The Dominican state sold the land where the vehicle holding center known as the Canódromo el Coco (former dog track), in Santo Domingo, for RD$298 million to CBS Developments. The company was incorporated in 2000 by today Minister of Housing, Habitat and Buildings, Carlos Alberto Bonilla Sánchez. Bonilla continues active with the company, Diario Libre reports.
The Central Bank sold the property to CBS Development. When reporter Tania Molina called CBS Developments, she was told Bonilla was in a meeting. CBS is a company dedicated to develop and build housing (mainly apartment complexes), and commercial centers.
The former Canodromo dog track property has an extension of 154,218 square meters and has been serving as a deposit for vehicles retained by the Transit and Transport Agency (Digesett).
Diario Libre reports that Carlos Bonilla was appointed minister of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (Mived) on 11 August 2021, two months and three days before the formalization of the sale of the land, through Presidential Decree 497-21.
Previously, on 16 August 2020, President Luis Abinader had appointed him director general of the National Housing Institute (INVI) and in charge of the Office of Supervisory Engineers of State Works (Oisoe). The Oisoe position was without pay. Both entities were merged into the new Ministry of Housing (Mived).
Diario Libre reports that at the beginning of October 2022, the director of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant), Hugo Beras had announced the definitive closure of the vehicle retention center at the Canódromo el Coco, located on Monumental Avenue in the National District. The well-known vehicle depot would be replaced by a holding center to be built by the government on a lot located on the Circunvalación de Santo Domingo Avenue, in the municipality of Santo Domingo Oeste.
Beras said the change was for the government to operate a modern and much bigger vehicle retention center. Diario Libre reports that when Beras was questioned about what would happen to the land of the dog track, he said he did not know. Nor could he say to whom the property belonged.
Upon being appointed at INVI, Bonilla Sánchez presented a sworn statement of assets, according to which he is a partner, with 99 shares or quotas, in CBS Developments, a company in which he receives a salary income of RD$600,000.00.
Bonilla declared he left the company in September 2020, after being appointed to the Abinader administration.
Diario Libre’s Tania Molina reports that when calling CBS Developments, on Friday morning, 2 December, and asking to speak with Bonilla Sanchez, a staff member said that at that moment he was in a partners’ meeting. At the request of the reporter, the person on the other end of the line clarified that Bonilla Sánchez is a partner and that he does not currently hold any position in that company.
Reporter Tania Molina said she also called Mived, but the Customer Service Department told her to inquire at CBS for any information on the dog track deal. The company promised to respond, but has not yet done so.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
CBS Developments
8 December 2022