President Danilo Medina inaugurates CELAC Summit
More visa free countries for Dominicans to travel to
President Medina meets transport kingpins at Presidential Palace
Vice President’s office sponsors a talk by founder of Open English
Odebrecht offers US$184 million in compensation
Max Puig: Who were the bribed in Odebrecht case?
Jesús Vásquez questioned on Odebrecht bribes
Felix Bautista named in Guatemala in Odebrecht corruption case
Deputies to visit Valle Nuevo
La Romana escaped convicts re-arrested
Panamanian West Miguel Valdés extradited
Rains on the way for the north
Licey takes the lead in baseball finals
Dominican film Woodpeckers in Sundance Film Festival
Help Miss DR reach the Miss Universe finals
President Danilo Medina inaugurates CELAC Summit
President Danilo Medina gave the keynote address at the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) taking place in Punta Cana 24-25 January 2017.
President Medina spoke of his conviction that the participation of Latin American countries in the global economy has served to improve the living conditions of the people of the member states of the CELAC regional block. He observed that already the 33 member nations have signed 164 bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements.
Medina expressed his concern that after decades of structural reforms to insert the region into the global economy, improve regional competitiveness and living conditions, all this could be lost if the US, Europe and China continue to adopt protectionist measures that in the past he says have only served to generate poverty. He expressed concern over Brexit and the Trump Administration announcements regarding trade agreements.
“We need to do all within our reach to prevent the return to the past that is now being sold as better than the present state of development. We need to preserve the advantages of an interconnected world, while we protect the achievements in social welfare for the majority in our countries. These are not times for isolation or going backwards, but rather to strengthen our ties, to move forward with accentuated impulse,” he stated.
He expressed his support to increasing productivity, taking measures to reduce tax evasion, reorienting public spending to give priority to basic social needs and increasing intra-regional trade.
Regarding the CELAC, he said the community “should be our headquarters for the battle to ensure that millions in Latin American and the Caribbean that have improved their living standards do not return to poverty.”
He called the CELAC gatherings a privileged place to exchange excellent experiences on bringing the knowledge society to the masses in the region. “It is here, definitely, in this alliance of peoples, in this community of brothers, where we can find the ideas, the roads, the actions and the political will to make reality the historic destiny of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he told the international visitors.The event is taking place at the Barceló Bávaro Beach Convention Center in Punta Cana from 24-25 January 2017. CELAC promotes regional integration and development. After the opening event, the visitors enjoyed the music by merengue star Wilfrido Vargas in the convention center.
While they had been announced, the presidents of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela did not make the trip.
Attending were Central American statesmen Salvador Sánchez Cerén, El Salvador; and Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua. Also, attending were Evo Morales, Bolivia; Rafael Correa, Ecuador; David Granger, Guyana from South America. Raul Castro Ruz, Cuba, the acting President of Haiti, Jocelerme Privert, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, the president of Dominica, Charles Savarin; and the governor general of Antigua & Barbuda Rodney Williams for the Caribbean.
During the summit, the temporary presidency of the regional block that the Dominican Republic has held for the past two years will be passed to El Salvador.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ca-latina-abierta-y-solidaria-en-cumbre-celac
More visa free countries for Dominicans to travel to
One of the first products of the CELAC Summit is that Dominicans can now visit Paraguay, Guatemala and El Salvador without the necessity for a tourist visa for visits of up to 60 days. It was also announced that Honduras agreed to allow Dominicans to enter their country without a visa. The measure will go into effect as soon as the legal requirements have been met. The agreements are reciprocal.
The agreements were signed and announced by Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas, following bilateral meetings with his colleagues, Eladio Loizaga of Paraguay, Hugo Martinez Bonilla of El Salvador and María Dolores Agüero Lara of Guatemala and Carlos Raúl Morales Moscoso of Honduras.
Vargas also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Haiti and Jamaica prior to the commencement of the CELAC Summit.
