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Major League Baseball player Wander Franco on Thursday defied a summons
issued by the Dominican Republic Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for
Children and Adolescents as part of an inquiry into allegations that he
had a relationship with a minor.
Hours before he was scheduled to show in court, Franco, who is a Dominican native, dismissed lawyers from the Díaz Trueba firm as his
representatives, who notified Judge Olga Diná Llaverías that it would be impossible for them to present the player before the judge and represent
him in the investigative process, according to court documents obtained by
CNN en Español.
The Dominican attorney general’s office has not yet filed a criminal
charge against Franco.
Despite the player’s absence on Thursday, the judge indicated that the
process must continue, saying there were other options to move forward,
but she did not provide details as she briefly addressed the press outside
the attorney general’s office.
CNN has reached out to Franco’s agent but had not received a response as
of Thursday afternoon.
On August 13, Franco appeared to reject the accusations against him,
saying on Instagram Live that he was focused instead on bettering himself.
The Rays and Franco mutually agreed August 14 that the All-Star shortstop
would be placed on the Restricted List.
MLB subsequently placed Franco on administration leave on August 22, after
the claims were made public in Dominican media. On November 2, the
beginning of the league’s offseason, Franco was activated to the roster.
He could be placed back on leave after the offseason ends.
The Rays declined to comment when reached by CNN on Thursday.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/29/sport/wander-franco-tampa-bay-rays-summons- dominican-republic-spt-intl/index.html
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