Diario Libre reports that the State Sugar Council (CEA) resold to an offshore company registered in Panama land that it had received as payment from the Central Bank in 1999. The owner of the company is just identified as “The Bearer” (El Portador). Located in southeastern San Pedro de Macorís, the land was sold for RD$14 the square meter.
The transaction is another of several that are coming to the open after the murder of two radio broadcasters by a lead suspect who is now said to have been in rage over a CEA land deal that went sour. After the murder, the government appointed a commission to review land transactions carried out in San Pedro de Macorís by the CEA. The Medina government also ordered a shutdown of the CEA. Recently, the Medina government had ordered a stop to all land transactions at the CEA.
Diario Libre says the sale took 12 contracts, all signed on the same date – 28 April 2016. The transactions were between the Boca Chica Sugar Mill, represented by the executive director of the CEA, José Joaquín Domínguez Peña, and Ordell Assets, represented by Pedro de Jesús Paulino Balbuena. In total, 1,711.91 tareas (more than a million square meters) were sold for RD$15,071,810.44.
Diario Libre points out that there are mining concessions in operation in several of the sold lands.
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Diario Libre
22 February 2017
