Senate head "forgives" AC

[NewsWhore]

Senate head Reynaldo Pared Perez has accepted the Accounts Chamber judges' apologies, saying that a meeting between him and the judges at the Senator's office led to a "happy" ending. Pared Perez said that he was satisfied with the judges' explanations, and continued by explaining that the Chamber of Accounts members were excluded from the country's Austerity Law. The controversy started when the judges decided to increase their salaries by an exorbitant amount. Salaries jumped from R$249,000 per month to almost RD$500,000 in some cases, although no justification was provided. Chamber head Dr. Andres Terrero said that the judges had acted within the boundaries of the law and said that they did nothing wrong in approving their own salary hikes. Terrero is quoted in Listin Diario as saying that he made a mistake in agreeing to the raises, but since the resolution was revoked, he feels there is nothing wrong. He said he believed that citizens should give him and the other judges a vote of confidence. After meeting with Pared Perez, Terrero said that he would continue to run a clean administration, but did say that the word "corruption" is very subjective. Hoy writes that when Telecentro journalist Nelson Mateo asked whether the judges had paid back any of the money they received after the pay hike, Terrero said that this was being looked into. Pared Perez jumped in and continued defending the judges by saying that the point is to look to the future, not the past. Civil society groups say that the Chamber of Accounts decision sullied the judge's credibility to audit government offices, and is calling for their resignation.

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