2023-10-09 06:04:50
Within the Herrera Savings and Credit Cooperative, INC, (Coop-Herrera) a criminal structure was created that, among other things, simulated investments in contributions and certificates at fixed terms, to appear growth and solidity of the entity, in accordance with what the Public Ministry proposes.
The investigation by the General Directorate of Prosecution of the Public Ministry (DIGEPEM) and which led to the arrest of seven people, including the main executives of the cooperative, in the so-called Operation Owlalso determined that with the funds that were stolen from the partners, for an amount greater than 2,500 million pesos, the defendants acquired multiple luxury goods.
Last Saturday, the request for coercive measures against the detainees was presented. They are Jorge Eligio Méndez, former general administrator, Gabriel Santana Borsilea, Kenia Del Carmen Liriano Pérez, Ana Cecilia Tejada Santos de Álvarez, Simona Borsilea Juan, Jacer Eliazar Mejía Pereyra and Julio César Minaya. The request must be known this Monday.
2,500Million pesos is the amount defrauded in Coop-Herrera, according to the Public Ministry.
According to this, the structure created responded “exclusively to the president of the cooperative, who later became general administrator, placing family members on the board of directors, credit management, general management, auditing and the different administrative areas. and extremely trustworthy people who allowed him to manage the partners’ funds as if they were his own assets.
The document describes that, in 2018, a restructuring of the administrative organization of Coop-Herrerain which the position of general administrator was granted the highest authority within the entity.
“Growth”
“From this transformation, the cooperative experienced an alleged notable growth in its assets, presenting increases that could be considered extraordinary in relation to its previous history,” reads the request for measures.
He adds that with these maneuvers the fraud financial, while giving an appearance of solidity, in order to continue raising capital and growing the partner portfolio.
According to the document, in 2018 an association of criminals was formed between the accused Méndez Pérez and Santana Borsilea. Loans were approved for the latter without support, to the point that the directors of the entity’s Credit Committee were left without functions, after refusing to approve a loan.
Loans were granted to Santana Borsilea on a personal and commercial basis, the guarantee of which was protected by tags and certificates of land ownership, with a recurring description: “Plot 7, Cadastral District 1, Cumayasa San Pedro de Macorís”, supposedly granted by the State Sugar Council (CEA).
Plot does not exist
“However, the investigation has been able to confirm that in said State institution there are no documents or title records for the indicated plots, much less in the name of Gabriel Santana Borsilea. The above evidences the use of false documents to justify the loans.”
The public ministry says that it was able to identify a total of 119 individuals and legal entities linked to Santana Borsilea, who were allegedly used to simulate loans, create alleged contributions and installment certificates that generated interest that was withdrawn by the criminal structure.
Among them is a woman whose job was as a janitor, with a salary of 12,000 pesos per month, but who has a 2017 Mercedes Benz in her name.
The request indicates that the false credits were disbursed into the accounts of the partners who participated in the criminal structure and that with these they simulated the opening of financial certificates in installments (without financial support), which generated interest that was withdrawn in cash or used to pay the payroll of the companies that participated in the network.
It indicates that the defendants falsified certificates of fixed-term deposits in order to reflect fictitious liquidity and that, using false documents as guarantees, they became beneficiaries of million-dollar loans. These were not paid and the money was taken from the savers’ funds.
He claims that they even accepted bad checks and kept the balance recorded in the cash register and vault constant, regardless of whether or not they had the money in cash.
The PM asks to declare the case complex and 18 months of preventive detention for the accused.
Eligio Méndez, accused.Luxury goods and money laundering
According to the request for measures, those involved in Operation Owl acquired sumptuous assets such as villas, high-end vehicles, yachts, apartments, land, and, as a payment method, they used financial certificates devoid of guarantee or without collateral support.
The document describes several properties worth more than 8 million dollars that were acquired from companies of the Vargas Maldonado Group.
The public ministry maintains that the assets acquired “with the partners’ money” were placed in the names of companies and third parties, close to the members of the criminal structure. It indicates that, in order to launder the capital and assets acquired, the criminal network diversified different economic activities, acquiring radio programs, travel agencies and negotiating the acquisition of shares in multiple banks.
He is a journalist at Diario Libre.
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