NewsWhore
02-12-2007, 06:00 PM
The director of the Department for the Prevention of Corruption (Depreco) under the current Fernandez administration has told Hoy newspaper that he has offered his resignation, because he is disappointed at the recent judicial decisions on corruption cases presented by his office. He said that the most recent sentences issued by the courts, including the Plan Renove ruling, kill any hopes of the public seeing corrupt government officers behind bars. "With so many decisions issued by the justice system favoring those taken to court on corruption cases, I am placing my post at the government's disposal in case I am the problem. They have told me to continue working until now, fulfilling my duty and let others carry their own responsibilities," said Octavio Lister. He said that the ruling on the transportation fraud case known as Plan Renove sends mixed messages, and that the three Supreme Court judges in charge of penal matters were of the opinion that there was sufficient proof to sentence the accused, but the majority of the judges felt that there should be a retrial. Lister told Hoy that this case would now enter into a vicious circle because if a new court hears the case and rules against the accused, the case will move back to the Supreme Court and back and forth. He also commented on the case against Cesar Sanchez, former head of the state electricity company, CDEEE, which released this former government official from responsibility in another corruption case. "That judge's decision does not surprise me because in all the corruption cases she has heard she has only found the possibility of corruption in the Finance Ministry's pensions case and that is because the officials in question are from this administration," he pointed out.
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