Dominican military chief again demands Washington name names

Santo Domingo.- Armed Forces minister Sigfrido Pared on Monday asked the embassies of Spain and the United States to provide information about military officers involved in corruption or drug trafficking.

The official said his request, which comes just three days after he slammed Washington’s policy on the extraditions of military officers linked to major drug trafficking and money laundering cases, is spurred by the damage he affirms rumors cause to the senior officers of the Armed Forces.

Pared said the U.S. Embassy has never provided a list to the Armed Forces of corrupt military officers or involved in drug trafficking cases. "It would be nice if someone, or the embassy of Spain or the U.S., ??make known their names to the Minister of the Armed Forces, because no one has given me a name ever."

"In recent years, there have been rumors, many rumors, which occur in the Dominican Republic society that have strongly affected the Armed Forces and the National Police," he said.

"Take the case of military who are going to be requested (in extradition) and are never requested. What’s important is that if there are names that they are requested to know who they really are," the official said, interviewed by Cristian Jimenez and Geomar Garcia on Digital 15.

Although he acknowledged that Dominican officers are involved in international crimes such as drug trafficking, Pared said 99 percent of the military and police fully carry out their duties.

"They’ve always said that the Paya case tainted the Navy, but no one has said that the Navy cleaned that stain, charging the officers and investigating the case," he said, in reference to the 7 Colombians executed over an alleged drug shakedown.