After President Luis Abinader appointed Jaime Marte Martínez the president of the National Drug Council, the press was prompt to recall the missing vehicles scandal when the latter served as Police chief.
Marte Martínez was police chief during the last two years of former President Hipólito Mejía’s administration, from 2 January 2002 to 16 August 2004.
Marte Martínez was subsequently accused of having in his possession 15 vehicles that had been recovered by the Police but not returned to the original owners.
When questioned by the press, Marte Martínez said that the justice system had cleared him of the claims. Marte Martínez had kept a low profile until his appointment to the position in the Abinader cabinet. Journalist Altagracia Salazar speculated that the appointment was part of the political deals reached between Abinader and Mejía, past contenders for the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) presidential nomination.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
6 January 2021