Attorney General Miriam Germán Brito announced on Monday, 7 September that she has appointed former National District prosecutor Yeni Berenice Reynoso Gómez the general director for the prosecution of administrative crimes. The Superior Council of the Public Ministry named Wilson Camacho the Specialized Prosecutor for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca). He will replace Laura Guerrero Pelletier. Likewise, the Attorney General Office (PGR) said that the government anti-corruption unit is moved to the fourth floor of the PGR building. The number of prosecutors has been increased from six to 25. 15 new prosecutors were added to the staff of Pepca. New experts in accounting, technology and finance are being hired to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of organized crime, especially corruption and asset laundering.
The actions come at a time when the political committee of the former ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) has criticized recent statements by new government officers on alleged irregularities in government. Temístocles Montás, acting president of the PLD, called the comments irresponsible. Montás said the government officers needed to stop the accusations and only present evidence of what they are stating in court. Montás said the press conferences with announcements of anomalies in government are affecting the reputation of the former government officers. He challenged the government to win the cases in court. The media has also focused on many cases of missing documentation of thousands of government transactions.
The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) called for a stop to the “discredit campaign” and challenged the current authorities to bring to justice the alleged cases of corruption recently reported.
During the first three weeks of the Abinader administration, ministers and director generals have gone public with first insights into government wasteful spending, to say the least. Diario Libre looks into the generalized practice of ministers creating new departments and “jobs,” while keeping those appointed during their predecessor’s term at their departments. Layers and layers of staff were added with few if any responsibilities assigned to the positions. Many of these employees have benefited from large severance payments or juicy retirement plans. Among the recent complaints on wasteful spending is that by Nelson Arroyo, the new director of Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Indotel), who said more 100 persons were removed because they had no role at the agency. This represents a first saying of 27% in payroll expenses at the telecom agency. The payroll was reduced to RD$47 million, from RD$65 million a month. Arroyo said the savings will go to new projects.
Other cases are those at the Ministry of Foreign Relations where around 300 persons have been removed for collecting paychecks without working. The government has said 47 consuls were appointed to the New York Consulate, most not recognized by the US government.
Dario Castillo Lugo, the new minister of Public Administration, has said 6.396 government workers had two jobs in government at the same time.
As reported in El Nuevo Diario, former Vice President Milagros Ortiz Bosch, now in charge of the Ethics division at the Presidency, said that the past administration did little to act against administrative corruption. She says this is one of the reasons the PLD was voted out of government. Ortiz Bosch warns that her department will do differently. She is focused on ensuring the PRM government officers stick to the laws and rules of good government.
On Monday, Education Minister Roberto Fulcar tweeted that the PRM is in government not to prosecute, damage nor cover-up, but “to serve the nation with efficiency, justice and ethics.” He has said he will prepare a report before taking the irregularities found at the Minsitry of Education into the open. Nevertheless, he has criticized that the past authorities did little to prepare the new school year. The school year in the DR has been postponed to start 2 November but only with distance learning programs.
Yet the Minister of the Interior and Police, Jesús Vásquez Martínez (Chu), says that the present government officials must tell the country what they are finding in government and that people have the right to know. He said that on the contrary, it is the Political Committee of the PLD that is acting irresponsibly by calling for silence on behalf of the new authorities.
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N Digital
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
El Nuevo Diario
8 September 2020