“Untouchable” accused fraudster arrested

Santo Domingo.- The District Prosecutor for the National Districtrequested yesterday three months preventive custody for Karim Abu Naba’a, adual Dominican-U.S. national accused of document forgery and fraud. This morning judge Alejandro Vargas released him on RD$10 million bail.

Abu Naba’a was arrested on Sunday after he arrived in the DominicanRepublic where he had been declared a fugitive fromjustice for fraud and attempted murder, according to the legal authorities.

He has been wanted by the Dominican authorities since April2011. One of the accusations against him involves the theft of a luxury FerrariEnzo car, valued at US$1.3 million. He allegedly forged the owner’s signaturein order to retrieve the car from Dominican customs.

Karim Abu Naba’a is also accused of attempted murderby a lawyer who tried to reach an out-of-court settlement with him in anothercase of supposed fraud. Lawyer Gustavo Mejía Ricart says that Abu Naba’a insultedhim and tried to kill him with a sub-machine gun but his bodyguard succeeded indiverting the shot and calmed him down. Mejía Ricart had been told by the justice system thathis case against Abu Naba’a was “blocked”.

Many press reports have focused on allegations thatalthough Karim Abu Naba’a was known for many incidents of this sort, he was considered“untouchable” by the justice system, because of his romantic relationship with former president Fernández’s oldest daughter.

Karim Abu Naba’a, who was born in the United States in 1984to a Dominican mother and an Arab father, has flouted at least three exit bansand has never responded to court summons. He was also reportedly known fortravelling around the country with military escorts, as well as takingadvantage of his links with then-president Fernández for supposedly takingweapons on private flights landing at Las Américas airport, which providedaccess to the VIP salon usually reserved for foreign dignitaries.