Dominican police arrest 19 in high-profile corruption case

By MARTÍN ADAMES ALCÁNTARA
Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested 19 people in a sweeping corruption case that accuses a well-known former presidential candidate and three former officials of embezzling nearly $350 million and illegal campaign financing. The arrests are the latest in a string of investigations that officials have launched in the past two years as part of a crackdown on rampant government corruption in the Caribbean country. Among those detained Saturday night is Gonzalo Castillo, a former public works minister who won 37% of the vote when he ran for the Dominican Liberation Party in the 2020 general elections. Also arrested is former treasury minister and a former comptroller general.