President Leonel Fernandez has appealed to international agencies to help curtail corruption in his government. A recent Gallup poll showed that Dominicans perceive corruption as on the increase.
As reported by the Presidency, on Thursday President Fernandez met with Valerie Julliand and Mauricio Ramirez of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Roby Senderowitsch of the World Bank, Manuel Labrado of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Spanish Ambassador Diego Bermejo representing the Spanish Cooperation Agency and representatives of the European Union and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to discuss their support for increasing levels of administrative transparency in government.
The Presidency wants to make the roles that can guarantee rational and honest use of government resources more efficient, said Marino Vinicio Castillo, president of the National Council of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Initiatives. Castillo is also chief advisor to the government on drug trafficking.
Castillo said that the agencies would work together with the government on drafting a diagnostic study of the situation starting in April and completing the task in 4 to 5 months. He said the goal is to continue working to implement a legal framework by sectors within government.
At the meeting with the President, also representing the Dominican government together with Castillo were Presidency Minister Cesar Pina Toribio, Economy, Planning and Development Minister Temistocles Montas and Presidential Legal Advisor Abel Rodriguez del Orbe.
Julliand said the effort seeks to identify the levels of corruption and where and why it is present through a diagnostic study that will be carried out with the participation of international financial and cooperation agencies and Dominican government bodies.
As reported in Diario Libre, Castillo said that if irregularities are proven, those responsible would be sent to the National Department for the Prosecution of Corruption. This department has been incapable of combating corruption to date. It has been described as little more than a "filing cabinet" for government corruption cases. Castillo, nevertheless, said that as a result of the joint effort with the international agencies, an observatory would be created to follow up with claims and cases of corruption in government.

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