NewsWhore
09-07-2010, 04:20 PM
The director of the Department for Persecution of Administrative Corruption (DPCA), Hotoniel Bonilla has told Hoy he has not considered resigning from his post nor is he frustrated by the large number of cases that his department has handled that have not been tried. Bonilla has denounced the fact that his department has prepared cases with proof of RD$104 billion worth of corruption over the past 10 years. The past 10 years include four years of the PRD government under President Hipolito Mejia, and six years of the governments under President Leonel Fernandez.
He said he has come forth with these numbers to call attention to the need to continue pushing for changes. Bonilla has said that the arm of justice only reaches the little guys. He mentioned the cases where government officials have been sentenced: Yorman Vasquez, sent to jail for three years for fraud at Customs; a former treasurer of Migration, sentenced to three years for misappropriation of RD$1.3 million, and the case at Inaguja for misappropriation of RD$1.8 million.
"But the big guys, no," he says. He says that the big cases are filed, or declared absolved or the government withdraws the accusation. He mentioned the PEME case with RD$2.4 billion that ended in absolution and withdrawal of the accusation. Or the case of the construction of the electric highway using sovereign bonds for RD$2.02 billion. Or the RD$1.8 billion Plan Renove case, in which the main players were absolved.
He says that in 13 of 22 cases presented by the DPCA have been filed, absolved or the accusation withdrawn. He said that in the past 10 years, the courts have only issued sentences in four cases, and partially in two.
He mentioned the cases of Baninter and Mercantil banks where the accused were sentenced, but that nevertheless there was not a judicial process against the bankers by depositors because the government bailed out the banks for RD$55 billion and RD$8.5 billion, respectively.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
He said he has come forth with these numbers to call attention to the need to continue pushing for changes. Bonilla has said that the arm of justice only reaches the little guys. He mentioned the cases where government officials have been sentenced: Yorman Vasquez, sent to jail for three years for fraud at Customs; a former treasurer of Migration, sentenced to three years for misappropriation of RD$1.3 million, and the case at Inaguja for misappropriation of RD$1.8 million.
"But the big guys, no," he says. He says that the big cases are filed, or declared absolved or the government withdraws the accusation. He mentioned the PEME case with RD$2.4 billion that ended in absolution and withdrawal of the accusation. Or the case of the construction of the electric highway using sovereign bonds for RD$2.02 billion. Or the RD$1.8 billion Plan Renove case, in which the main players were absolved.
He says that in 13 of 22 cases presented by the DPCA have been filed, absolved or the accusation withdrawn. He said that in the past 10 years, the courts have only issued sentences in four cases, and partially in two.
He mentioned the cases of Baninter and Mercantil banks where the accused were sentenced, but that nevertheless there was not a judicial process against the bankers by depositors because the government bailed out the banks for RD$55 billion and RD$8.5 billion, respectively.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)