Stunning twist in ‘flawed’ case after Wander Franco convicted of sexually abusing 14-year-old

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic — An appeals court in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday ordered a new trial for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, who was convicted earlier this year of sexually abusing a minor and had received a two-year suspended sentence.

Tuesday’s ruling comes after Franco’s attorneys had pushed to have his conviction suspended and sentencing overturned, while prosecutors had been seeking a five-year sentence.

The appeals court ruled in favor of Franco, ordering that a new panel of judges oversee the case.

“The court understood that there were many flaws, many omissions…many issues, and decided to send the case to a new trial,” said Teodosio Jáquez, Franco’s attorney.

Meanwhile, prosecutor José Martínez Montan, the district attorney for the province of Puerto Plata, where the case is being heard, said he maintains his belief in the evidence presented during the first trial earlier this year.

“In a new trial, the procedures will be reevaluated. We won the case in the first trial, and we expect the same in the new trial,” he said.