First modification:
The Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, Orlando Jorge Mera, the son of a former president, was assassinated with a firearm in his office on Monday by a close friend, according to Dominican authorities. Likewise, it has been indicated that the motives for the murder are still under investigation.
A crime that has shaken the Dominican Republic, confirming that the 55-year-old Dominican Environment Minister, Orlando Jorge Mera, was murdered in his office by a childhood friend, according to the latest reports.
“The information we have handled so far indicates that in the morning hours of today (Monday) the Minister of the Environment lost his life when he was attacked in his office with a firearm,” said the spokesman for the Presidency, Homero Figueroa.
The authorities also confirmed that they had found the possible person responsible: “Miguel Cruz, the person identified as the one who fired the shot, was a personal friend of the deceased minister. The person responsible is in the custody of the national police and the Public Ministry,” they added. The authorities.
So far the reasons for the murder are unknown and the authorities detailed that the crime is under investigation.
Who was Orlando Jorge Mera?
Orlando Jorge Mera was the son of former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco (1982-1986). He served as a delegate before the Central Electoral Board of the Modern Revolutionary Party since 2019. He was secretary general of the Dominican Revolutionary Party and secretary of the Dominican Revolutionary Youth, since April 1998.
He served as Coordinator of the Permanent Commissions of the Senate of the Dominican Republic between 1998 and 2000.
For his part, his brother, also involved in politics, published a statement by the family on his Twitter account where they indicated that they “forgive the perpetrator” and that they trust the authorities handling the case.
What is known about the alleged perpetrator of the murder?
Orlando Jorge Mera and Cruz de la Mota were childhood friends, information that has been provided both by the minister’s family and by the Presidency of the Republic.
According to local media, what has been reported so far is that Cruz de la Mota is the son of Fernando Cruz Méndez, who during the government of Salvador Jorge Blanco (father of the minister) was a major general and served as commander general of the Air Force. .
The reasons why the murder was committed are still not clear, and the authorities have not confirmed any of the versions that have been published in the Dominican press. One of those is that after a strong argument between the two, the murder would have been carried out.
With EFE, AP and Reuters
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