2004 – Page 36

The government reported today that it is building its 2005 budget around an exchange rate of RD$37 to US$1. Technical Secretary to the Presidency Temistocles Montas made the announcement today, but said that, nevertheless, the government has not yet sent the bill to Congress, as reported in the Listin Diario. Montas said the decision to …

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The DR’s taxation department, the DGII, reported that tax collections for October were RD$933.5 million more than those for the same month in 2003. The official report indicates that the government collected RD$4.6 billion in October 2004, while the enhanced revenue is being partly attributed to the increases in taxes passed by Congress in September.

President Leonel Fernandez authorized the extradition of nine Dominicans that had been requested by the US authorities. The extradition is dated 11 November. Of the nine, seven are wanted on drug trafficking charges. These are Rafael Dominguez Carvajal, Joj Yoel Nunez, Ramon Arnoldo Pimentel Guerrero, Bienvenido Roa, Agustin Henriquez and Oscar Santos Santos. Jeremias Gomez …

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Lawyer Roberto Alvarez writes in El Caribe that the Dominican Republic should request backing from the United States Embassy to carry out a study similar to that which the US Embassy in Jamaica financed on the behavior of Jamaican deported nationals. He says that of 12,036 deportees to Jamaica, 63% were repatriated for criminal reasons, …

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The press reports today on a collaboration between DR and US crime prosecution forces. News reports have revealed that Gregory R. Swarn was arrested in the DR in connection to charges of mail and wire fraud, money laundering and his alleged involvement in a South Florida telemarketing scheme that bilked approximately 400 individuals out of …

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The Ministry of Public Works removed the concrete barriers that had been placed on the Duarte Bridge that spans the Ozama River. As reported in El Caribe, the 103 ramparts weighed the same as a stand-still traffic jam of 200 vehicles, considerably affecting the lifespan of the bridge that has long been due for the …

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Culture Minister Jose Rafael Lantigua said that the government has purchased a new air-conditioning system for the National Theater. The unit cost US$925,000 and will be installed in time for December’s performances. Several significant presentations have had to be cancelled at the theater for lack of adequate ventilation after the previous government spent millions in …

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