Citizen Participation demands clarification on traffic light contract

Santo Domingo.- The non-partisan movement Citizen Participation has called for explanations regarding the continued execution of the contract with Transcore Latam for managing traffic lights in Greater Santo Domingo. This follows the suspension of the agreement, which was announced last year.

In a statement released Tuesday, Citizen Participation urged the government to clarify why the contract, worth over 1,300 million pesos, remained active despite being suspended since October 2023. The group is seeking details on the contract’s execution, payments made, and the reasons for maintaining control under a company questioned by the government.

The organization highlighted that the Purchasing and Contracting Directorate suspended the contract after discovering that Transcore was newly established and its official owner was affiliated with the National Institute of Transit and Land Transport (Intrant), which organized the bidding process.

Citizen Participation, an affiliate of Transparency International in the Dominican Republic, criticized recent statements by government spokesperson Homero Figueroa as inadequate. They stressed that society demands transparency regarding the use of public funds and expressed frustration over the handling of such significant contracts.

The group also requested an update from the Public Prosecutor’s Office on the investigations into the irregularities associated with the Transcore contract. This follows an incident in late August where a “blackout” in the traffic light network was blamed on Transcore, leading Intrant’s director, Milton Morrison, to accuse the company of unauthorized replacements of traffic light equipment and terminate the contract.

Source: EFE