Newly appointed Minister of Housing Carlos Bonilla argues he is a real estate developer when defending that his company CBS Developments has purchased the 154,000 square meter lot where Digesett operates the vehicle retention center. The center, better known as “El Canódromo” (because a dog racing track was previously there) was sold to the minister’s real estate deelopment company. Bonilla explains he developed a housing project in a lot of similar size next door to the Canódromo and thus his interest in the property for a second phase.
Diario Libre had broke the story on the minister’s purchase of the lot. Earlier, the director of the Intrant, Hugo Beras had announced a new vehicle retention center would be built at a different location but that he was unaware of the future use of the Canódromo lot.
The new minister had argued through a representative that he was just a partner in the firm and thus was not available to speak to Diario Libre reporter. Now he chose to explain his involvement to a radio talk show, El Sol de la Mañana.
“It is normal that when a real estate developer realizes that the lot next door is being sold, he obviously wants to buy it, because if he is doing well in the sales next door, he will do the same thing he is doing there,” said Bonilla, who is the Minister of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVED).
Bonilla explained that back in 2017 he had started the negotiations with the Central Bank that was holding the property. The purchase would be completed in 2020. The deal would go through after Bonilla had joined the Abinader administration since its start in August 2020.
“The price of something is what people are willing to pay and the only one who was willing to pay that price was the company I was managing at the time, my company, I have to say it,” said Bonilla.
The government minister said that he makes this statement because he has nothing to hide.
“I am a private developer who started when I was 19 years old with a small house, then I built two, then four, five, and so I kept growing,” he said.
He pointed out that he is making this clarification because he is a public official, but if he were not, he would not have to do it “because the transaction was all legal,” he said. “in my opinion, I have a very high moral standard, it is totally moral and ethical what I did,” he said.
He added that he wanted to make everything clear because he had not been sleeping well for two days “and when I don’t sleep well, I analyze what is going on, and that was it, that I have to speak, I have to be transparent and say things as they are because I have nothing to hide”.
The extension of the land of the dog track is 154,218 square meters and according to the documents, the sale was made for RD$298,000,000.00.
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DR1 News
15 December 2022