Vargas pointed out that the Dominican Republic would also waive tourist visa requirements for short visits for citizens of Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...uprimen-exigencia-de-visado-a-los-dominicanos
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/24/guatemala-honduras-tampoco-requeriran-visa-dominicanos
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=517620
President Medina meets transport kingpins at Presidential Palace
President Danilo Medina met at the Presidential Palace with the heads of the leading local transport associations that dominate transport in the country. Recently, the Superior Administrative Court ordered government institutions to carry out their role and take actions to not allow these transport associations to dominate the transport in the country and have been accused of impeding competition. The transporters are known for their vandalism and violence to impede competition on their routes. They are also known for the poor service they render to their customers that because of the lack of competition have few alternatives to using their service.
As reported, Medina met with the leaders of the association to listen to their suggestions on how to eliminate chaos in the transport sector, bring transparency to the setting of fares and open a frank dialogue on transportation in the country, among other issues.
As reported in El Nacional, Antonio Marte, president of Confederación Nacional del Transporte (Conatra) said that the 1-½ hour meeting on Tuesday, 24 January 2017, took place after former President Hipólito Mejía urged President Medina to sit down with leaders of transport associations.
Marte says the President and the transporters agreed to form a public-private commission of seven transport leaders and several government officials. Minister of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo, will preside over the commission that will meet periodically during the next two months. After meeting with President Medina, Marte said he is optimistic the transporters will not see their business decline, but rather strengthened.
Participating in the meeting were: Antonio Marte, Conatra; Ricardo de los Santos, de la Federación Nacional de Transporte Dominicano (Fenatrado); Alfredo Pulinario (Cambita) for the Central de Movimientos de Choferes del Transporte (Mochotran), and Antonio Brito, vice president of the Federación Nacional del Transporte La Nueva Opción (Fenatrano). Also Juan Santana Soriano, of Unión Nacional de Transportistas y Afines (Unatrafin); and Freddy Méndez, of Unión Nacional de Propietarios de Autobuses (Unpa).
http://elnacional.com.do/buscan-poner-fin-al-caos-en-el-transito
Vice President’s office sponsors a talk by founder of Open English
The amusing ads have won over Latin Americans from all walks of life and now Open English and Next University founder, 34-year old Venezuelan Andrés Moreno, will be in Santo Domingo to give a free lecture on his story and entrepreneurship. He is invited by Vice President Margarita Cedeño. The conference coincides with National Youth Day organized by the Vice President’s Office. Open English has over half a million students around the world. Moreno will give the talk “Innovation, Key to Success in Entrepreneurship” on Tuesday, 31 January 2017 at the La Fiesta hall of the Jaragua Renaissance at 7pm. The conference is already fully booked, nevertheless.
On Monday, 30 January, Moreno will visit the Centro Tecnológico Comunitario (CTC) in Los Botados, Boca Chica, to learn more about the youth initiatives of the Office of the Vice President.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/24/andres-moreno-fundador-open-english-dara-una-conferencia-pais
Odebrecht offers US$184 million in compensation
The Brazilian construction company Odebrecht has announced that it has been in discussions with the Attorney General’s Office about the timeline and conditions of the payment of US$184 million to the Dominican state as compensation for bribes paid to Dominican officials in order to win contracts. The payment would cover the total amount of the bribes, estimated at US$92 million. An additional US$92 million would be paid to the country as direct compensation for having committed the illegal actions.
According to Odebrecht’s lawyer, Robert Valdez, the negotiations are ongoing but the financial part of the proposal has been agreed upon by the company and the Dominican government.
However, Valdez complained that there is now inflexibility on the part of the Attorney General Office as far as the payment terms are concerned.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...la-forma-de-pago-de-us-184-millones-DB6065005
Max Puig: Who were the bribed in Odebrecht case?
The Attorney General Office has announced it will receive compensation for US$184 million from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht for admitting having paid US$92 million in bribes to secure contracts in the Dominican Republic. So far, only company representative in the Dominican Republic, Angel Rondón, has admitted to receiving the US$92 million as fees for his work to secure the contracts for the Brazilian company.
But opposition politician Max Puig says that if an agreement is signed with Odebrecht without releasing the names of those who accepted the bribes, the high level officials in the government would be admitting complicity in the scandal.
