The Spanish company, Indra Sistemas that supplied electronic vote counting equipment for the 2016 general elections is demanding payment of US$13.9 million from the Central Electoral Board (JCE). Reports are that the contract was for US$37.9 million. The company is threatening to sue the government under the Agreement of Protection of Reciprocal Promotion of Investments between the Kingdom of Spain and the Dominican Republic.
In a letter sent to the president of the JCE Julio César Castaños, dated 17 October 2017, the company says it is seeking to resolve the matter amicably. The JCE has said it is awaiting the final report on the purchase from the Chamber of Accounts, the governmental agency that audits state finances.
On Monday, 13 November 2017, Spanish Ambassador Alejandro Abellán García de Diego met with JCE executives on behalf of the Spanish company.
Technicians from the JCE have stated the equipment cannot be used for the 2020 election. Former Dominican Central Bank Governor Bernardo Vega had advised the JCE to rent the vote counting equipment and not to buy it because of rapid technological changes. Vega said the response from then president of the Central Electoral Board, Roberto Rosario, was that it was a better deal to purchase the equipment because they could get the money invested back by renting the equipment to other electoral boards. In the end, the equipment did not serve its purpose for vote counting and has not been rented out to other clients. It is warehoused at a high cost to the Dominican state.
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Diario Libre
16 November 2017
