Abinader assures that the Government will continue to recover money from corruption

Santo Domingo — President Luis Abinader announced yesterday that the Government will allocate RD$2,000 million, recovered from corruption, to carry out 40 sports projects nationwide.

During a ceremony held at the National Palace, Abinader affirmed that these public resources were stolen in past Government administrations.

The president said these actions show how money from the treasury stops reaching society when it is stolen.

“Let it be an example for young people. Know that (when they rob you), it stops work for their communities. They are no longer taken to functions and areas that the population needs,” he said.

The president did not refer to the judicial processes in which former collaborators of his mandate are the main defendants.

One of these cases involves the National Health Insurance (Senasa), whose former director, Santiago Hazim, remains in preventive detention after allegedly participating in the embezzlement of RD$15,000 million.

However, he took the opportunity to assure journalists that the Government will continue rescuing the Dominican State’s assets.

“We are going to continue to recover funds from corruption,” he told reporters.

When asked which trials, Abinader limited himself to answering “about other general cases.”

“Of other general cases. You can be sure that we will continue to recover,” he reiterated.

Precisely, the president said this same commission, in charge of ensuring the correct use of funds, will continue to work to supervise the next resources stolen by corruption.

“That is why the commission is excellent and we are going to continue using it because we are going to continue recovering,” he insisted.

RD$232 million more

According to the information offered by the head of Miderec, Kelvin Cruz, a total of 22 multipurpose roofed spaces are being built with that amount.

Cruz said RD$232 million will be added to the aforementioned resources, as instructed by President Abinader, to develop the works.

“We had a conversation with President Abinader, we showed him the importance of these works and he (Abinader) assumed that other part…,” the incumbent told reporters present at the event.

He specified that the delivery of these projects would begin in July of next year.

Cruz explained that with this action he seeks to serve provinces and municipalities in which sports are not being practiced due to the absence of properly conditioned points.

“There was a void of sports works and others without maintenance in the country. 26 municipalities, of the 158 in the country, did not have any sports facilities and others were in poor condition,” he said.

One of the commission’s representatives, responsible for ensuring the proper use of these public treasury resources, Persio Maldonado, reported that 15 of the 32 provinces will be affected.

In addition, he stated that the bidding process applied by the Government allowed the savings of approximately 125 million.

“This is a way to make something bad a good thing,” he said.

Maldonado said that the commission will supervise the construction and subsequent maintenance of the sports facilities.

This monitoring team, established by President Abinader, includes Maldonado, a journalist; jurist Milton Ray Guevara; Monsignor Héctor Rafael Rodríguez Rodríguez; communicator Luisín Mejía; and Dr. José Joaquín Puello.