Apparently, Dominicans are not buying the government version that there were no major irregularities in the tender and construction of the Punta Catalina coal-fired power plant, given the findings of the recent Gallup-Hoy newspaper poll. The poll said that 68% of eligible voters in the country believe there were irregularities in the contracting of the power plant between the Brazilian firm Odebrecht and the Dominican Republic.
Moreover, 90.8% of the polled citizens believe there was overpricing in the cost of the power plant, 90% are convinced there were irregularities in the tender and 78% in the allotting of the power plant to Odebrecht.
The Attorney General Office of the Dominican Republic exempted the Punta Catalina power plant from efforts by the local prosecutors to determine responsibility in the Odebrecht bribes scandal. Instead, President Medina early this year had appointed a presidential commission of experts to review the tender process. The commission concluded that there was no evidence of any violation of procedures in the tender, or the granting of the contract, nor was there overpricing. But the Gallup poll indicates that 78% of citizens polled say the commission conclusions were not truthful. Only 17.9% believe in the conclusions.
In another revelation related to Odebrecht in the Dominican Republic, 92.7% of those polled believe more present and past government officials and current and former legislators are also involved in the Odebrecht bribes case. Only 3.6% believe that the 14 sent to justice by the Attorney General are the only responsible for taking the bribes.
The poll was carried out from 14-20 October 2017 among 1,200 eligible Dominican voters, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%.
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Hoy
2 November 2017
