NewsWhore
04-03-2012, 02:00 PM
Attorney General Radhames Jimenez Pena has instructed the Department for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (DPCA) to investigate Senator Felix Bautista, the subject of large-scale corruption allegations. The Dominican government authorities ordered the DPCA to investigate the alleged evidence of irregularities in office, corruption and trafficking of influence, kickbacks to Haitian President Michel Martelly, presented by TV journalist Nuria Piera on her report "Path of Millions" that aired on TV on Saturday, 31 March and Monday, 2 April. The irregularities include the fact that Felix Bautista's company that was chosen for multi-million-dollar contract work for the Haitian government did not meet the five-year minimum time in operation requirement, having been created shortly before the highly lucrative contract was allocated.
Felix Bautista is regarded as one of President Fernandez's closest allies. Prior to winning the San Juan senate seat, he spent eight years as director of the Supervisory Office of Public Works of the Presidency (OISOE), a department that operates parallel to the Ministry of Public Works as a major builder of public works nationwide, from roads to hospitals and schools, and low-income and luxury housing.
In the Fernandez administration, in addition to being senator for San Juan de la Maguana, he is the organizational secretary of the ruling PLD party. His party has institutionally backed Felix Bautista, denying any wrongdoings.
The Fernandez government and its department for administrative corruption, despite operating under multiple names, has a practically null record of prosecution of administrative corruption in almost 12 years of government.
The PRD and the Dominican Alliance Against Corruption (Adocco) and its president Julio Cesar de la Rosa have asked for Jimenez Pena to not handle the case, on the grounds that Jimenez Pena had a conflict of interest because he was Felix Bautista's defense lawyer when the latter was accused of corruption and sent to Najayo jail in a case concerning the construction of the San Juan highway, at the end of the first Fernandez administration in 2000. Radhames Jimenez Pena was a lawyer employed at the law firm made up by Leonel Fernandez and Margarita Cedeno, now his wife. Bautista was later acquitted. Jimenez Pena has said he will not be conducting the investigation, that it will be DPCA, another government department.
Nuria Piera says that this is not a journalistic airing of an investigation carried out in the heat of the 2012 presidential election. She says she has been following Felix Bautista's career with reports on his work in 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010 (twice), and in 2012. Bautista was known to be a struggling tailor in San Juan de la Maguana when he joined the Fernandez administration during its first term in 1996. In his statement as a government official in 1996, he said his assets totaled RD$547,000. In 2010, upon being sworn in as a senator, he admitted to RD$16 million in assets.
On her show, however, Nuria Piera presented evidence that he owns property, including several luxury apartments, worth at least US$10 million.
Watch Nuria Piera's allegations at www.nuria.com.do/casos.php (http://www.nuria.com.do/casos.php)
Because of its cross-border implications, the story has received international coverage.
According to Haitian officials, as reported in the Miami Herald, one of the companies that benefitted from the Haitian government contracts, Hadom, was only incorporated as a Haitian firm in July 2010, and was awarded a contract four months later. Its contracts include US$33 million to construct a new parliament building. Constructora Rofi, another company belonging to Felix Bautista, was awarded US$174 million to construct the Fort National housing project.
On the heels of the scandal, President Leonel Fernandez hosted President Michel Martelly of Haiti in the Dominican Republic on 26 March and awarded him the highest Dominican award. Neither Martelly nor Fernandez were available for comments to the press, and instead issued a joint declaration on agreements.
The contracts were awarded by former Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who has defended his right to use Haiti's 18-month post-quake emergency law to award no-bid contracts. Bellerive is today advisor to President Martelly, and is said to be his cousin.
No official statement from the Martelly government has been sent to the Dominican government. Nevertheless, press reports indicate that the Haitian Presidency used its Twitter account to "categorically reject the allegations that the President of the Republic, Mr. Michel Joseph Martelly, has been involved in any corruption case involving firms or individuals from the Dominican Republic."
The tweets described the accusations as a media lynching, part of a vast public opinion smear campaign to tarnish the image of the President and undermine his integrity.
