One of the most criticized irregularities revealed by the audit is the confirmation that Hyundai Americas Corporation, a company that was not registered with the tax department, sold 1,102 vehicles for US$56.5 million to Plan Renove. Ramon Perez Figuereo says that the informality has resulted in what he then alerted could happen. Today Hyundai Americas Corporation does not have a stock of spare parts, does not offer maintenance services, does not guarantee the vehicles and does not even have an office. El Dia newspaper reports that Siquio Ng de la Rosa in defending the cleaning up of the actions of Plan Renove has not been able to explain how the concession was granted to what is described as a “ghost company Hyundai Americas Corporation” that is presided over by businessman Johnny Morales and which struck paydirt with the multimillion-dollar contract.
Likewise, news reports say the documents show that Milciades Guzman, treasurer of the Plan Renove and member of Terra Bus, received 40 vehicles valued at US$1,844,388 and Diogenes Castillo, director of the governmental Metropolitan Bus Office (OMSA), received six units at a cost of US$357,496.
Antonio Marte, a member of the Renove board and president of Conatra union, received 22 buses for a reported US$1,715,263, and Juan Hubieres of the Fenatrano transport union, also a member of the Renove board, received a bus registered with a value of US$114,000.
The Controller General’s Office recommended that 34 vehicles allotted to the Asociacion Dominicana de Confederaciones de Taxi (ADOCOTAXI) and the Union de Propietarios de Autobuses, be returned, as these bodies are not registered with the Labor Ministry.
The audit furthermore revealed it was not able to determine the whereabouts of 210 public transportation vehicles and 10 forklifts, nor who were their recipients. It also ascertained that of the 3,511 vehicles delivered by Plan Renove, 1,783 did not have license plates.
The audit indicates that Decree 949-01 that created Plan Renove was violated when 312 vehicles were donated to student groups, religious organizations, government departments, private individuals and companies. Since these donations took place through the Ministry of Interior and Police, there is no control over these.
Juan Hubieres of Fenatrano, one of Plan Renove’s biggest beneficiaries, believes that if the case were to be aired in the courts, Plan Renove would be a scandal 10 times that of the PEME, which took several PLD government executives to jail.
Hubieres says that units continue to be allotted for prices that range from RD$150,000 to RD$300,000. “There is a market out there,” he told El Dia newspaper. He said he has heard reports that just five days ago, several units were purchased for the paltry sum of RD$140,000 when they should have been distributed to union members a year ago.
Hubieres also denounced the fact that for Dominican vehicle import companies to make the sales through the program, they had to pay tolls of US$2,000 to US$4,000 for each vehicle. There is no record of this anywhere, he says, as payments were demanded in cash.