Dominican Republic corruption probe leads to historic mass convictions

Prosecutor Wilson Camacho, head of the Ministry of Public Prosecution’s anti‑corruption unit, described the Senasa case as exceptionally large, involving three overlapping networks led by former health‑insurance director Santiago Hazim, ex‑assistant Ángel Luis Guzmán Vásquez, and a regional oncology institute. Arrests and preventive detentions have been issued for dozens of suspects, including Hazim, Guzmán Vásquez and others linked to fraudulent schemes that allegedly diverted billions of pesos from the National Health Insurance system.

In a related crackdown, the First Collegiate Court of the National District sentenced 29 defendants in the "Coral" and "Coral 5G" operations. Penalties range from three to twenty years in prison and fines of 50 to 400 minimum wages. Those convicted include senior military officers, police officials, a former bank employee and several civil servants. Camacho called the verdict “historic” and an exemplar of the fight against impunity, urging courts to continue delivering similar rulings.

The combined investigations mark a significant step in Dominican Republic’s fight against high‑level corruption, targeting multiple public‑sector officials and private actors accused of large‑scale fraud.