Senator Ramon Alburquerque (PRD-Monte Plata) called the bill for the placement of sovereign bonds in international capital markets for US$255 million for the construction of the Coral Highway linking La Romana to Punta Cana a “crime” to defraud the Dominican people. According to him, this would represent the most expensive 73 kilometers ever built in the country. He admonished the bill for lacking a feasibility study, environmental impact study and cost analysis to justify the US$4.40 million per linear-kilometer cost. Furthermore, he took issue with the fact that the contract was awarded to the Grupo Moya without any tender being held. In a contribution to Hoy newspaper, the senator said: “If the National Congress passes this bill it would be responsible for a capital scam perpetrated on the Dominican people. Its presentation and handling deserves a complete rejection. The Chamber of Deputies should request that the Senate return this piece of legislature because it was voted on based on a report that is misleading. The work does not have the required studies. The technical and economic feasibility presented is absolutely superficial.”
“Remember,” he cautions, “this is a US$255-million project.”