All of today’s papers refer in some way to the mess in Renove, the government plan to renovate the public transportation fleet. The government borrowed US$159 million from international banks to pay for the 5,648 vehicles. The Plan Renove was created by the government in September 2001 by Decree 949-01. It is now presided over by Secretary of the Presidency Siquio Ng de la Rosa, and previously overseen by Interior & Police Minister Pedro Franco Badia.
The Fenatrano (Juan Hubieres) and Conatra (Antonio Marte) unions were the prime recipients of the new units.
Now that the National Controller’s Office has released an audit, union leaders Juan Hubieres and Ramon Perez Figuereo demand that the authorities move against the people responsible for the alleged irregularities. The audit showed that 4,308 had arrived to the country, but the Plan Renove had only received 3,511 vehicles, while another 756 vehicles were abandoned in the ports and another 41 were kept at the warehouses of the importers.
Ramon Perez Figuereo, one of the union leaders part of the commission (but whose group was not a major beneficiary), said that 95% of the vehicles were delivered to members of the PRD and the PPH. “People were sold on the idea that the Plan Renove would replace the old vehicles for new ones and that 6,100 taxi drivers would benefit – but barely 10% of them received units, with the exception of the unions belonging to the government,” said Hermann. The General Controller’s office has previously announced issues in connection with the program, such as the illegal assignation of buses destined to the public transportation syndicates. Perez now says that buses were irregularly given to Sergio Grullon, the President’s brother-in-law and Minister for the Presidency, and one Librado Perez, who received 58 buses and 300 minibuses. The union leaders asked the head of the all-but-defunct Department for Prevention of Corruption (Depreco) to investigate the matter. Perez Figuereo decried the existence of a phantom company -the Hyundai American Corporation – “which has never paid any taxes, has no tax identification number and sold more than 2,000 buses for a total of US$70 million.” The audit carried out by the controller’s office from 1 January 2002 to 12 April 2003 shows multiple serious violations. Also among the irregularities the audit showed is that non-existent unions and government offices received vehicles, that there were donations of the vehicles and that 220 units, including 10 forklifts, are unaccounted for. Also brought to light were checks that were issued irregularly. Also criticized is the fact that Hyundai Americas Corporation was allowed to participate in the tender without being registered with the national tax office.