El Caribe newspaper publishes today that the Presidency issued a purchasing order for US$40.9 million to a company called Hyundai Commercial Vehicles America for the purchase of vehicles, buses and trucks for the implementation of the first phase of the Plan Renove whose stated objective is to modernize public transport in the DR. The order also includes the purchase of 150 trucks to be distributed to the Fenatrado truckers union. The newspaper points out the US$5.9 million difference between the announced values of the purchase made on 18 June in a press release issued by Hyundai Motor Company president, Dong Jim Kim. In the release, Kim announced the first round of exports according to the agreement with the Dominican government was for 1,757 vehicles comprising 867 small buses, 500 mid-size buses, 240 city buses and 150 large trucks worth a total of US$35 million. Hyundai Motor announced it would ship to Santo Domingo 300-400 vehicles each month, starting in August. The director of the Plan, Ramon Emilio Jimenez told El Caribe he does not understand why Hyundai is talking about US$35 million when the deal was for US$40.9 million. He denied any irregularities in the deal. According to Hyundai Motor Company in its announcement of winning the bid, the Plan Renove will introduce 7,000 buses during four years to major cities, including the capital Santo Domingo. The company said the total bidding price was US$500 million, and Hyundai Motor Company will provide 60% (US$300 million) of the total. El Caribe newspaper points out that the representative of Hyundai Commercial Vehicles America, the company chosen by the government to import the vehicles is Hector Evertz. Evertz is also the key man in the Consorcio Vial Dominicano (awarded a government contract to build the two highways that will join the Duarte Highway with Haina and San Cristobal), Jamco Medical (awarded a US$50 million government contract to build 10 50-bed hospitals). Magna Motors president, Avelino Rodriguez denounced that Hyundai Commercial Vehicles America is not registered in the DR, and that it is not an affiliate of the Korean company. Rodriguez disputes the right of Hyundai to sell through another agency, arguing they are the company’s legitimate representative in the DR. Rodriguez said that the government purchase order issued to Hyundai Commercial Vehicles America does not even have an address for the company, limiting itself to read “city.” El Caribe reports its sources indicate the company was incorporated in Panama recently to sell the vehicles to the Dominican government.
