Osiris Guzm\u00e1n presided over Fedofutbol from 1998 until 2018, when he was expelled by the international football Federation (FIFA) for 10 years. Guzm\u00e1n has defended his management at the helm of Fedofutbol.
Now, after an audit has been completed, FIFA and the Dominican Football Federation (Fedof\u00fatbol) have filed a lawsuit against Guzm\u00e1n. He is accused of fraud and abuse of trust. The audit looked into the use of funds allocated for the development of football in the country and the construction of the San Crist\u00f3bal football venue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There is sufficient evidence to conclude that during the period from 2014 to 2018 Osiris Guzm\u00e1n Delgado handled the institution’s accounts in a discretionary manner and nontransparent manner, diverting the institution’s funds for his own benefit and that of third parties,” says the complaint submitted to the National District Attorney’s Office by the law firm Headrick Rizik \u00c1lvarez & Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawyers allege that Guzm\u00e1n violated articles 405 and 408 of the Criminal Code, and accuse him of fraud and abuse of trust. These crimes are punishable by between six months and two years. The investigation of the local branch of Ernest & Young lasted from January to June of this year and covered the Fedofutbol presidency from 2014-2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among other evidence for the complaint, the lawsuit states that Guzm\u00e1n allocated RD$1,165,200″. to himself from March to June 2017. The detail of the checks established it was for “incentive for the president of the Federation”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audit also revealed that in October 2018, a check was issued for “accommodation of the men’s team for the Nations Cup” for RD$881,433.60 in the name of Costasur Dominicana. But an invoice from Costasur Dominicana was not found to support the amount of the check written to the Fedofutbol account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July 2015, Fedof\u00fatbol issued a check for RD$592,707.92 for “U-17 qualifying accommodation” in the name of Juan de Le\u00f3n Medrano, a former footballer from San Crist\u00f3bal. It was not possible to identify the event to which the disbursement referred, nor was it possible to check the details of the athletes, assistants, technical staff whose lodging would have been covered by the payment, according to the report. De Le\u00f3n Medrano also received three checks totaling RD$423,000. The checks were in payment of loans, without further details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The auditors revealed there are no documents to back a transfer of RD$576,545 paid by Guzm\u00e1n to the company Carvajal Servicios El\u00e9ctricos for the “construction of a bench with seat and polycarbonate protection in the Pan American Stadium (in San Crist\u00f3bal).” Likewise, the auditors did not locate sufficient appropriate evidence documenting the transaction for the construction of a fence at the same football stadium for RD$851,158 in 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The auditors say there was an overvaluation of up to 47% in the purchase of air conditioning equipment for the Fedofutbol office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complaint attributes an “important participation” to the internal auditor Georgina Rodr\u00edguez, who authorized checks using funds from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Mr. Osiris Guzm\u00e1n Delgado increased the salary and remuneration of the collaborators to appropriate the surplus,” is stated in the complaint, based on interviews with employees who received less money than that which appeared in the payroll. This is the case of Anyela F\u00e9lix D\u00edaz, who was on the payroll with a salary of RD$50,000 when she received RD$22,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n