The Marcha Verde civic movement says that the Odebrecht case filed by the Attorney General protects the corrupt elite of the ruling PLD political party. The movement called for a Concert for Dignity (Voces de la Dignidad) on Sunday, 17 June 2018, at 5pm, in front of the Supreme Court of Justice. The concert aims “to express citizens’ rejection of the case filed by the Attorney General and the PLD’s attempt to keep the country under a regime of impunity.”
On Friday, Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez announced it was filing the Odebrecht case reducing to six from 14 the number of persons accused. A new person was added, former president of the Senate Jesús Vásquez, a high ranking officer of the PRM opposition party.
The Marcha Verde movement said that by excluding the main officers and legislators that were responsible for promoting and approving the Odebrecht contracts in the country the image of “untouchables” of the PLD elite is strengthened. Marcha Verde says this image is used by those who steal the taxpayers’ money to remain in power, as reported by Acento.
Marcha Verde warned on Sunday, that the Odebrecht corruption case file presented by the Public Ministry shields the elite and the corruption apparatus of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and allows them to continue stealing public resources with impunity and controlling in an undemocratic manner all the powers of the State.
The movement says that by excluding PLD party president and former President Leonel Fernández, President Danilo Medina, Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE) executive vice president Rubén Jiménez Bichara, Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo, president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Pérez, former president of the Senate Cristina Lizardo, former president of the Chamber of Deputies Abel Martínez, former Minister of Economy Juan Temístocles Montás, former president of the CDEEE, legislator Julio César Valentín, former president of the Chamber of Deputies Lucía Medina, former Minister of Hacienda Vicente Bengoa and other high ranking PLD members from the Odebrecht case is because Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez, member of the Central Committee of the PLD, has designed a case to protect and guarantee the impunity of the ruling party hierarchy.
The movement stated:
“It’s not just a court case anymore. It is a struggle for democracy. This is a file that leaves out the elite of the purple quagmire, responsible for approving the vast majority of Odebrecht contracts from 2004 to 2014, including the term of President Danilo Medina, when Ángel Rondón received from the construction company 62% of the funds for the bribes”, warns the group. “They are betting that we will tire of protesting, but we will resist. We will never get tired of liberating our country from the regime of corruption and impunity that the PLD has consolidated in the State. It is already a matter of dignity and freedom, of defending our present and our future. We cannot tire. Juan Pablo Duarte never got tired,” says Marcha Verde.
Read more in Spanish:
Acento
Listin Diario
11 June 2018
