Suspended judge denies confessing to chief justice

Santo Domingo.- Suspendedjudge Awilda Reyes on Friday denied having confessed to Supreme Court chief justiceMariano German that she took a bribe to release a councilman charged ofcontract killings.

"I am innocent, intime the truth will be known, I have not said anything to the president of theSupreme (Court)," Reyes said after her deposition at the office of the inspectorgeneral of the prosecutors.

For his part Reyes´ lawyerTomas Castro said "what Mariano German says isn’t evidence, everyone knowsthat when someone wants to attribute things that are not theirs they call for apress conference to clarify. What German Mejia sought to clarify is that he didn’tgive the orders for the things that were done. She hasn’t confessed all, where-sthe confession, where is the money, where is the receipt. Justice doesn’tproceed in that manner."

"The justiceminister proposed that (Reyes) involve the other judges, accept blame, andnegotiate a penalty, which was rejected by the judge Awilda Reyes," Castrosaid.

Reyes allegedly took abribe to release Pedro Brand councilman Erickson de los Santos, indicted for atleast five murders of members of bus owners associations.