2007 – Page 69

The three-judge panel, made up of Santiago Sanchez, Esmirna Mendez and Pilar Rufino, has issued its decision in the case involving the high-ranking executives of the Banco Intercontinental (Baninter). The verdict was guilty for two of the accused, Ramon Baez Figueroa and Luis Alvarez Renta, but not guilty for their associates Vivian Lubrano de Castillo …

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The editor of Diario Libre, lawyer and historian Adriano Miguel Tejada, commented that the guilty verdict has served the Dominican judicial system’s best interests. While admitting that the verdict would surely be appealed not only by the defense lawyers, but also by the Office for the Prevention of Corruption (now called DPCA), the editor praised …

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The decision taken by the District Attorney for the National District, Jose Hernandez, not to pursue the case against the principal official in the Program for Minimal Employment (PEME), created during the first Fernandez administration (1996-2000), was strongly criticized by the head of the Office for Prevention of Corruption (DPCA), Otoniel Bonilla, and the head …

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New documents have turned up in the Sun Land case, but they only serve to confuse matters even further. According to Diario Libre, a letter from the subcontractors of the construction projects at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) to Felix Bautista, the head of the Office of Supervising Engineers of State Public Works …

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Researchers from the Ministry of the Environment have been able to ascertain that the lands leased by to the Ciramar group the municipality of Bani are, indeed, part of the land covered under the Protected Areas law, as reported in the Listin Diario. The purchase contract was authorized by a presidential decree. The technicians were …

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Two special United Nations envoys will look at racism in the Dominican Republic over the next week, invited by local authorities. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced the visit in a press release from Geneva. One of the officials, Doudou Diene, is a special reporter in the fight against racism, …

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The PLD party’s national campaign committee has called a halt to the RD$1000 gifts to drivers who put PLD posters on their vehicles. A report in the Diario Libre revealed the new publicity stunt last weekend after looking into a traffic tie-up on one of the main thoroughfares of Santo Domingo. Drivers were lining up …

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Last night President Leonel Fernandez met with representatives from the country’s industrial associations and promised to support their efforts to lobby for Congressional approval for the Industrial Competitiveness and Innovation bill submitted by the Executive Branch. According to business leader Manuel Diaz Cabral, the legislation will allow industries to make the most of DR-CAFTA. Diaz …

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More than 2,000 private schools out of 3,416 evaluated by the Ministry of Education have received notifications that they need to improve or face being shut down by the authorities for not meeting the required minimum standards. Manuel Antonio Suero, in charge of the private school department at the Ministry of Education, said the number …

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The prospect of earning an extra RD$1,000 per month is enough to lead drivers in the DR to wait in long lines, causing head-bruising traffic jams. The PLD has begun a campaign of paying drivers RD$1,000 to place posters on their vehicles advertising President Leonel Fernandez’s re-election aspirations. Large numbers of car owners are taking …

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