Puig is president of the Alianza por la Democracia (APD) political party. He considered that the authorities should follow the letter of the law and rescind the ongoing contracts with Odebrecht. Puig concurred with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, who said it would be immoral to investigate only select contracts with Odebrecht, while not examining other deals. Puig said the Dominican government should act in accordance of other Latin American governments and rigorously pursue justice in the case of Odebrecht.
Puig stressed if the government accepts payment from Odebrecht without identifying those who were bribed it becomes an accomplice to the cover-up.
http://hoy.com.do/max-puig-sin-identificacion-de-sobornados-gobierno-de-rd-es-complice/
Jesús Vásquez questioned on Odebrecht bribes
The former president of the Senate, Jesus Vásquez Martinez (Chú), has now been questioned by the Attorney General’s Office about the Odebrecht bribery scandal and specifically about the government’s contract with Odebrecht for US$131.7 million for the construction of the Pinalitao hydroelectric dam.
Vásquez told the press that his service record is as clean as spring water, and should not be lumped in with others who may have accepted bribes. He insisted that he never received money from Odebrecht, or any other company to approve contracts.
He observed that the case should have been handled more quickly, citing as examples the timeframe for the investigations into Odebrecht contracts in Colombia and Peru.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/...ara-ser-interrogado-dice-ajeno-caso-odebrecht
Felix Bautista named in Guatemala in Odebrecht corruption case
Prensa Libre in Guatemala is looking into how the relations between Vivian Soraya Urízar Estrada, Juan Carlos Monzón, former Guatemala Vice President Roxana Baldetti and Dominican Senator Félix Bautista may be linked to the Odebrecht bribery scandal in this Central American country.
In the Dominican Republic, Bautista has managed to secure six judicial rulings that have prevented the local opening of a corruption case against him. But now he and his companies in Guatemala are the focus of that country’s Attorney General as investigators try discover ties between the ruling Partido Patriota (PP) and the Brazilian firm Odebrecht. The companies competed for public works at the Ministry of Public Works during the government of the PP. The anti-corruption entity in Guatemala (Feci) has been accumulating evidence of the relationships involving government officials, Bautista and Odebrecht since September 2015, as reported in Prensa Libre.
Urizar Estrada said that he and Baldetti visited the Dominican Republic shortly before Baldetti took office as vice president. He said they were hosted at the home of a Senator.
Lawyer Karen Fabiola Umaña in notes on the case reportedly stated that Felix Bautista was interested in opening a construction firm in Guatemala to build highways. She said persons of influence in the government renegotiated the contract with Odebrecht to increase the costs.
But locally, Senator Felix Bautista said that the plan to operate in Guatemala were not fruitful. He said his companies never established contractual relations with Odebrecht in Guatemala.
http://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/justicia/investigan-nexos-de-roxana-baldetti-y-odebrecht
http://acento.com.do/2017/actualida...mala-caso-odebrecht-vinculos-roxana-baldetti/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...relucir-en-caso-odebrecht-guatemala-KC6073905
Deputies to visit Valle Nuevo
Members of the Environment Permanent Committee from the Chamber of Deputies announced they have scheduled a visit to Valle Nuevo in La Vega next Friday, 27 January 2017.
The legislators will visit to see for themselves the situation of the farmers in the mountainous area that is the source of many of the country’s main rivers.
The Ministry of the Environment has given farmers and ranchers until Monday, 29 January 2017 to end all agricultural activities in Valle Nuevo.
Deputy Francisco Matos said they want to hear directly from the people affected by the ruling, to assure that the legislative body understood all perspectives. He did say that although he agreed with the official measures announced by the Ministry of Environment, any action must be on firm legal grounds and the Ministry must take steps to address issues of compensation to the farmers and residents in the area.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/24/comision-diputados-investigara-situacion-valle-nuevo
La Romana escaped convicts re-arrested
The Police report five of eight convicts that escaped from the police station cells in La Romana on Monday morning, 23 January 2017, have been re-captured.
Authorities found four of escapees in scrubland and yesterday morning, 24 January,
Julio Cesar Mercedes (Chapulo), handed himself in, in the company of human rights defenders.
