What was initially perceived as another government corruption case has escalated with the Attorney General Office investigations revealing complex situations that compromised national security. The first charged in the now named Operation Chameleon are Hugo Beras, the former director of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant); Frank Díaz Warden, the coordinator of the office and Beras’s representative on the Intrant Procurement Committee; Samuel Gregorio Baquero Sepúlveda, former director of technology at Intrant; José Ángel Gómez Canaán (commonly known as Jochi), owner of Aurix SAS.; Pedro Vinicio Padovani Báez, former head of the Traffic Control Center at Intrant; Juan Francisco Álvarez Carbuccia, the administrative and financial director of Intrant; and Carlos José Peguero Vargas.
The authorities are seeking on Tuesday, 8 October 2024 a court order for preventive custody for these in the case now dubbed as one of organized crime.
In November 2023, the director of the National Traffic Institute (Intrant) Hugo Beras left the position after Procurement Agency director Carlos Pimentel had blatantly spoken about the major irregularities in the RD$1.3 billion stoplight traffic contract Beras had signed with Transcore Latam of infamous government contractor Jose (Jochi) Gomez. The contract implementation was said to be on hold. Most people put the issue aside to await the results of the investigation. Then gradually people began to notice the placement of equipment of the Transcore Latam company on city streets. Many wondered if that was not the same company whose traffic lights contract had been cancelled.
For at least two years, the incidents surrounding the relationship between the Transcore Latam company and the National Traffic Institute (Intrant) which oversees all things traffic-related, especially stoplights and the Intrant Law 63-17 (Traffic and Transit Law) have been newsworthy. Yet the Attorney General Office investigation has taken long. Only recently are the complexities of the case being known.
A major, three-day, blackout of 55 of the traffic lights in the National District, apparently was the tipping point for the government officials to act. The shutdown of the traffic light system on 30 August 2024 impacted traffic and is described by many, as terrorism. The incident now seems to have upped the case to a new category regarding the charges particularly against the former director of Intrant, Hugo Beras and the contractor, Jochi Gomez. Gomez’s lawyer, Carlos Balcacer had said previously that the contract operator had the power to flick off the switch. The shutdown would happen at the end of August 2024.
Late last week, the two major figures in the case, former Intrant director Hugo Beras and security businessman Jose (Jochi) Gomez, were arrested and arraigned. Their offices and apartments were searched and evidence was collected. Operation Chameleon saw the arrest of a total of seven persons on charges of creating a “network of corruption, organized crime, swindling the state, falsifying documents, suspicious company stockholders and several other charges.
The principal figures, Jose (Jochi) Gomez and Hugo Beras, are well-known personalities, and have been cited quite often in the newspapers. Gomez was arrested some 12 years ago and accused of identity theft, extortion and hacking the electronic mail of Margarita Cedeño, the First Lady at that time. His technological expertise was also cited by former president of the Chamber of Deputies Ruben Maldonado as being behind former President Leonel Fernandez losing in the 2019 party presidential primaries.
Beras had made a name for himself as a journalist and radio host regarding all things related to automobiles. As a politician, he rose to prominence after abandoning one party (PRD) for which he sought to win the capital city mayor seat and joining the ruling PRM party of President Abinader. Beras chose to support Carolina Mejia in her run for the mayor’s job of the National District and served on her staff as secretary general. He would be then named to the Presidential Transportation Cabinet, and from there was named to head the Intrant. He signed the infamous contract for the supply of the traffic lights. He inherited the deal that was originally negotiated by his predecessor Rafael Arias.
Beras defends himself saying that the Transcore Latam contract had been cleared by the Procurement Agency and the Controller General Office.
A new development is the mention of the tying of the Transcore Latam contract to another contracting for which Jochi Gomez is named, that of the Aurix security contract with the Ministry of Defense. For this, former Minister of Defense Ruben Paulino Sem is now investigated by the Attorney General Office.
Listin Diario is sharing details of the extensive illegal surveillance intelligence operations tied to businessman Jochi Gomez, citing the charges in the investigation by the Attorney General.
There will be more and more details of this case in the newspapers and on television in the coming days.
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Interview Carlos Pimentel Dec 2023
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7 October 2024