The president of the Patrimonial Fund of the Capitalized State Companies (Fonper), Fernando Rosa, is defending his management of the little-known agency over the past 17 years. Nevertheless, after Nuria Piera denounced several cases of alleged irregularities in procurement tied to close family of President Danilo Medina, the press has continued to reveal more details of the widespread wasteful spending going on at the government agency.
President-elect Luis Abinader has said the division would be closed. Rosa denies corruption at Fonper and says the agency’s finances have been audited by the Chamber of Accounts and international auditing firms, KPMG, HLB and BDO. He said these audits are on the Fonper web page.
The payroll of Fonper is under the spotlight. Director Rosa makes more than half a million a month. Law 105-13 on Government Salaries establishes a maximum of RD$450,000.
Fonper’s vice president, Carmen Magalys Medina Sánchez, is the sister of President Danilo Medina. She makes RD$326,400 in salary. Her husband is the general manager of the EdeEste power utility, another government agency, where he earns RD$695,000 in salary.
Government documents reveal that another sister of President Medina, Lucia Medina, had received contributions for RD$66 million from Fonper to her Foundation for Women for the Development of San Juan de la Maguana.
El Dia reports that over the past 18 years, Fonper has managed RD$25 billion. Of these, the entity has transferred RD$11.5 billion to the National Treasury. The remainder has been distributed at discretion. The main source of revenues of Fonper are the capitalized power companies.
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N Digital
6 August 2020