On Monday, 13 February 2017, President Danilo Medina ordered the dissolution of the Dominican Corporation of State Companies (Corde) and the Commission for the Reform of Public Companies (CREP). The first body was in charge of government enterprises, most of which were privatized or closed down. The second was in charge of assisting the public enterprises in going private. The order was given in Decree 16-17 dated 10 February.
At the same time, President Medina dismissed Leoncio Almanzar as director of Corde.
A commission made up of the legal advisor to the Executive Branch, Flavio Darío Espinal; the director of the Commission on Ethics and Integrity, Lidio Cadet; and the director of the Permanent Commission of Titles, Jose Dantes will supervise the process. The decision of the President followed a recommendation by this same presidential commission that had earlier investigated the sale of government property in the Los Tres Brazos by Corde.
The decree issued by Medina also stipulated that the sale of land in Los Tres Brazos by Corde to the company Inversiones Fernández Periche be declared null and void as it is said to be illegal.
All real estate belonging to Corde will be transferred to the Bienes Nacionales government property agency. President Medina has instructed the Ministry of the Presidency that the property should be developed or used for social projects.
Corde had been all but forgotten until the media championed the case of the residents in Los Tres Brazos who complained about a private company that had received a concession to secure titles to properties where a government shoe factory had been located.
The government ascertained the concession had been granted in an irregular manner and is in the process of nullifying the actions carried out by the company. By Dominican law, residents affected by the Los Tres Brazos case are eligible for definitive title to their properties because of the length of time that these families have occupied their dwellings.
Read more in Spanish:
El Dia
14 February 2017
