The Department for the Prevention of Corruption (Depreco) is studying the possible involvement of more well-known figures in the Plan Renove fiasco, which involves an alleged RD$1-billion fraud against the state to do with the purchase of more than 5,000 vehicles.
Octavio Lister, the director of the organization, has requested that the driver of the former chief of the military, the now-retired Major General Radhames Zorrilla Ozuna, be questioned. Zorrilla made a name for himself for actively campaigning for the re-election of former President Hipolito Mejia. Lister says that it appears that the driver may have served as Zorilla’s frontman. Reports show that Zorrilla was an irregular beneficiary of three units of Plan Renove vehicles. Lister said he has not discarded the notion of questioning Zorrilla himself and that transport union entrepreneur Ramon Perez Figuereo provided valuable information for the investigations.
Lister explained that the government has paid US$32 million on the debt for the vehicles, making it necessary to discover who acted as the real management of the transport scam.
He also said that if Sam Goodson, who resides in the US, does not appear for questioning, his department will seek his extradition from the US, as reported in El Caribe newspaper.
The director of Depreco said that they have three months to prepare the case.