Ramón Tapia Espinal (March 29, 1926 - March 24, 2002) was a lawyer and political figure from the Dominican Republic. He served as Secretary of Industry and Commerce and Secretary of State, for President, Rafael Bonnelly, during the Council of State (1961-1963) which succeeded the overthrow of the dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo in 1961.[1]
Espinal was born in La Vega Province. After his time in Bonnelly's government, he served as a member of the triumvirate, a three-man civilian executive committee, established by the military after the overthrow of President Juan Bosch in 1963; originally with Emilio de los Santos and Manuel Enrique Tavares Espaillat, and later with Donald Reid Cabral and Espaillat.[2] He resigned from the triumvirate in 1964 and was succeeded by Ramón Cáceres Troncoso.[3]
In 1987 he was selected by President, Joaquín Balaguer, to represent the Dominican government in prosecuting ex-President, Salvador Jorge Blanco, on corruption charges.[4] [5] [6] In 1988, Salvador Jorge Blanco was found guilty, in absentia, of corruption, sentenced to a 20 year prison sentence, and ordered, along with his associates, to pay fines totaling up to $17.3 million. The verdict marked the first time a Dominican head of state had been convicted of corruption.[7] [8]
In 1997 he was selected by Rumbo magazine as one of the 25 most powerful and influential people in the Dominican Republic.[9]
He died in Santo Domingo and was buried on March 26, 2002, at Christ the Redeemer cemetery, where his eulogy was read by the Dominican lawyer, Marino Vinicio "Vincho" Castillo Rodríguez.
. John Bartlow Martin. Overtaken by Events. 1966. Doubleday & Company. Garden City, New York. B0006BO2E8. 637.