Miguel Cocco, the head of Customs, told reporters from Hoy and other newspapers that the former Custom head should be jailed for the pillaging of public assets and the “disappearance” of 1,080 vehicles without any auction and for RD$14.42 billion that the department neglected to collect during the past administration. Cocco was head of the department during the 1996-2000 Fernandez government.
Meanwhile, his successor during the Mejia administration (2000-2004), Vicente Sanchez Baret, dared Cocco to present the necessary proof and take the case to the courts. Sanchez Baret said his conduct while in office was “impeccable”. Sanchez Baret is president of the PRD and one of the closest supporters of the reelection of former President Hipolito Mejia.
Nonetheless, Cocco told reporters that during the administration of Sanchez Baret and his brother-in-law, Alexis Henriquez Nunez, former employees removed the computers and sidearms assigned to the Customs department. The collection offices were sacked. “And I mean sacked, since the 1,080 vehicles that we left were not here, nor were they auctioned off. The computers were taken home like they were personal briefcases,” he stated. Cocco said that the former employees even took the computers from the main office.
He explained that nothing was left over from the previous administration and if it were not to be seen as political persecution, they “should be in jail.”
In an almost humorous tone, the chief customs official told how the unforgiving Weapons Law made it easier for Customs to recover the sidearms that were taken from the different collection offices. Cocco said that the people who said that the pistols and revolvers had been “lost” were told that they would have to pay for them…and since this is such a ‘special’ country, the ‘lost’ fire arms started to appear.”