News stories are also linking the construction of the university built in Haiti with Dominican taxpayer money to companies linked to senator Felix Bautista.
www.acento.com.do/index.php/news/14276/149/Felix-Bautista-y-el-jugoso-negocio-detras-de-la-universidad-donada-a-Haiti.html (http://www.acento.com.do/index.php/news/14276/149/Felix-Bautista-y-el-jugoso-negocio-detras-de-la-universidad-donada-a-Haiti.html)
www.haitilibre.com/en/news-5311-haiti-politic-the-counterattack-of-president.html (http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-5311-haiti-politic-the-counterattack-of-president.html)
http://defend.ht/politics/articles/presidential/2902-haiti-presidency-categorically-rejects-accusations-of-corruption
www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/02/2728451/dominican-authorities-investigating.html (http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/02/2728451/dominican-authorities-investigating.html)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
Felix Bautista is regarded as one of President Fernandez's closest allies. Prior to winning the San Juan senate seat, he spent eight years as director of the Supervisory Office of Public Works of the Presidency (OISOE), a department that operates parallel to the Ministry of Public Works as a major builder of public works nationwide, from roads to hospitals and schools, and low-income and luxury housing.
In the Fernandez administration, in addition to being senator for San Juan de la Maguana, he is the organizational secretary of the ruling PLD party. His party has institutionally backed Felix Bautista, denying any wrongdoings.
The Fernandez government and its department for administrative corruption, despite operating under multiple names, has a practically null record of prosecution of administrative corruption in almost 12 years of government.
The PRD and the Dominican Alliance Against Corruption (Adocco) and its president Julio Cesar de la Rosa have asked for Jimenez Pena to not handle the case, on the grounds that Jimenez Pena had a conflict of interest because he was Felix Bautista's defense lawyer when the latter was accused of corruption and sent to Najayo jail in a case concerning the construction of the San Juan highway, at the end of the first Fernandez administration in 2000. Radhames Jimenez Pena was a lawyer employed at the law firm made up by Leonel Fernandez and Margarita Cedeno, now his wife. Bautista was later acquitted. Jimenez Pena has said he will not be conducting the investigation, that it will be DPCA, another government department.
Nuria Piera says that this is not a journalistic airing of an investigation carried out in the heat of the 2012 presidential election. She says she has been following Felix Bautista's career with reports on his work in 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010 (twice), and in 2012. Bautista was known to be a struggling tailor in San Juan de la Maguana when he joined the Fernandez administration during its first term in 1996. In his statement as a government official in 1996, he said his assets totaled RD$547,000. In 2010, upon being sworn in as a senator, he admitted to RD$16 million in assets.
On her show, however, Nuria Piera presented evidence that he owns property, including several luxury apartments, worth at least US$10 million.
Watch Nuria Piera's allegations at www.nuria.com.do/casos.php (http://www.nuria.com.do/casos.php)
Because of its cross-border implications, the story has received international coverage.
According to Haitian officials, as reported in the Miami Herald, one of the companies that benefitted from the Haitian government contracts, Hadom, was only incorporated as a Haitian firm in July 2010, and was awarded a contract four months later. Its contracts include US$33 million to construct a new parliament building. Constructora Rofi, another company belonging to Felix Bautista, was awarded US$174 million to construct the Fort National housing project.
On the heels of the scandal, President Leonel Fernandez hosted President Michel Martelly of Haiti in the Dominican Republic on 26 March and awarded him the highest Dominican award. Neither Martelly nor Fernandez were available for comments to the press, and instead issued a joint declaration on agreements.
The contracts were awarded by former Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who has defended his right to use Haiti's 18-month post-quake emergency law to award no-bid contracts. Bellerive is today advisor to President Martelly, and is said to be his cousin.
No official statement from the Martelly government has been sent to the Dominican government. Nevertheless, press reports indicate that the Haitian Presidency used its Twitter account to "categorically reject the allegations that the President of the Republic, Mr. Michel Joseph Martelly, has been involved in any corruption case involving firms or individuals from the Dominican Republic."
The tweets described the accusations as a media lynching, part of a vast public opinion smear campaign to tarnish the image of the President and undermine his integrity.
News stories are also linking the construction of the university built in Haiti with Dominican taxpayer money to companies linked to senator Felix Bautista.
www.acento.com.do/index.php/news/14276/149/Felix-Bautista-y-el-jugoso-negocio-detras-de-la-universidad-donada-a-Haiti.html (http://www.acento.com.do/index.php/news/14276/149/Felix-Bautista-y-el-jugoso-negocio-detras-de-la-universidad-donada-a-Haiti.html)
www.haitilibre.com/en/news-5311-haiti-politic-the-counterattack-of-president.html (http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-5311-haiti-politic-the-counterattack-of-president.html)
http://defend.ht/politics/articles/presidential/2902-haiti-presidency-categorically-rejects-accusations-of-corruption
www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/02/2728451/dominican-authorities-investigating.html (http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/02/2728451/dominican-authorities-investigating.html)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)