President Luis Abinader removed the director of the National Institute of Student Welfare (Inabie), the purchasing arm of the Ministry of Education. The department recently was making headlines for irregularities in contracting of school lunches.
President Abinader removed Cecilio Rodriguez as director of Inabie, and five other employees.
Before being dismissed, Rodríguez had acted and dismissed five officials: Alejandro Ceballos Paulino, who was the director of the Inabie cabinet; the legal manager, Andrés Montero Ferreras; Deiby Villalona de los Santos, in charge of the Food Follow-up Management; the manager of the Administrative Department, Marino Laureano and Jesús Alcántara Alcántara, who was in charge of the Information and Communication Technology division.
The dismissals came after several media carried stories of the irregularities in the contracting by the Ministry of Education division. A most recent Diario Libre story highlighted that the Procurement and Contracting Committee of Inabie had approved this decision unanimously and justified it on the grounds that the number of disqualified bidders would put at risk the timely and efficient distribution of food to the students of the national public system.
Diario Libre reports on 18 November that the Procurement Agency (DGCP) has received more than 200 complaints of irregular contracting.
President Abinader named Victor Castro to replace Cecilio Rodriguez. Castro was serving as deputy minister of Interior & Police in charge of Firearms and Munitions at the Ministry of Interior & Police. Castro is a former president of the Association of Industries of Herrera (AEIH).
Castro Izquierdo is a graduate in chemical engineering from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). He is a past general manager of Metales Dominicanos (Metaldom), among other positions.
A media report focuses on the aggressive personality of Victor Castro during his time at the Ministry of Interior & Police.
The Ministry of Education has been in the news for several irregularities in contracting. At present it has challenged the Procurement Agency that has presented evidence of irregularities in a billionaire bid for e-devices.
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18 November 2021