The Listin Diario newspaper is reporting that the last Accountant General of President Joaquin Balaguer, Victor Grimaldi, has suggested that President Hipolito Mejia and President-elect Leonel Fernandez get together with the richest families in the nation to see if they can bring US$3 billion back to the DR. Citing figures from the International Bank of Payments, located in Basel, Switzerland, Grimaldi says there are billions registered to Dominicans in overseas accounts. During a television interview Grimaldi said that the flight of this much money (reaching a total of US$4.049 billion in the first three months of 2003) is related in part to the banking crisis, but he also stated that the outward flow of money began in 2002 and coincided with the activation of the Money Laundering Law on 7 June of 2002. Grimaldi?s purpose in suggesting the proposal is to induce the wealthiest in the country to bring back as much of the flown capital as possible.