According to documents obtained Wednesday, the victim’s childhood friend was accused of shooting dead Dominican Republic’s Minister for Environment and Natural Resources. He allegedly did this because he was denied permits for environmental projects he was seeking for various companies.
Fausto Miguel De Jesus Cruz de La Mota, a long-time friend and suspect of Orlando Jorge, had submitted one of the permits that the former minister had denied. He was acting as an intermediary between the ministries and the companies. According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, that permit was for a request to export 5,000 tonnes (4,500 metric tons), of used batteries.
According to documents, those permits and other were found in a briefcase that the suspect was carrying at the time the minister, who is the child of a former president was shot six times at the office.
Authorities stated that the suspect was concerned by this permit. “It had been denied but they had resubmitted.”
They also called Cruz a “cold, calculating murderer”, and they are asking for one year in preventive prison while the investigation continues.
Cruz may not have had an attorney immediately.
Police arrested Cruz in a nearby church shortly after Monday’s murder. They told a priest that Cruz had committed a crime, and gave him a gun.
The documents also reveal that Cruz may have used his connections with Jorge to obtain permits for environmental purposes due to his support for the Modern Revolutionary Party, the minister’s 2020 campaign. Jorge, who was a founding member, was made minister in August 2020.
According to documents, Cruz exclaimed “I campaigned and they’re no helping me” when he arrived at Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources just before the shooting began on June 6.
“The evidence indicates that the accused tried to obtain multiple permits, but complained bitterly that no one was helping them solve any problem,” Dominican Republic’s Department of Justice stated in a statement.
It also charged Cruz with threatening the ministry’s legal advisor less than a month earlier.
According to authorities, after the shooting, Cruz’s car was seized by police. They found a 9mm Uzi, two 30-round magazines, and $2,000 cash.
Cruz is the son Maj. General Fausto Miguel Cruz who was commander of the Dominican Republic Air Force’s Air Force between 1988 and 1990, a spokeswoman for the AP said.
He is also a shareholder in a construction company, and an armory.
Jorge, the slain Minister, is from a prominent political family. He is the son and former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco’s brother. His sister is vice minister in Abinader’s administration. Jorge’s son works as a lawmaker in the Modern Revolutionary Party.
Jorge’s family hosted a two-day funeral for him. It attracted many mourners including David Ortiz (former Red Sox slugger, Hall of Famer), and other relatives. According to Listin Diario, he said: “This is terrible. … Let’s end all the violence.
