Juan Hubieres, the infamous leader of the Federación Nacional de Transportistas La Nueva Opción (Fenatrano) syndicated transport association, presented a formal complaint to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Anti-Administrative Corruption Prosecutors (Pepca) addressing irregularities in the new bus corridors implemented by the Ministry of the Presidency and the National Transit and Transport Institute (Intrant).
Fenatrano is one of the large syndicated bus associations yet to sign on to the Abinader administration’s public-private bus scheme. He was offered the 27 de Febrero route that he already serves with his small blue buses. But, apparently, he did not accept the terms and is seeking the public ear as he continues to negotiate with the government. In the past, Fenatrano, like other syndicated transport associations, has been accused of using vandalism to impose the right to public routes.
As reported, Hubieres was at the Attorney General Office (PGR) on Monday, 11 April 2022 to file a complaint against the alleged mafia in the purchase of buses for the new corridors. Hubieres was to be received by the deputy attorney general of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca), Wilson Camacho.
Hubieres, a few weeks ago defined as a swindle, a robbery and a mafia, the new routes allocated to his fellow syndicated transport associations in Santo Domingo. He warned that the intention is to dismantle the government-owned Metropolitan Bus Office (OMSA) and hand over the service to the private sector. The syndicated transport associations have now formalized into private companies.
The driver leader denounced that the “mafia” in the business is of such magnitude that upwards of US$20,000 to US$40,000 is being paid in addition to market prices for the overpriced buses. He said the buses were purchased from offshore companies in Panama. He said the overpricing scheme has reaped US$6 to US$8 million for the importers. Moreso, he said some of the buses are being built by dismantling OMSA buses to assemble the new imported units.
He estimates that at the present pace of going forward with the public-private partnerships, even the Presidential Palace will be privatized by means of the public-private trust mechanism.
In recent days, Juan Hubieres, said: “In this administration I was invited to become a millionaire together with Antonio Marte by stealing from the state.” He asked to be let to continue working as he has so far. He says if the problem is the need to change, he would do so as he has done in the past, financing these through cooperatives and banks.
Hubieres accuses his colleagues Antonio Marte of Conatra and Alfredo Pulinario of Mochotran of heading the alleged transport mafia.
Hubieres asked for the Pepca to require the Banco de Reservas, the Ministry of Hacienda and other competent institutions issue a certificate of the check written for RD$50 million that allegedly was paid to the operator of the Núñez de Cáceres bus corridor.
Hugo Beras, executive director of the Transport Cabinet of the Abinader administration says the plan is to have eight bus corridors in operation this year. So far, three have been implemented – Núñez de Cáceres (Conatra), Av. Winston Churchill (Mochotran) and Av. Charles de Gaulle (Mochotran).
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12 April 2022