Losing the fight against corruption

[NewsWhore]

The DR spends RD$944.6 million per year on corruption fighting institutions, but Diario Libre writes that the successes of these entities have been minimal at best. The result of this failure is that it generates skepticism among citizens and creates the perception that all cases are politically motivated. DL writes that between 2004 and 2007 the National Department for the Prevention of Administrative Corruption (DPCA) only received 263 corruption complaints. In 2007, 153 investigations were pending, of which 107 were remnants from the Hipolito Mejia administration. One of the biggest concerns is the Chamber of Accounts. The Chamber has an RD$423,861,897 budget but in the last 17 months the nine judges on the Chamber have only studied 10 cases and have only audited RD$294 million of the RD$235 billion that the government manages, leaving the door open for continued corruption. On top of this, these judges are themselves being investigated on charges of corruption. Other problems have been the mismanagement of corruption fighting entities, which has led to weaknesses in the system. According to lawyer Olivo Rodriguez Huertas, the DR lacks real political will to combat corruption. Francisco Cueto from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLASCO) says that one way to fight corruption is for the Supreme Court to appoint the directors of the anti-corruption institutions. The Executive Branch is currently responsible for deciding who to appoint for these positions. Some unresolved corruption cases include Plan Renove, the CDEEE's sovereign bonds, the pensions scandal and the Sun Land case.

More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#1)