In a significant development within the Dominican Republic’s Operation Cobra anti-corruption investigation, three defendants have formally confessed to paying bribes to former National Health Insurance (SeNaSa) director Santiago Marcelo F. Hazim Albainy and other officials. The admissions occurred during Thursday’s coercive measures hearing at the Palace of Justice in Ciudad Nueva.
Court prosecutor Mirna Ortiz, head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca), revealed that the defendants not only admitted their involvement but also provided evidence of their collaboration with prosecutors. The judicial proceeding, led by Deputy Attorney General Wilson Camacho, involves ten individuals accused of orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that defrauded the Dominican State of billions of pesos, including over 2 billion pesos in bribes alone.
The prosecution has presented a substantial case file containing more than 138 documentary evidences, 35 testimonial proofs, and expert analyses. They are seeking 18 months of pretrial detention and have requested the case be declared complex due to its scale and impact on over 7 million Dominicans covered by the national health insurance program.
Judge Rigoberto Sena presided over the hearing, which adjourned around 11:00 PM Thursday and is scheduled to resume Friday afternoon for defense presentations. The defendants face multiple charges including criminal association, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, and fraud against the state.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office is pursuing criminal sanctions against all implicated parties and seeking confiscation of stolen funds from the health risk administrator. The case represents one of the most significant corruption prosecutions in recent Dominican history, targeting high-level officials within the country’s healthcare system.