The Green March Movement says that during the mandates of Presidents Hipólito Mejía, Leonel Fernández and Danilo Medina, the government and the National Congress violated or allowed the violation of the Constitution and laws when allowing for multimillionaire contracts to be issued. A technical study carried out by the Green March Movement on transactions carried out from 2001 to 2016 shows the systematic violation fiscal and financial management laws with the apparent complacency of the National Congress.
The study reviewed 22 loan contracts for works contracted by or in execution by Odebrecht construction firm for US$1,899 million, or 7% of the total debt of the non-financial public sector as of 31 December 2016, equal to 2.7% of GDP. These figures do not include financing used in select years without the legislative approval, nor those contracts approved for the Punta Catalina thermoelectric central.
The Green March Movement says that if the financing approved for Punta Catalina is included, the loans for Odebrecht works the costs balloon to US$3,132 million, equal to 4.4% of GDP and 11.7% of the non-financial public debt as of 31 December 2016.
The study concludes that “observing the behavior, in form and substance of the government when executing the works contracted with Norberto Odebrecht corporation and its Dominican associates, clearly demonstrates the quagmire of politics and widespread corruption exercised by those who seek solely to enrich themselves, directing government resources to in favor a few.”
The Green March Movement investigation highlights that several of the leading government officials responsible for signing and managing the Odebrecht contracts and loans have not been investigated nor submitted to Justice. They understand that the Public Ministry has pending the clarification or resolution of the omissions in the cases of Vicente Bengoa, Cristina Lizardo, Simón Lizardo, Rubén Jiménez Bichara and Lucia Medina.
Green March lists the individuals who may be implicated in the case, including those yet to be publically investigated:
2000-2004 engineer Roberto Rodríguez, INAPA executive director, in charge of implementing the start of the Línea Noroeste aqueduct; Ing. César Sánchez, CDEEE vice president, initiated the contract of Pinalito dam project, but not the execution; Máximo D’Oleo, director of EgeHID; Lic. Rafael Porfirio Calderón Martínez, Technical Secretary of the Presidency, represented the government in the signing of the loan.
2004-2012 engineer Víctor Díaz Rúa, at INAPA and MOPC; Ing. Radhamés Segura, CDEEE vice president, responsible for Pinalito and Palomino dams; Dr. Juan Temístocles Montás, as Technical Secretary of the Presidency; Lic. Vicente Bengoa Albizu, as Secretary of Hacienda; Lic. Daniel Toribio, as Secretary of Hacienda; responsible for the signing of several loan contracts with a special power of attorney from President Leonel Fernández.
2012-2016 Gonzálo Castillo, Minister of Public Works, responsible for several road works; Ing. Rubén Jiménez Bichara, CDEEE vice president, Punta Catalina; Lic. Simón Lizardo Mézquita, signatory of several contracts, when Minister of Hacienda.
The Green March Movement highlights the approval of a loan for US$80,200,000 with the intervention of President Danilo Medina and Minister of Hacienda Simón Lizardo Mézquita, when signing with the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica (BCIE), the Contrato de Préstamo Directo – Cofinanciado No. 2111; and with Cristina Lizardo Mézquita, vice president of the Senate acting as president, and Lucía Medina Sánchez, vice president of the Chamber of Deputies acting in the role of president.
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
El Nuevo Diario
30 June 2017