Those re-arrested were Leivison Inirio de Jesus (Blady), aged 20; Roosevelt Leandry Torres Honorio (Mi Pichi), 19; Brayan Napoleon Valerio, 20 and Joel Francis, aged 29.
The group escaped from jail after having cut through the cell bars with a hacksaw.
Still on the run are Raul Aquino del Rosario, Luis Enrique Marte and David Guerrero Nelly aka David Guerrero Cabral. The latter was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, having been accused of involvement in the death of businessman Ramon Galvez Bastado (Moreno) in the municipality of Villa Hermosa in September 2016.
The police have urged those still on the run to turn themselves in. http://elnacional.com.do/reapresan-cinco-de-los-8-fugados-carcel-la-romana/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ocho-fugados-de-carcel-de-la-romana-JF6070913
Panamanian West Miguel Valdés extradited
The National Police has arrested a man from Panama who was being sought by the judicial authorities in his country for fraud.
The Panamanian, 52-year old West Miguel Valdés Chapuseaux, was captured in a park near the Cibao International Airport in Santiago on Monday, 23 January 2017, by police assigned to Interpol Santo Domingo. He is accused of fraud against public administration for the amount of US$12.2 million. He will now be deported to Panama.
http://hoy.com.do/apresan-panameno-acusado-de-estafa-por-mas-de-12-millones-de-dolares/
http://eldia.com.do/capturan-empresario-panameno-que-era-requerido-en-su-pais-por-corrupcion/
https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/11012813
http://precision.com.do/index.php/n...esario-panameno-buscado-por-estafa-en-su-pais
Rains on the way for the north
According to the national weather service (Onamet), a frontal system located over the Mona Channel is moving towards the east, southeast bringing rain to parts of the country.
Those provinces to be first affected will be Montecristi, Puerto Plata, Santiago, La Vega, Duarte, Sánchez Ramírez (Cotuí), Monseñor Nouel (Bonao), Samaná and Monte Plata.
Onamet warns that the rain could lead to flooding and mudslides in the vulnerable areas of the northwest and north. The weather forecasters say that the chilly winds and weather front will keep temperatures cool especially in the central mountainous areas.
http://www.onamet.gov.do/?param=pronostico-general
Licey takes the lead in baseball finals
The excellent pitching of César Valdez for the Tigres del Licey completely held back the Aguilas Cibaeñas while the batters for the blue team blasted their opponents with seven runs. The game played at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago on Tuesday, 24 January 2017 ended 7-0. This win puts the team of Audé Vicente ahead by one game in the win-five-of-nine-games playoffs. The Aguilas Cibaeñas under Manny Acta will now go for their third win at the Quisqueya ball park in Santo Domingo on 25 January 2017.
Follow the games at http://www.lidom.com
Dominican film Woodpeckers in Sundance Film Festival
Woodpeckers by film maker Jose María Cabral was shown on Monday, 23 January 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival in a freezing cold Salt Lake City, Utah. The drama, filmed with real people at three Dominican jails (men and women in Najayo and La Victoria prisons), is competing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the festival. Cabral called the showing the most important of his career.
http://www.sundance.org/projects/carpinteros-woodpeckers
http://www.listindiario.com/entrete...carpinteros-se-exhibe-en-festival-de-sundance
Help Miss DR reach the Miss Universe finals
Standing 6’2 tall and a professional model, 24-year old Miss Dominican Republic Rosalba Abreu García (Sal García) is one of the Latin favorites to win the Miss Universe contest. The winner will be announced at the gala on Sunday, 29 January 2017, which will be broadcast live from Manila, Philippines.
Diario Libre explains that votes can be cast to help Miss DR become one of the 15 finalists. Voting is taking place through tournament’s official web page at http://www.vote.missuniverse.com
Downloading the app Miss U on Google Play or Apple Store. In Twitter using the hashtag #MissUniverse and #DR
http://www.diariolibre.com/revista/...-a-sal-garcia-a-ganar-miss-universo-YE6071919
http://www.missuniverse.com/post/2035
Read more on ongoing and upcoming events at:
http://www.dr1.com/calendar
Archived News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/91-Daily-Headline-News
Archived Travel News stories:
http://dr1.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/92-Travel-amp-Tourism-News
More visa free countries for Dominicans to travel to
President Medina meets transport kingpins at Presidential Palace
Vice President’s office sponsors a talk by founder of Open English
Odebrecht offers US$184 million in compensation
Max Puig: Who were the bribed in Odebrecht case?
