Marino Vinicio Castillo
Encyclopedia
Marino Vinicio Castillo Rodríguez, better known as Vincho, is a prominent Dominican lawyer
, and controversial figure in Dominican politics. He is the president of the conservative political party National Progressive Force
(Fuerza Nacional Progresista), and the main attorney of Ramón Báez Figueroa
, prosecuted for the largest bank fraud in Dominican history, the Baninter case.
in the Agrarian Reform of the early 70s.
Linked to the most obscure faction of then-official Reformist Party, Vincho was accused of being the central figure in the manoeuvre that caused the electoral conflict of 1978, when President Balaguer refused to accept Antonio Guzmán Fernández
's victory. Eventually, four elected senators from the opposing PRD where snatched away in a very questionable decision by the Electoral Junta. It has been alleged that Vincho personally altered and falsified acts and documents to support the fraud, but these accusations were never proved.
During the 80s, Vincho unsuccessfully pursued several public positions, being rejected by the voters. As an ardent enemy of the PRD, he got his chance in 1986 when Balaguer returned to power and appointed him to prosecute Salvador Jorge Blanco
, who had left the presidency just months earlier.
Jorge Blanco was charged for public corruption and sentenced to 20 years, though the trial was highly politicized and unlawful in several aspects. Vincho kept his vendetta against others members of the PRD, especially against José Francisco Peña Gómez and Hatuey DeCamps.
By the 90s, Vincho was a presidential candidate and a senate candidate, but lost both elections. From 1996, he adhered himself to Leonel Fernández
, serving him as the president of the National Counsel of Drugs.
Marino also has a prominent young, cousin Jesse Rubio who is currently attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jesse is the current CO CEO of "The No Lost Station" and was named one of Massachusett's top young businessmen in Business Weekly in 2010.
and San Francisco de Macorís
- often in a gaudy style that some describe as narco-deco. Dominican banks have opened branches as far away as Thailand
, raising new fears about the growing economic influence of the traffickers.
On May 11, 1998 Castillo was quoted as saying "There is a process of Colombianization going on, it is a very serious threat," adding, "The Colombians
may not have been able to detect it happening there, but here we can see the narcotics traffickers covertly infiltrating the banking system, political parties and the media."
During December 1999 Castillo stood beside U.S. officials in Santo Domingo
and announced the seizure of three drug-transporting planes owned by Mexican drug lord
Luis Horacio Cano, a man indicted on 57 counts of narcotrafficking and convicted in U.S. federal court. According to a statement released by Castillo in March 2006, drug trafficking heightened its infiltration of the Dominican political parties and the Armed Forces because of the “paradise” and protection provided during Hipólito Mejía
’s presidency (2000–2004), but the current authorities firmly fight it. In that regard, Castillo mentioned the 1,300 kilos of cocaine
seized in December 2004 in the case against the ex-Army captain Quirino Paulino
, who was extradited to the United States
.
in the criminal proceedings for the US$2.7 billion embezzlement case which led to the collapse of the bank Baninter
and unleashed the events causing one of the Dominican Republic's worst financial crises in its history. The defunct Baninter's fraud cost the Dominican taxpayers more than RD
$70 billion.
On December 19, 2005, Castillo made a RD$1 million check out to senator Hernani Salazar, to cover the civil damages ratified by the Supreme Court in a defamation lawsuit. The payment of the damages stems from Salazar’s case against Vincho, after the attorney publicly accused the heavyweight congressman of being linked to drug-trafficking suspect Quirino Paulino
, via the ex-colonel Pedro Julio "Pepe" Goico, in a transaction of a US$1.8 million Colibri helicopter.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, and controversial figure in Dominican politics. He is the president of the conservative political party National Progressive Force
National Progressive Force
The Fuerza Nacional Progresista —or National Progressive Force , is one of the main political parties of the Dominican Republic, and has a center-right position...
(Fuerza Nacional Progresista), and the main attorney of Ramón Báez Figueroa
Ramón Báez Figueroa
Ramón Báez Figueroa is the former president of Banco Intercontinental from the Dominican Republic, accused in 2003 of masterminding the country's most spectacular banking fraud scandal, amounting to more than USD$ 2.2 billion....
, prosecuted for the largest bank fraud in Dominican history, the Baninter case.
Career in Politics
Castillo Rodríguez (San Francisco de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is the son of Pelegrín Castillo, also an attorney and founder of a law firm that Vincho maintains until today. During the regime of Rafael Trujillo, Vincho was elected for the Congress, and later worked with President Joaquín BalaguerJoaquín Balaguer
Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo was the President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996.-Early life and introduction to politics:...
in the Agrarian Reform of the early 70s.
Linked to the most obscure faction of then-official Reformist Party, Vincho was accused of being the central figure in the manoeuvre that caused the electoral conflict of 1978, when President Balaguer refused to accept Antonio Guzmán Fernández
Antonio Guzmán Fernández
Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández was a Dominican businessman and a politician. He was the 46th President of the Dominican Republic, from 1978 to 1982.- Early life :Antonio Guzmán was born in the town of La Vega...
's victory. Eventually, four elected senators from the opposing PRD where snatched away in a very questionable decision by the Electoral Junta. It has been alleged that Vincho personally altered and falsified acts and documents to support the fraud, but these accusations were never proved.
