NewsWhore
10-02-2006, 05:30 PM
Santo Domingo Este (Eastern Santo Domingo) municipal council has approved an application for a RD$36 million loan from the government bank Banco de Reservas in order to pay council members their Christmas bonuses and to help them purchase vehicles. As reported in the Saturday edition of Hoy, the debts carried by the Eastern Santo Domingo municipal council appear to have reached unprecedented levels. The mayor, Juan de los Santos, said that he inherited a debt of RD$250 million when he took office, and that this was the only way to get his administration back on a good footing. A note from municipal council president Cesar Fortuna confirmed that the council had requested RD$500,000 in personal loans for each of the 32 council members in order for them to purchase their own vehicles. Nearly three weeks ago, Finance Minister Vicente Bengoa warned the municipal councils that they were responsible for creating the savings necessary to pay their employees' Christmas bonuses. According to de los Santos, this measure only affects new mayors and council members who were sworn in on 16 August.
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More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)