Investigative journalist Alicia Ortega has revealed details of the accusations by 17 students from Baní involving the recently elected president of the UASD Student Federation (FED) that serves as voice of students in the state university. Yimi Zapata replaces the long time president of the FED, a professional medical student with more than 25 years carrying out these studies at the state university.
According to the investigation by Ortega, a group of students have accused Zapata of being part of a ring that promoted their participation in the UN Global Classroom under the disguise of the Funlifo foundation. The students said they paid upwards of US$1,200 to participate, only to be arrested when arriving to the United States and accused of visa fraud.
The TV investigation speculates that the students served as “a bridge” for the smuggling of other people that were not students in Peravia province. The group was deported from the United States.
The case is being heard in the National District prosecutor office after being transferred from 23 March against Luis Baez, Yimi Zapata, Jorge Luis Tavares, Quelmis Rivera of the Funlifo. Yimi Zapata served as secretary of Funlifo.
Despite the accusations and the case pending in the judiciary, the UASD organizing committee of the election allowed his participation. Zapata received 11,575 votes and announced he would return the prestige to the student federation.
The lawyer of the students said he notified the university of the case.
Zapata studies industrial psychology at UASD and is from Peravia.
The lawyer said that the US Consulate also revoked the US visas of all the members of the Funlifo foundation that organized the fraudulent trip to the UN Global Classroom.
The lawyer said the students discovered the fraud when they were arrested like common criminals by the migration authorities.
Yimi Zapata refused to give explanations about the aborted trip by the students when interviewed for the Informe de Alicia Ortega.
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Noticias SIN
Noticias SIN
3 May 2017
