Amidst protests of corruption in bribes, overpricing of the contracting and construction of the Punta Catalina Thermoelectric Central, President Danilo Medina appointed economist Jaime Aristy Escuder as the first general manager of the power plant. Decree 261-17 dated 31 July 2017 establishes that Aristy will work under the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE).
Aristy had been appointed in January 2017 part of the presidential commission to investigate the contracting of the power plant. The commission rendered its report of the construction on 30 June 2017 with several recommendations. The decree establishes that Aristy is named to follow up the recommendations by the commission.
The power plant is built by a consortium lead by Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction company that faces in the Dominican Republic and abroad a major corruption scandal.
Aristy is remembered for having written a book that focused on alledged corruption by senator Felix Bautista when the later directed the OISOE construction office of the Presidency, and became the most impressive example of a man going from rags to riches. Bautista sued Jaime Aristy in a Miami court, but Aristy had to desist and accept a deal with Bautista not being able to afford the expensive legal case. The case that would have unfolded major corruption instances would be dropped in the Miami court.
The Punta Catalina coal-fired power plant is made up of two coal-fired electricity generating units of 337.39 MW each for 674-78 MW.
1 August 2017