Jesús Vásquez questioned on Odebrecht bribes
Felix Bautista named in Guatemala in Odebrecht corruption case
Deputies to visit Valle Nuevo
La Romana escaped convicts re-arrested
Panamanian West Miguel Valdés extradited
Rains on the way for the north
Licey takes the lead in baseball finals
Dominican film Woodpeckers in Sundance Film Festival
Help Miss DR reach the Miss Universe finals
President Danilo Medina inaugurates CELAC Summit
President Danilo Medina gave the keynote address at the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) taking place in Punta Cana 24-25 January 2017.
President Medina spoke of his conviction that the participation of Latin American countries in the global economy has served to improve the living conditions of the people of the member states of the CELAC regional block. He observed that already the 33 member nations have signed 164 bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements.
Medina expressed his concern that after decades of structural reforms to insert the region into the global economy, improve regional competitiveness and living conditions, all this could be lost if the US, Europe and China continue to adopt protectionist measures that in the past he says have only served to generate poverty. He expressed concern over Brexit and the Trump Administration announcements regarding trade agreements.
“We need to do all within our reach to prevent the return to the past that is now being sold as better than the present state of development. We need to preserve the advantages of an interconnected world, while we protect the achievements in social welfare for the majority in our countries. These are not times for isolation or going backwards, but rather to strengthen our ties, to move forward with accentuated impulse,” he stated.
He expressed his support to increasing productivity, taking measures to reduce tax evasion, reorienting public spending to give priority to basic social needs and increasing intra-regional trade.
Regarding the CELAC, he said the community “should be our headquarters for the battle to ensure that millions in Latin American and the Caribbean that have improved their living standards do not return to poverty.”
He called the CELAC gatherings a privileged place to exchange excellent experiences on bringing the knowledge society to the masses in the region. “It is here, definitely, in this alliance of peoples, in this community of brothers, where we can find the ideas, the roads, the actions and the political will to make reality the historic destiny of Latin America and the Caribbean,” he told the international visitors.The event is taking place at the Barceló Bávaro Beach Convention Center in Punta Cana from 24-25 January 2017. CELAC promotes regional integration and development. After the opening event, the visitors enjoyed the music by merengue star Wilfrido Vargas in the convention center.
While they had been announced, the presidents of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela did not make the trip.
Attending were Central American statesmen Salvador Sánchez Cerén, El Salvador; and Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua. Also, attending were Evo Morales, Bolivia; Rafael Correa, Ecuador; David Granger, Guyana from South America. Raul Castro Ruz, Cuba, the acting President of Haiti, Jocelerme Privert, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, the president of Dominica, Charles Savarin; and the governor general of Antigua & Barbuda Rodney Williams for the Caribbean.
During the summit, the temporary presidency of the regional block that the Dominican Republic has held for the past two years will be passed to El Salvador.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...ca-latina-abierta-y-solidaria-en-cumbre-celac
More visa free countries for Dominicans to travel to
One of the first products of the CELAC Summit is that Dominicans can now visit Paraguay, Guatemala and El Salvador without the necessity for a tourist visa for visits of up to 60 days. It was also announced that Honduras agreed to allow Dominicans to enter their country without a visa. The measure will go into effect as soon as the legal requirements have been met. The agreements are reciprocal.
The agreements were signed and announced by Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas, following bilateral meetings with his colleagues, Eladio Loizaga of Paraguay, Hugo Martinez Bonilla of El Salvador and María Dolores Agüero Lara of Guatemala and Carlos Raúl Morales Moscoso of Honduras.
Vargas also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Haiti and Jamaica prior to the commencement of the CELAC Summit.
