A spokesman for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Yvan Lorenzo, complained that the government has included in previous year’s budgets the same works it is now announcing will be built with funds from the renegotiated Aerodom/Vinci Airports concession contract.
The President says that with the US$775 million advance payment to be received over a six-month period they are going to pave Boca Chica. But Lorenzo of the PLD says these works were budgeted in 2021. “Are they going to do the same works twice?” he asks. Lorenzo also mentioned the government recently borrowed US$240 million for roadworks.
He said President Abinader says that a floating bridge over the Ozama River will be built using US$50 million of the funds. He said funds for that project were allocated in the 2021 budget.
Likewise, he said the government had previously budgeted the funds for the underpass of Av. 27 de Febrero and Isabel Aguiar. President Abinader now says the funds from the US$775 million advance payments would be used for this public work. “For that project RD$500 million was budgeted… what was done with that money?,” he asked.
The PRM-majority Senate is expected to vote in favor of extending the Aerodom contract for another 30 years during the Wednesday, 20 December 2023 session.
Expert on negotiations, Nelson Espinal Baez writes in Diario Libre that state negotiators included several clauses that are pluses for the country.
Read more in Spanish:
N Digital
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
20 December 2023