The non-partisan civic movement Green March formally has asked the Central Electoral Board (JCE) to reject the candidacies of people they link to cases of administrative corruption. Green March submitted a document listing politicians it relates to illegal activities.
The main figures on the list are presidential hopefuls Gonzalo Castillo of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) and former President Leonel Fernández of the People’s Force (FP).
The “Archivo Abierto”, as this compilation is known, links several other candidates for public office, at all three election levels (presidential, congressional and municipal) to fraudulent events. “It is not possible that they promote their political projects seeking again to guarantee their impunity through the ballot,” said Green March representatives when delivering the list.
At the congressional level, the list includes PLD senatorial candidates José del Castillo Saviñón, for Barahona; Tommy Alberto Galán Gullón, for San Cristóbal; Félix Bautista, for San Juan de la Maguana; Luis René Canaán, for Hermanas Mirabal, and Julio César Valentín Jiminián, for Santiago.
At the municipal level, there is the current mayor of Los Alcarrizos and candidate for reelection by the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), Daniel Rafael Santos (Jr.).
Marcha Verde demands that all of them be investigated within the framework of the Constitution (Article 146) to determine whether or not citizens with this background should maintain their candidacies.
The organization reported that it has submitted these cases to the Attorney General’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for investigation, citing as an example the complaints filed with the National District Prosecutor’s Office regarding alleged corruption in fuel business deals involving former Minister of Industry and Commerce José del Castillo Saviñón.
Also the alleged irregularity in contracts to supply asphalt to the former Minister of Public Works and presidential candidate Gonzalo Castillo, as well as the audit of the Chamber of Accounts sent to the Specialized Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA) that reflects an anomalous management that allegedly embezzles millions of pesos from the Mayor’s Office of Los Alcarrizos.
Political activist, former deputy Guadalupe Valdez stressed that there is still time for presidential candidates accused of corruption to not to be accepted for the congressional and presidential election set for 17 May 2020. This action will not only contribute to the strengthening of democracy and transparency, but also “that the citizenry is empowered and does not vote for corrupt candidates regardless of which party they belong to,” she said.
Read more in Spanish:
Acento
4 February 2020