Vargas pointed out that the Dominican Republic would also waive tourist visa requirements for short visits for citizens of Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...uprimen-exigencia-de-visado-a-los-dominicanos
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/24/guatemala-honduras-tampoco-requeriran-visa-dominicanos
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=517620
President Medina meets transport kingpins at Presidential Palace
President Danilo Medina met at the Presidential Palace with the heads of the leading local transport associations that dominate transport in the country. Recently, the Superior Administrative Court ordered government institutions to carry out their role and take actions to not allow these transport associations to dominate the transport in the country and have been accused of impeding competition. The transporters are known for their vandalism and violence to impede competition on their routes. They are also known for the poor service they render to their customers that because of the lack of competition have few alternatives to using their service.
As reported, Medina met with the leaders of the association to listen to their suggestions on how to eliminate chaos in the transport sector, bring transparency to the setting of fares and open a frank dialogue on transportation in the country, among other issues.
As reported in El Nacional, Antonio Marte, president of Confederación Nacional del Transporte (Conatra) said that the 1-½ hour meeting on Tuesday, 24 January 2017, took place after former President Hipólito Mejía urged President Medina to sit down with leaders of transport associations.
Marte says the President and the transporters agreed to form a public-private commission of seven transport leaders and several government officials. Minister of the Presidency, Gustavo Montalvo, will preside over the commission that will meet periodically during the next two months. After meeting with President Medina, Marte said he is optimistic the transporters will not see their business decline, but rather strengthened.
Participating in the meeting were: Antonio Marte, Conatra; Ricardo de los Santos, de la Federación Nacional de Transporte Dominicano (Fenatrado); Alfredo Pulinario (Cambita) for the Central de Movimientos de Choferes del Transporte (Mochotran), and Antonio Brito, vice president of the Federación Nacional del Transporte La Nueva Opción (Fenatrano). Also Juan Santana Soriano, of Unión Nacional de Transportistas y Afines (Unatrafin); and Freddy Méndez, of Unión Nacional de Propietarios de Autobuses (Unpa).
http://elnacional.com.do/buscan-poner-fin-al-caos-en-el-transito
Vice President’s office sponsors a talk by founder of Open English
The amusing ads have won over Latin Americans from all walks of life and now Open English and Next University founder, 34-year old Venezuelan Andrés Moreno, will be in Santo Domingo to give a free lecture on his story and entrepreneurship. He is invited by Vice President Margarita Cedeño. The conference coincides with National Youth Day organized by the Vice President’s Office. Open English has over half a million students around the world. Moreno will give the talk “Innovation, Key to Success in Entrepreneurship” on Tuesday, 31 January 2017 at the La Fiesta hall of the Jaragua Renaissance at 7pm. The conference is already fully booked, nevertheless.
On Monday, 30 January, Moreno will visit the Centro Tecnológico Comunitario (CTC) in Los Botados, Boca Chica, to learn more about the youth initiatives of the Office of the Vice President.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/24/andres-moreno-fundador-open-english-dara-una-conferencia-pais
Odebrecht offers US$184 million in compensation
The Brazilian construction company Odebrecht has announced that it has been in discussions with the Attorney General’s Office about the timeline and conditions of the payment of US$184 million to the Dominican state as compensation for bribes paid to Dominican officials in order to win contracts. The payment would cover the total amount of the bribes, estimated at US$92 million. An additional US$92 million would be paid to the country as direct compensation for having committed the illegal actions.
According to Odebrecht’s lawyer, Robert Valdez, the negotiations are ongoing but the financial part of the proposal has been agreed upon by the company and the Dominican government.
However, Valdez complained that there is now inflexibility on the part of the Attorney General Office as far as the payment terms are concerned.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...la-forma-de-pago-de-us-184-millones-DB6065005
Max Puig: Who were the bribed in Odebrecht case?
The Attorney General Office has announced it will receive compensation for US$184 million from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht for admitting having paid US$92 million in bribes to secure contracts in the Dominican Republic. So far, only company representative in the Dominican Republic, Angel Rondón, has admitted to receiving the US$92 million as fees for his work to secure the contracts for the Brazilian company.
But opposition politician Max Puig says that if an agreement is signed with Odebrecht without releasing the names of those who accepted the bribes, the high level officials in the government would be admitting complicity in the scandal.
