The Public Ministry assures that illegal charges were made to the owners of lottery agencies, sports betting shops, and small grocery stores whose funds obtained did not enter the state coffers.
Dominican Republic.- A corruption case that affects sectors of politics and gambling has the island on edge. Named Operation Squid, it consists of an alleged corruption network through the Ministry of Finance that, between 2016 and 2020, facilitated illegal charges in lottery agencies, sports betting shops, and small grocery stores with slot machines, evading administrative and legal controls.
The main person involved is the former Minister of Finance, Ángel Donald Guerrero Ortiz, pointed out by the Public Ministry as the intellectual author of the network. Likewise, the departments of auditing and operations of the Directorate of Casinos and Gambling also participated in the network.
The accusatory document details that "Ángel Donald Guerrero Ortiz, misusing his functions as the highest-ranking official of the Ministry of Finance, authorized and directed the non-governmental structure composed of Ramón Emilio Jiménez Collie (a) Mimilo, Fernando Crisóstomo Herrera, and José Arturo Ureña to obtain illicit funds from illegal charging processes carried out through the Directorate of Casinos and Gambling, during the period 2016-2020."
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The accusation continues describing that in the Directorate of Casino and Gambling, this non-governmental structure, with the authorization and under the direction of Guerrero Ortiz, installed a "project or program" to manage monthly cash collections from the owners of lottery agencies, sports betting shops, and small grocery stores with slot machines. The funds obtained did not enter the state coffers, but went directly to the corruption structure led by Guerrero Ortiz.
According to the Public Ministry, Rafael Parmenio Rodríguez Bisonó financed the project with RD$ 21m (USD 358,581) in exchange for a share in the profits obtained from the illegal collections of the agencies and small grocery stores. Rodríguez Bisonó would also receive RD$ 500 (USD 8.54) for each illegally seized machine.
