Santo Domingo.- Justice minister Radhamés Jiménez subpoenaed embattled San Cristóbal province (south) Sentencing judge Francisco Mejía Angomás for questioning in the release of three drug trafficking convicts serving a 10 year prison sentence.

It’s the first time in recent history that the Justice Ministry interrogates a judge for rulings handed down from their bench.

He said the decision to question Mejía came after he met with Supreme Court president Jorge Subero Isa, who authorized the investigation.

Jiménez said Assistant DA Bolivar Sanchez and National District Appellate Court prosecutor Juan Amado Cedano were designated to interrogate the magistrate.

When asked about Mejía’s statement that the Justice Ministry had staged a campaign against him and that he would have to see him in court, Jiménez responded that he’s willing to confront the judge in any jurisdiction.

He added that there’s a need to work firmly against crime wherever it hides, and that it must sought out whether in the Justice Ministry, or in the courts. “That person is going to be questioned by the Justice Ministry in adherence to article 169 of the Constitution that gives it the monopoly over the investigation.”