Puig is president of the Alianza por la Democracia (APD) political party. He considered that the authorities should follow the letter of the law and rescind the ongoing contracts with Odebrecht. Puig concurred with the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, who said it would be immoral to investigate only select contracts with Odebrecht, while not examining other deals. Puig said the Dominican government should act in accordance of other Latin American governments and rigorously pursue justice in the case of Odebrecht.
Puig stressed if the government accepts payment from Odebrecht without identifying those who were bribed it becomes an accomplice to the cover-up.
http://hoy.com.do/max-puig-sin-identificacion-de-sobornados-gobierno-de-rd-es-complice/
Jesús Vásquez questioned on Odebrecht bribes
The former president of the Senate, Jesus Vásquez Martinez (Chú), has now been questioned by the Attorney General’s Office about the Odebrecht bribery scandal and specifically about the government’s contract with Odebrecht for US$131.7 million for the construction of the Pinalitao hydroelectric dam.
Vásquez told the press that his service record is as clean as spring water, and should not be lumped in with others who may have accepted bribes. He insisted that he never received money from Odebrecht, or any other company to approve contracts.
He observed that the case should have been handled more quickly, citing as examples the timeframe for the investigations into Odebrecht contracts in Colombia and Peru.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/...ara-ser-interrogado-dice-ajeno-caso-odebrecht
Felix Bautista named in Guatemala in Odebrecht corruption case
Prensa Libre in Guatemala is looking into how the relations between Vivian Soraya Urízar Estrada, Juan Carlos Monzón, former Guatemala Vice President Roxana Baldetti and Dominican Senator Félix Bautista may be linked to the Odebrecht bribery scandal in this Central American country.
In the Dominican Republic, Bautista has managed to secure six judicial rulings that have prevented the local opening of a corruption case against him. But now he and his companies in Guatemala are the focus of that country’s Attorney General as investigators try discover ties between the ruling Partido Patriota (PP) and the Brazilian firm Odebrecht. The companies competed for public works at the Ministry of Public Works during the government of the PP. The anti-corruption entity in Guatemala (Feci) has been accumulating evidence of the relationships involving government officials, Bautista and Odebrecht since September 2015, as reported in Prensa Libre.
Urizar Estrada said that he and Baldetti visited the Dominican Republic shortly before Baldetti took office as vice president. He said they were hosted at the home of a Senator.
Lawyer Karen Fabiola Umaña in notes on the case reportedly stated that Felix Bautista was interested in opening a construction firm in Guatemala to build highways. She said persons of influence in the government renegotiated the contract with Odebrecht to increase the costs.
But locally, Senator Felix Bautista said that the plan to operate in Guatemala were not fruitful. He said his companies never established contractual relations with Odebrecht in Guatemala.
http://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/justicia/investigan-nexos-de-roxana-baldetti-y-odebrecht
http://acento.com.do/2017/actualida...mala-caso-odebrecht-vinculos-roxana-baldetti/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...relucir-en-caso-odebrecht-guatemala-KC6073905
Deputies to visit Valle Nuevo
Members of the Environment Permanent Committee from the Chamber of Deputies announced they have scheduled a visit to Valle Nuevo in La Vega next Friday, 27 January 2017.
The legislators will visit to see for themselves the situation of the farmers in the mountainous area that is the source of many of the country’s main rivers.
The Ministry of the Environment has given farmers and ranchers until Monday, 29 January 2017 to end all agricultural activities in Valle Nuevo.
Deputy Francisco Matos said they want to hear directly from the people affected by the ruling, to assure that the legislative body understood all perspectives. He did say that although he agreed with the official measures announced by the Ministry of Environment, any action must be on firm legal grounds and the Ministry must take steps to address issues of compensation to the farmers and residents in the area.
http://www.elcaribe.com.do/2017/01/24/comision-diputados-investigara-situacion-valle-nuevo
La Romana escaped convicts re-arrested
The Police report five of eight convicts that escaped from the police station cells in La Romana on Monday morning, 23 January 2017, have been re-captured.
