Speaking at a gala dinner held by the American Chamber of Commerce in Santo Domingo, President Leonel Fernandez told his audience that this nation would become a model for other nations in the region with regards to the fight against corruption. A plan is being conducted in coordination with the World Bank, which El Caribe says “will begin right away.” The President is to meet with World Bank executive James Wolfensohn next week in New York. Amid applause, Fernandez said the program establishes a code of ethics for the private sector, as well as the government and will attempt to discourage tax evasion and dual accounting systems in the private sector. The President said the anti-corruption project will extend far beyond the typical political witch hunts the country is accustomed to seeing. In his hour-long talk, the President said the country needs a Constitutional reform that would go beyond the mere issue of re-election, and that would eliminate certain antiquated features to do with social and environmental rights, among other things. Fernandez said that one issue that should be considered in a Constitutional reform is whether the Supreme Court should have the power to repeal a Presidential Decree, and he questioned whether this would allow one sector of the government to invade the prerogatives of another. In his talk, the President said he would submit a new budget to the Congress in order to make sure the distribution of funds was more transparent. He also proposed a new manner in which to direct money to the municipalities.