During the 80s, Vincho unsuccessfully pursued several public positions, being rejected by the voters. As an ardent enemy of the PRD, he got his chance in 1986 when Balaguer returned to power and appointed him to prosecute Salvador Jorge Blanco
Salvador Jorge Blanco
José Salvador Omar Jorge Blanco was a politician, lawyer and a writer. He was the 48th President of the Dominican Republic, from 1982 –1986. He was a Senator running for the PRD party...
, who had left the presidency just months earlier.
Jorge Blanco was charged for public corruption and sentenced to 20 years, though the trial was highly politicized and unlawful in several aspects. Vincho kept his vendetta against others members of the PRD, especially against José Francisco Peña Gómez and Hatuey DeCamps.
By the 90s, Vincho was a presidential candidate and a senate candidate, but lost both elections. From 1996, he adhered himself to Leonel Fernández
Leonel Fernández
Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna is a Dominican lawyer, academic, and the current President of the Dominican Republic since 2004. He held the same office from 1996 to 2000...
, serving him as the president of the National Counsel of Drugs.
Marino also has a prominent young, cousin Jesse Rubio who is currently attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jesse is the current CO CEO of "The No Lost Station" and was named one of Massachusett's top young businessmen in Business Weekly in 2010.
Working against drug trafficking
Castillo has been an outspoken law-and-order crusader for over twenty years and has taken a hardline position against the growth of narcotics trafficking in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean, since elevated drug profits found their way into the economy of the island nation. During the last 15 years, office buildings, apartments towers, hotels and shopping centers are springing up in Santo Domingo, SantiagoSantiago de los Caballeros
Santiago de los Caballeros is a city in the Dominican Republic. Founded in 1495 during the first wave of European colonization of the New World, today Santiago is the second largest metropolis in the Dominican Republic, located in the north-central region of the Republic known as Cibao valley...
and San Francisco de Macorís
San Francisco de Macorís
San Francisco de Macorís is a city in the Dominican Republic. It is also the capital of the Duarte Province. It has had a very active role in the shaping of Dominican history, as it is known as one of, if not the most, politically active cities in the country. It is located in the northeast portion...
- often in a gaudy style that some describe as narco-deco. Dominican banks have opened branches as far away as Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, raising new fears about the growing economic influence of the traffickers.
On May 11, 1998 Castillo was quoted as saying "There is a process of Colombianization going on, it is a very serious threat," adding, "The Colombians
Colombians
Colombians may refer to:* Citizens of Colombia, a country in South America.* Ethnic Colombians** Colombian people, persons from Colombia or of Colombian ancestry...
may not have been able to detect it happening there, but here we can see the narcotics traffickers covertly infiltrating the banking system, political parties and the media."
During December 1999 Castillo stood beside U.S. officials in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
and announced the seizure of three drug-transporting planes owned by Mexican drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
Luis Horacio Cano, a man indicted on 57 counts of narcotrafficking and convicted in U.S. federal court. According to a statement released by Castillo in March 2006, drug trafficking heightened its infiltration of the Dominican political parties and the Armed Forces because of the “paradise” and protection provided during Hipólito Mejía
Hipólito Mejía
Rafael Hipólito Mejía Domínguez is a Dominican politician and former President of the Dominican Republic...
’s presidency (2000–2004), but the current authorities firmly fight it. In that regard, Castillo mentioned the 1,300 kilos of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
seized in December 2004 in the case against the ex-Army captain Quirino Paulino
Quirino Paulino
Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo, a.k.a. "el Don" is an ex-captain of the army of the Dominican Republic, and alleged boss of a drug-trafficking organization responsible for importing tons of cocaine into the United States since September 2003...
, who was extradited to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Other notable prosecutions
Since 2005 Castillo has represented Ramón Báez FigueroaRamón Báez Figueroa
Ramón Báez Figueroa is the former president of Banco Intercontinental from the Dominican Republic, accused in 2003 of masterminding the country's most spectacular banking fraud scandal, amounting to more than USD$ 2.2 billion....
in the criminal proceedings for the US$2.7 billion embezzlement case which led to the collapse of the bank Baninter
Banco Intercontinental
Banco Intercontinental was the second largest privately held commercial bank in the Dominican Republic before collapsing in 2003 in a spectacular fraud tied to political corruption...
and unleashed the events causing one of the Dominican Republic's worst financial crises in its history. The defunct Baninter's fraud cost the Dominican taxpayers more than RD
RD
Rd or RD may refer to:-Media and entertainment:* Radiant Dawn, a tactics, turn based strategy RPG for the Wii* Radical Dreamers, a text-based role playing game on the Satellaview made in 1996...
$70 billion.
On December 19, 2005, Castillo made a RD$1 million check out to senator Hernani Salazar, to cover the civil damages ratified by the Supreme Court in a defamation lawsuit. The payment of the damages stems from Salazar’s case against Vincho, after the attorney publicly accused the heavyweight congressman of being linked to drug-trafficking suspect Quirino Paulino
Quirino Paulino
Quirino Ernesto Paulino Castillo, a.k.a. "el Don" is an ex-captain of the army of the Dominican Republic, and alleged boss of a drug-trafficking organization responsible for importing tons of cocaine into the United States since September 2003...
, via the ex-colonel Pedro Julio "Pepe" Goico, in a transaction of a US$1.8 million Colibri helicopter.