Authorities found four of escapees in scrubland and yesterday morning, 24 January,
Julio Cesar Mercedes (Chapulo), handed himself in, in the company of human rights defenders.
Those re-arrested were Leivison Inirio de Jesus (Blady), aged 20; Roosevelt Leandry Torres Honorio (Mi Pichi), 19; Brayan Napoleon Valerio, 20 and Joel Francis, aged 29.
The group escaped from jail after having cut through the cell bars with a hacksaw.
Still on the run are Raul Aquino del Rosario, Luis Enrique Marte and David Guerrero Nelly aka David Guerrero Cabral. The latter was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, having been accused of involvement in the death of businessman Ramon Galvez Bastado (Moreno) in the municipality of Villa Hermosa in September 2016.
The police have urged those still on the run to turn themselves in. http://elnacional.com.do/reapresan-cinco-de-los-8-fugados-carcel-la-romana/
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...ocho-fugados-de-carcel-de-la-romana-JF6070913
Panamanian West Miguel Valdés extradited
The National Police has arrested a man from Panama who was being sought by the judicial authorities in his country for fraud.
The Panamanian, 52-year old West Miguel Valdés Chapuseaux, was captured in a park near the Cibao International Airport in Santiago on Monday, 23 January 2017, by police assigned to Interpol Santo Domingo. He is accused of fraud against public administration for the amount of US$12.2 million. He will now be deported to Panama.
http://hoy.com.do/apresan-panameno-acusado-de-estafa-por-mas-de-12-millones-de-dolares/
http://eldia.com.do/capturan-empresario-panameno-que-era-requerido-en-su-pais-por-corrupcion/
https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/11012813
http://precision.com.do/index.php/n...esario-panameno-buscado-por-estafa-en-su-pais
Rains on the way for the north
According to the national weather service (Onamet), a frontal system located over the Mona Channel is moving towards the east, southeast bringing rain to parts of the country.
Those provinces to be first affected will be Montecristi, Puerto Plata, Santiago, La Vega, Duarte, Sánchez Ramírez (Cotuí), Monseñor Nouel (Bonao), Samaná and Monte Plata.
Onamet warns that the rain could lead to flooding and mudslides in the vulnerable areas of the northwest and north. The weather forecasters say that the chilly winds and weather front will keep temperatures cool especially in the central mountainous areas.
http://www.onamet.gov.do/?param=pronostico-general
Licey takes the lead in baseball finals
The excellent pitching of César Valdez for the Tigres del Licey completely held back the Aguilas Cibaeñas while the batters for the blue team blasted their opponents with seven runs. The game played at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago on Tuesday, 24 January 2017 ended 7-0. This win puts the team of Audé Vicente ahead by one game in the win-five-of-nine-games playoffs. The Aguilas Cibaeñas under Manny Acta will now go for their third win at the Quisqueya ball park in Santo Domingo on 25 January 2017.
Follow the games at http://www.lidom.com
Dominican film Woodpeckers in Sundance Film Festival
Woodpeckers by film maker Jose María Cabral was shown on Monday, 23 January 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival in a freezing cold Salt Lake City, Utah. The drama, filmed with real people at three Dominican jails (men and women in Najayo and La Victoria prisons), is competing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the festival. Cabral called the showing the most important of his career.
http://www.sundance.org/projects/carpinteros-woodpeckers
http://www.listindiario.com/entrete...carpinteros-se-exhibe-en-festival-de-sundance
Help Miss DR reach the Miss Universe finals
Standing 6’2 tall and a professional model, 24-year old Miss Dominican Republic Rosalba Abreu García (Sal García) is one of the Latin favorites to win the Miss Universe contest. The winner will be announced at the gala on Sunday, 29 January 2017, which will be broadcast live from Manila, Philippines.
Diario Libre explains that votes can be cast to help Miss DR become one of the 15 finalists. Voting is taking place through tournament’s official web page at http://www.vote.missuniverse.com
Downloading the app Miss U on Google Play or Apple Store. In Twitter using the hashtag #MissUniverse and #DR
http://www.diariolibre.com/revista/...-a-sal-garcia-a-ganar-miss-universo-YE6071919
http://www.missuniverse.com/post/2035
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