelled the bidding process after identifying irregularities in the documentation submitted by the winning company.
Hugo Beras's license
The controversy also had political and administrative consequences.
Amid the investigations into the hiring process, Hugo Beras requested a leave of absence from his duties as director of Intrant while the investigations related to the intelligent traffic light project progressed.
What initially appeared to be an administrative conflict stemming from a questionable bidding process ended up becoming a far-reaching criminal investigation involving public officials, former state employees, businessmen, and several private companies.
Operation Chameleon: When the case escalated
The case reached one of its most significant moments in October 2024, when the Public Prosecutor's Office carried out a series of raids and arrests as part of the so-called Operation Chameleon.
Those arrested included Hugo Beras, José Ángel Gómez Canaán and Samuel Gregorio Baquero Sepúlveda, former director of Technology at Intrant.
According to authorities, the operation sought to dismantle a structure that allegedly used public procurement processes to favor related companies and gain control over strategic state technological systems.
The investigations also included accusations related to the alleged sabotage of the traffic light network in Greater Santo Domingo, an episode that caused significant disruptions to the capital's traffic.
What the Public Prosecutor's Office maintains
According to the accusation presented by the Pepca, the defendants were part of an organization made up of public officials, former state servants and private individuals who allegedly used shell companies, front men and supposedly false documentation to guarantee the irregular awarding of the traffic light contract.
The Public Prosecutor's Office maintains that the structure managed to gain control of the bidding process and favor companies linked to businessman José Ángel Gómez Canaán.
Furthermore, the accusation states that through contracts and agreements with companies such as Transcore Latam, Dekolor, PagoRD Xchange and Aurix, a scheme was allegedly created to divert public resources, carry out money laundering operations and obtain privileged access to technological infrastructures considered strategic for the State.
What will happen now
The order to proceed to trial issued last Friday does not imply a conviction nor does it determine the guilt of the accused.
The judicial decision only establishes that there are sufficient elements for the case to be heard in a substantive trial, where the Public Prosecutor's Office and the defense will present their evidence and arguments before the court.
It will be during this stage that the Dominican justice system will determine whether the accusations made by the Public Prosecutor's Office can be proven and whether or not the imposition of penalties is appropriate, which, according to the prosecuting body, could reach up to 20 years in prison for some of those involved.
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