2003 – Page 82

The judge in the Baninter fraud case, Eduardo Sanchez Ortiz, has adjourned the hearing on the bail petition for the three main suspects, former Baninter president Ramon Baez Figueroa, and vice-presidents Marcos Baez Cocco and Vivian Lubrano de Castillo. The hearing will resume on Tuesday 9 December. Lawyers for the accused are growing increasingly impatient …

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Membership to the ruling PRD party does not guarantee immunity to official surveillance, if Enmanuel Esquea Guerrero, Milagros Ortiz Bosch, Ramon Alburquerque and Henry Mejia’s experiences are anything to go by. They are complaining that their phones have been tapped, according to Diario Libre, whose editors have also reportedly been victims of this type of …

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The national emergencies committee (CNE) is warning that tropical storm Odette could provoke heavy rainfall, strong winds and turbulent seas in the vicinity of the Dominican Republic over the next 24 to 36 hours. The emergency services are on red alert, according to CNE president Radhames Lora Salcedo. Most vulnerable are the already waterlogged areas …

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Yesterday, in the eastern city of La Romana, President Hipolito Mejia reaffirmed his goal to lower the exchange rate to RD$30 to US$1. According to the Listin Diario, the President, while on the campaign trail, told reporters that he had shown patience in dealing with the elevated exchange rate, but has decided to stop “playing” …

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The Supreme Court announced yesterday that the appeal to annul the decision of the Litigation Court of the Central Electoral Board (JCE) had expired and that the challenge on Eduardo Estrella’s nomination as the official PRSC candidate was dismissed. The 16-judge panel decided that as Peynado had not summoned Estrella within the required 30-day period, …

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Finance Minister Rafael Calderon announced yesterday that the government would pay RD$150 million to the importers of LPG (propane gas) as a partial payment on the RD$300-million debt. At the same time, Industry & Commerce Minister Sonia Guzman de Hernandez reaffirmed that within 12 days the propane supply problems would be solved by the arrival …

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Edenorte and Edesur have announced a series of planned power outages that will affect most of the northern and southern areas of the Dominican Republic. According to the message in today’s Listin Diario, the blackouts will begin on 6 December and last until 12 December. La Vega is scheduled to initiate the process, which entails …

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The National Association of Gasoline Retailers (ANADEGAS) is requesting the government honor promises made to them in the accords designed to assist the profit margins for most gas station owners. The retailers point out that the government has only fulfilled its commitment to increase their earnings by 22%, while ignoring the other points. The association …

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El Caribe reports that the National Institute of Forensic Pathology has classified 968 deaths for the year as ‘homicides’, an average of three per day. According to Tania Molina, the El Caribe reporter, during the period from January to October the coroner’s office performed 1,960 autopsies, of which 968 were homicides. Gunshots were the cause …

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The Demographic and Health Survey 2002 revealed that a woman dies every 24 hours as a result of complications in her pregnancy. The survey is the result of an 18-month study carried out by the Center for Demographic and Social Studies (Cesdem) and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry …

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