The Presidency has accepted the request for a leave of absence made by Minister of the Presidency Lisandro José Macarrulla Tavárez. Macarrulla Tavarez and his son Victor Lisandro Macarrulla Martínez are named in the Medusa accusatory file presented against former Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez for criminal profiteering when in office. The leave for the Minister of the Presidency was granted for an “indefinite” period of time. Macarrulla’s successor has yet to be named.
As Minister of the Presidency, Macarrulla handled millions in key projects. Among these are the government housing program (Viviendas Familia Feliz), National Cybersecurity Strategy, tourism development in Pedernales and the Port of Manzanillo development in Montecristi, and the bus routes with public private alliances signed with transport syndicated associations known to impose their rights on public avenues through vandalism.
Both the nation’s business community, as well as many members of the National Congress, have expressed their opinion that Macarrulla, Sr, did the right thing by requesting this leave of absence.
Behind the political maneuvering is the government’s prosecution of former Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez in a process called the Medusa file. “Medusa” is the Spanish name for a Portuguese man-of-war, which has dozens of tentacles reaching far and wide for food and one of the three Gorgons of Greek mythology.
Since the case aired in the press, Macarrulla has denied any involvement with the decisions of the family company Mac Construcciones to participate in the construction at the La Nueva Victoria Jail. La Nueva Victoria Jail is the largest component of the so-named Penitentiary Humanization Plan carried out by the Attorney General Office under Jean Alain Rodríguez, during the Danilo Medina Presidency. In the accusatory file, Macarrulla is mentioned for his involvement in the 20% commission required for contractors to get paid for their work in the jail project.
The file indicates that Lisandro José Macarrulla Tavárez and the former Attorney General of the Republic, Jean Alain Rodriguez had agreed on 20% of the total amount for lot 5 of the La Nueva Victoria Jail.
The section where Macarrulla is mentioned establishes that Lisandro Macarrulla Tavarez was to receive 20% of the work carried out at the jail, as per the agreement reached between the former attorney general and the businessman. The Public Prosecutor’s Office further states that the proposal made by the former attorney general was accepted by Macarrulla, after which Jean Alain Rodriguez assigns Rafael Canó Sacco and Jonathan Joel Rodríguez Imbert to prepare everything related to the award in the bidding process.
The section of the accusatory file that lists those accused of bribery includes the minister’s son, Victor Lisandro Macarrulla Martinez, in his capacity as manager of Mac Construcciones SRL. The contract No. 0014/2019 between the Attorney General Office was signed on 18 February 2019.
The news that the minister was also connected to Domicem, a firm that also had the former Attorney General on its payroll, even as he was the attorney general, circulated during the weekend. Likewise, the list of ties, relationships and family members involved in the Medusa mess is quite long, and includes the food provided to the nation’s inmates via some ten companies, all with ties to the former Attorney General.
Read more in Spanish:
Hoy
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
Diario Libre
11 July 2022