Somos Pueblo, a leading muckraking news organization, reports on what would be a conflict of interest in the contracting of mass transport systems for Santiago and Santo Domingo. Ricardo Ripoll of Somos Pueblo defined as a major conflict of interest the contracting by the state involving engineer Jhael Isa Tavarez. He says Isa Tavarez is “judge and party” in the Santiago Monorrail contracting. The Santiago Cable Car and Monorail contract is for more than EUR500 million.
Somos Pueblo reports that Jhael Isa has appeared as a consultant in a private initiative proposal on the Santo Domingo Monorail Project presented to the General Public-Private Partnerships Agency (DGAPP) by the consortium — SOFRATESA – INCOFER – SERVINSCO on 24 February 2021.
Somos Pueblo indicates that after this, on 18 June 2021, President Luis Abinader signed the decree that created the Urban and Interurban Mobility Project Development Office.
Then, on 28 July 2021, Isa was sworn in by the then Minister of the Presidency Lisandro Macarrulla as director of the office.
On 12 October 2021, the Trust for the Development of the Mass Transportation System of the Dominican Republic (FITRAM) was created, of which Jhael Isa was named director.
The Santiago Monorail Project and the Santo Domingo Urban Train were proposals from private initiatives that the government later decided to carry out through a public trust. On 24 August 2023, the contract was signed between the SIF consortium (Sistema Integrado Ferroviario – Alstom/Sofratesa) and Fiduciaria Reservas for the construction of the Santiago de los Caballeros monorail, for an approximate value of 500 million euros. Isa, who appeared as a consultant for a private consortium in which the company SOFRATESA was one of the proponents of the Santiago Monorail project, today directs the Trust that is carrying out the Santiago Monorail project, in which the company SOFRATESA is one of the benefitted contractors.
El Piro and Ripoll indicate that this situation requires an investigation by the Public Ministry and that the General Government Ethics Agency, under the direction of Milagros Ortiz Bosch, also examine Isa’s actions and the contract award process.
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Somos Pueblo
Somos Pueblo
23 April 2024