So far, Angel Rondón, commercial representative in the Dominican Republic for the Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, has been the only person to be named as having taken the bribes. Rondón readily admitted that he received an amount of around US$92 million, but that the funds were actually for fees paid to him for his professional services in securing the construction contracts from the Dominican government for the Brazilian firm.
So far, President Danilo Medina has not spoken to the Dominican people about the Odebrecht scandal. Civic groups, such as the Green March Against Impunity, are demanding President Medina accept a proposal that the United Nations provide independent counsel to carry out an in-depth investigation into the corruption case that would reveal the names of Dominican officials who benefited from the graft. The UN has assisted Guatemala in their efforts to reduce corruption.
In an op-ed contribution to Diario Libre, former presidential candidate and former National District prosecutor, Guillermo Moreno, writes about what he understands is evidence of the close ties between Rondón and President Medina.
“It is general knowledge that among those with ties to the overpriced public works that lead to the bribes there are high officials in your government and you, as head of government, should explain to the people why they continue in their positions,” writes Moreno.
Moreno says that there is evidence that Medina’s former chief re-election campaign counsel, Joao Santana, was a key person in the transfer of Odebrecht money for the financing of his presidential campaign and his re-election. Santana was recently sentenced to eight years in jail in Brazil for having committed acts of serious corruption.
Moreno says the tender for the Punta Catalina thermoelectric coal-fired facility was manipulated in favor of Odebrecht, despite their proposal being overvalued. He also criticizes that the President sent to the Senate a request (dated 6 May 2015) for exemption of income tax for the company. In his article, Moreno says the overvaluation was of more than US$1 billion.
In the op-ed article, Moreno mentions the participation of President Medina in the inauguration of a new tourism project in Playa Dorada together with Angel Rondón and the present attorney general on 7 August 2013. He also observes that President Medina accompanied Angel Rondón when the ADHA honored Rondón with a medal for merit in cattle ranching on 27 October 2013. And again he says the President was there on 21 November 2014, when the agroindustrial plant Los Angeles, property of Angel Rondón, was inaugurated in San Pedro de Macorís.
He asks for an explanation of the close relationship of the President with the person who has been identified by Odebrecht as the recipient of the US$92 million for bribes.
He stresses the urgency of citizens to hear from the President his version of these suspicious events and dubious coincidences that put in doubt the legitimacy of his government.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
7 February 2017
