SANTO DOMINGO – In a decisive move against systemic corruption, Dominican President Luis Abinader has mobilized the National Health Insurance (Senasa) as a civil plaintiff to reclaim billions of pesos allegedly embezzled through an elaborate fraud scheme. The announcement came Sunday following the unveiling of Operation Cobra, a sweeping prosecutorial initiative targeting corruption networks within the public health system.
The investigation centers on former Senasa director Santiago Hazim and multiple associates who allegedly orchestrated a sophisticated embezzlement operation. President Abinader revealed that his administration initiated an immediate internal probe upon detecting preliminary signs of irregularities, which subsequently uncovered compelling evidence of serious corruption within the state health insurer.
“I have instructed that every last peso stolen be recovered,” Abinader declared, emphasizing his commitment to applying “the full weight of the law” against those who defraud the state. The president expressed satisfaction that justice is now pursuing the implicated individuals while acknowledging additional suspects remain under scrutiny.
Operation Cobra has already yielded eight arrests, including former director Santiago Marcelo F. Hazim Albainy and associates 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. The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the investigation remains active, with additional individuals and corporations potentially facing charges as evidence develops.
The case represents one of the most significant corruption prosecutions in recent Dominican history, demonstrating the administration’s strengthened approach to combating graft within public institutions. Legal experts suggest the civil plaintiff strategy could establish important precedents for recovering stolen public assets through judicial channels.