Government agency paid RD$8.46B without affidavits, Hoy reports

Santo Domingo.- The contractors of the State Works Supervising Engineers Office (OISOE) received RD$8.46 billion in payments and advances in 2008 without the required affidavits, says an Accounts Chamber audit of 2009 cited by newspaper Hoy.

The figure is 72% of the OISOE’s total payouts of RD$11.8 billion in 2008, to build 444 public works.

The Accounts Chamber audit states that regarding payments without affidavits, the amount owed is RD$1.03 billion.

The audit also found that 15 contractors were paid without retaining the corresponding 5% tax, for which the State failed to collect RD$2.9 million in revenue.

The figures are the latest in a series of alleged irregularities by then OISOE director Felix Bautista, a close collaborator of president Leonel Fernandez and current senator of San Juan de la Maguana province.

The contractors

The companies Transvialsa-Auding leads with 15 contracts (Onéximo González); Tecnoamérica, 14 contracts (Pedro Delgado Malagón); Diprecalt, 6 contracts; EPSA-LABSC, 5 contracts, and Arquiconstrusa, one contract (Francisco Pimentel).