SANTO DOMINGO.- A National District court yesterday upheld the 10-year prison sentence agaisnt Ramon Báez Figueroa, Marcos Báez Cocco and Luis Alvarez Renta, in the fraud case of the bank Baninter, whose collapse in 2003 cost Dominican taxpayers US$2.5 billion.

The judges Ignacio Camacho, Nancy Joaquín and Wendy Martínez, of the Appellate Court’s 3rd Penal Chamber also fined the accused an amount equal to 100 minimum wages to the Dominican State.

The verdict, issued at 1:50 a.m., when copies were handed out to the attorneys, rejects the appeal filed by the defense, and upholds the conviction against Báez and Báez Cocco guilty of forgery, money laundering, concealment of data and accounts, and to evade the control of the Banks Superintendence.

The judges also rejected the lower court's acquittal of co-defendant Vivian Lubrano del Castillo, and sentenced her to five years in prison and fined RD$1.5 million, found guilty of conspiracy and breach of trust.