2017 – Page 168

Three of five Supreme Court judges charged with hearing the accusations for corruption in the Odebrecht bribes scandal have a record of releasing those accused in similar scandalous cases, reports Diario Libre. The opinions most frequently used by judges to dismiss these corruption cases are that there are insufficient grounds or evidence for continuing judicial …

Read more…

Deputy Fidelio Despradel (Al País) called for the executive vice president of the Public Electricity Corporation (CDEEE), Rubén Jiménez Bichara, to reply to the statement by state prosecutors in the Odebrecht bribery scandal that bribes were paid for the contracting of the coal-fired Punta Catalina thermoelectric power central. Punta Catalina is the most important public …

Read more…

The wife of accused commercial representative of Odebrecht, Ángel Rondón and their sons were at La Victoria Jail on Thursday, 8 June 2017, a day after Rondón was ordered to preventive detention for a year, to check out the conditions of the space where Rondón will be detained. The media reports that he will have …

Read more…

Hoy newspaper reports that brigades of the Santiago municipality have been removing obstacles to the free pass of pedestrians on city sidewalks. The sidewalks had been taken over by small businesses. The report highlights how the new mayor, Abel Martínez, has been successful at removing around 3,000 street vendors that occupied the sidewalks in commercial …

Read more…

President Danilo Medina appointed journalist-turned diplomat Hector Virgilio Alcántara as the country’s new ambassador to Portugal. Alcántara has been the Dominican ambassador in Canada. Alcántara has also served as Dominican ambassador in South Korea (1998-1999), ambassador and general consul in Japan (1993-1994), as well as representative to the United Nations (1990-1993), among other positions. He …

Read more…

The president of the Association of Shipping Companies of the Dominican Republic (ANRD), Teddy Heinsen, said on 8 June 2017, that the main challenges the country needs to overcome to become a logistics hub are the streamlining of approval of company operating licenses and the market opening of the cargo transport system, still controlled by …

Read more…

The Central Bank reports that inflation in the Dominican Republic in May was negative with a decrease in the general price level of goods and services during the month. The Consumer Price Index for May was -0.14%, as reported by the Central Bank. Accumulated inflation for January-May 2017 was 0.96%, and inter annual inflation, measured …

Read more…

The Dominican Republic outperformed other Caribbean countries in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2016. The country reported US$2.4 billion in FDI in 2016 compared to US$2.2 billion in 2015. This is approximately a 10% increase at a time when overall FDI for the region declined. The numbers are presented in the UNCTAD World Investment Report …

Read more…

The Presidency launched on 8 June 2017 the north division of the 911 Emergency Service. President Danilo Medina was in Santiago on 8 June to inaugurate the new headquarters for the operation. The service covers police, transit, medical and fire emergencies. An estimated one million people resident in Santiago, Navarrete, Puerto Plata, Montellano, Sosúa, Luperón …

Read more…

The Puerto Plata DR Open is taking place in Puerto Plata this weekend, making Puerto Plata the capital of Latin American golf. The event is played at the Playa Dorada Golf Course. Some 144 players from 20 countries are competing for US$175,000 in prize money. The winner gets US$31,500. The event is organized by the …

Read more…