US embassy cable - 04SANTODOMINGO5779

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 005779 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR (MCISAAC) 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2009 
TAGS: PINR, EFIN, KJUS, PGOV, DR, (CASTILLO, VINICIO MARINO) 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN ATTORNEY VINCHO CASTILLO - STILL KICKING 
AT 73 
 
REF: A. 00 SANTO DOMINGO 01712 
 
     B. 04 SANTO DOMINGO 05426 
 
Classified By: Lisa Kubiske, Deputy Chief of Missions, reasons 1.4 (b) 
and (d). 
 
1. (C)  "Those who love me, love me a lot.  Those who hate 
me, hate me a lot,"  declared Marino Vinicio Castillo 
(Vincho) when questioned by a reporter in 2000 about his 
reputation for controversy.  It was a good 
self-characterization then and remains true today.  Vincho, a 
well known attorney who heads a family law firm that is one 
of the oldest in the Dominican Republic, remains in the 
public spotlight at age 73.  He is currently defense counsel 
for Ramon Baez Figueroa ("Ramoncito"), one of six accused of 
various fraudulent acts in conjunction with the failure of 
Banco Intercontinental (Baninter) in 2003.  Vincho is not 
keeping quiet on the high profile case.  Whether you 
characterize him as a defender of crooks or a zealous 
advocate for his clients, he remains front and center in 
Dominican legal circles and in politics. 
 
2. (SBU) Vincho Castillo began practicing law in 1954, during 
the Trujillo dictatorship.  He has been a constant on the 
political scene almost since that time.  Over the past 50 
years he has served as the President of the National Council 
on Drugs (1996-2000), run for President on the ticket of a 
political party he founded (the Progressive National Force 
Party) (1986), counseled former President Joaquin Balaguer on 
countering accusations of widespread election fraud (1978), 
successfully prosecuted former President Jorge Blanco on 
corruption charges (1986-87), served in the Dominican 
Congress (1961), and been an on-and-off-again presence in the 
Dominican media as a radio and TV talk show host and guest. 
He prominently supported the 2004 presidential effort of 
Leonel Fernandez, prompting speculation that there was a deal 
cooking that would favor Baez.  Over the past six months it 
seems that Vincho has been in the media almost daily. 
 
3.  (U)  During Castillo's stint as President of the drug 
council, a cabinet-level position, he was known for his 
outspoken opposition to narcotrafficking and all associated 
activities.  He was credited with keeping counternarcotics 
efforts near the center of Dominican political debates during 
President Fernandez's first term and with helping the USG 
secure implementation of a 1910 bilateral extradition treaty 
that had lain dormant for over 80 years. 
 
4.  (C)  In a meeting in February 2000 with then U.S. 
Ambassador Charles Manatt, Vincho said that off-shore banking 
activities in the Dominican Republic were broader than most 
people realized.  He maintained that there were no longer any 
borders between narcotics trafficking, money laundering and 
terrorism.  In that same conversation, Vincho linked 
discussions of extradition and money laundering by saying, 
"Extradition of street killers is one thing, but the 
Dominican Republic will really make progress when it 
extradites a corrupt banker."  (reftel A). 
 
5.  (C)  His 2000 views seem to us to be right on the mark - 
he is now defending a banker who may have broken not only 
Dominican laws, but U.S. laws.  Ramon Baez's involvement in 
the failure of Baninter is well documented, but his case has 
not yet reached the trial stage in the Dominican courts 
(reftel B).  An ongoing investigation in the Southern 
District of Florida may provide the basis for a criminal case 
against Baez there.  If that should occur, there can be 
little doubt that Castillo would provide the most zealous 
defense possible to oppose any attempt by the USG to 
extradite Baez to stand trial in the United States. 
 
6.  (C)  Castillo defended Baez not only in the courtroom but 
also in the court of public opinion.  At every opportunity, 
Vincho claims that Baez is not guilty and that the true 
culprits in the Baninter failure are former Central Bank 
Governor Lois Malkum and former Superintendent of Banks Julio 
Cross.  Vincho made headlines in recent weeks with totally 
unfounded charges that the U.S. and Canadian ambassadors were 
pressuring the courts for conviction of Baez.  Vincho 
blustered that he was thinking of suing both diplomats; 
Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Subero Isa told reporters 
that the judiciary was not under pressure and would not heed 
any such efforts to influence it. 
 
7.  (C)  Vincho has said that should the case progress 
against Baez, he will file counter-suits against numerous 
former officials who held office under President Mejia.  Last 
week he called formally on the local office of the 
Organization of American States to assert that the legal team 
will be filing a brief with the InterAmerican Court of Human 
Rights because interrogations have begun without the delivery 
to the defense of the full 40,000 pages of evidence held by 
the investigating magistrate.  Vincho's long memory, success 
in prior endeavors, and the potential of files filled with 
political fodder, make his public threats ones that merit the 
attention of a government led by a President who may have 
known during his first term of Baninter's penchant for 
questionable dealings. 
 
8.  (C)  During the transition period before President 
Fernandez took office for the second time, Vincho Castillo's 
name was rumored by numerous Embassy sources to be in the 
running for Attorney General or Legal Advisor to the 
President.  He was not named to either post.  We have been 
told that Vincho had no desire to take on a government job at 
this time as it would deprive him of the substantial fees he 
is earning from the Baez family. 
 
9.  (SBU)  Although 73, Vincho remains a much-feared player 
on the Dominican legal field.  Two of his sons are following 
in his footsteps.  Pelegrin Castillo Seman is a 
representative in the Dominican Congress and Vinicio Castillo 
Seman is an attorney in the family firm.  Vincho has one 
other son and a daughter. 
 
10.  (C)  Vincho shows no signs of slowing down.  With force 
and craft he continues a ferocious defense of Baez that many 
think will keep that crook safe, sound and out of jail. 
Vincho's success, however merited it would be on technical 
grounds, would be a discredit and setback for prospects of 
reinforcing the rule of law in the Dominican Republic. 
 
11.  (U)  Drafted by Angela Kerwin. 
 
12.  (U)  This piece and others can be found at our SIPRNET 
site 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/  along with 
extensive other material. 
HERTELL