SANTO DOMINGO. - Political sectors are exerting pressure to prevent or at least delay the application of the sentence against the 10 unionists and former officials convicted of embezzling more than RD$1.8 billion through Plan Renove, said jurists and civil society organizations yesterday.

They said however, that despite the fact that apparently no one wants to arrest the convicts, the sentencing judges have no choice but to apply the sentence by sending them to prison.

The newspaper El Dia reports suspicions of a conspiracy to benefit the convicts of the Renove case because as of last night the sentencing judges have yet to issue the arrest warrant, already 20 days after the Supreme Court upheld the National District Court of Appeals verdict of December, 17, 2007.

The convicts are Pedro Franco Badía, Milcíades Amaro Guzmán, Blas Peralta, Antonio Reynoso, Francisco Antonio Peña, Antonio Marte, Fabio Ruiz, Alfredo Pulinario Linares, Freddy William Méndez and Gervasio de la Rosa.

The Supreme Court’s ruling of February 21 wasn’t made public until March 3.

Santo Domingo province sentencing judge Rafael Báez Garcia said no steps had been taken regarding three convicts in the case within his jurisdiction: Ruiz, Linares and Méndez.

For his part, sentencing judge Uceta Cruz, of Santiago (north), said the prison sentence against de la Rosa will be carried out, but refused to specify the date.

Yesterday, the Justice Ministry’s Prisons Department said it awaits the judges’ decision to prepare the cells where the criminals will be incarcerated after their arrest.