Loan sharks in troubled agency flew in a chopper for extortions

Santo Domingo.- Thegroup of alleged loan sharks headed by Alejandro de los Santos, SchoolBuildings director of the State Works Supervisory Engineers Office (OISOE), flew on a helicopter to extortcontractors in various towns.

The revelation came Wednesdayby prosecutors to judge Jose Alejandro Vargas against Yoel Soriano and JuanJulio Pérez.

The prosecutors toldthe court the defendants carried cash in the helicopter to extort contractors,with school buildings and clinics the preferred projects to take over the workswon by the builders in raffles.

Prior to taking over theconstruction, the defendants allegedly hired their own electrical, plumbing,flooring and landscaping subcontractors in the projects.

Civil engineerAlfredo Dario George, contracted to build a school in Nagua (north), said JuanReyes went to the site in August lastyear, and offered to front all materials needed to finish the work.

“One month later acommission headed by Alejandro de los Santos, Juan Reyes, Bienvenido Languasco,an engineer named Amparo, and others who weren’t unidentified came in ahelicopter to see the project "and each expressed to me that they wouldhelp me finish the school that was already in the program of inaugurals forthat month," George said.

Under pressure andblackmail he yielded to his proposal so he proceeded to make a list of allmaterials needed to finish school, leaving them the engineer Juan Reyes tosupervise the work.

He said 15 days afterthat Zapata told him that the work needs to be sped up, took full control ofthe work, "doing a mediocre, a bungled job.”

He said the situationprompted him to call an engineer in the Education Ministry named Pineda whotold him to send the explanation by email.

“Pineda replied thatit was my (George´s) right to take the group off the site, so I decided toparalyze it by placing two trucks at the gate to keep the OISOE ´”commissioners"out, but later told him to "work it out" with de los Santos.