Santo Domingo.- Hugo Beras, the director of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant), has requested an unpaid leave of absence from President Luis Abinader. This decision comes in light of recent revelations about the implementation of the traffic light system in Greater Santo Domingo.
In a press release, Beras explained, “The recent information brought to light by the media has led me to align with the General Directorate of Public Procurement (DGCP) in facilitating their investigation process. Therefore, I have chosen to take an unpaid leave of absence and have informed President Luis Abinader of my decision.”
Beras emphasized that Intrant has been responsive to DGCP’s inquiries throughout the process and added, “I urge that if any misunderstandings exist regarding our administration’s good faith in this process, they be clarified, and necessary actions be taken.”
Beras also revealed that before requesting the leave, he submitted a letter to DGCP asking them to annul the request for a variation of the precautionary measure filed on November 3, 2023.
Intrant has joined DGCP’s investigation request, particularly regarding the credentials of Transcore Latam, the company awarded the tender for the modernization, expansion, and management of the Comprehensive System of the Traffic Control Center and the Traffic Light Network of Greater Santo Domingo.
Beras expressed, “We fully support the actions taken by relevant authorities to verify the authenticity of the questioned documents. If any presumptions are proven, it would be a surprise to our organization, which assumed every offer in good faith.”
The case involved the suspension of the transition from traditional traffic lights to smart ones by DGCP on October 30. This decision followed complaints about Transcore Latam, including its claim of 19 years of experience despite being established in 2022. It was also noted that documents were submitted in English without proper translations, and there were concerns about the certifications presented in its technical offer.
On June 19, Intrant signed a contract with Transcore Latam for the traffic control system’s improvement for a five-year period, worth 1,317,350,997.00 pesos. Other companies in the tender had raised concerns about Transcore Latam’s recent establishment.
Additionally, Transcore LP and TransCore Latam announced their intention to take legal actions against Carlos Pimentel, head of DGCP in the Dominican Republic, and foreign businessmen Ricardo Echandi and Carlos Ariel Zavala for defamation and damage to their image and reputation due to the contract signed with Intrant. Beras’ leave request coincided with a threat to put the traffic light system out of service by Pedro Vinicio Padovani Báez, representative of Transcore Latam.