The vehicles administered by the Metropolitan Office of Bus Service (OMSA) have been more frequently in repair shops than in service to the public, according to evidence found in work orders over the last two years.
Diario Libre reveals that details now being made available to the press, indicate that during 2015, under the heading of vehicle repairs the company belonging to recently indicted Eddie Santana Zorrilla, Tech Solution, was issued 50 purchase orders for more than RD $1,600,000 each.
During the same time frame, 297 purchase orders were approved for Josafap Inversions. Some of these orders exceeded RD $150,000. Rafael Arturo Vasquez received 108 purchase orders that often topped the RD$100,000 mark.
In 2016, according to the Diario Libre, 246 purchase orders were issued to Rafael Arturo Vasquez, some of these for more than RD $300,000. Josafap Inversions received 51 purchase orders for amounts of more than RD $700,000; and Tech Solution received 38 purchase orders for amounts that reached RD $1,600,000 and RD $2,700,000. Another company belonging to Santana Zorrilla, Martisdom Group, received 11 purchase orders to repair vehicles at a Cassa more than RD $1,600,000 each.
“Businessman” Eddie Santana participated in various tenders and submitted bids at several state institutions according to his statements given at the prosecutor’s office in West Santo Domingo. The statement was corroborated in the testimony of his nephew, Luis Santana Santana, who is listed as the owner of the Martisdom Group. Luis Santana said that the account of the company that was registered to Rosary-Hernandez Santana, a niece of Eddie Santana, received the money from the purchase orders. Neither Luis Santana nor Rosary Santana admitted to ever having dealings with the former OMSA director Manuel Rivas.
Despite media coverage, including a Diario Libre investigative report, highlighting the major corruption at Omsa as far back as 2013, the government control departments seemed to have looked the other way. The attention has returned to Omsa after a lawyer Yuniol Ramírez who was carrying a legal case against Omsa officers for corruption was murdered.
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Diario Libre
25 October 2017
