Ex Public Works chief charged with embezzling RD$200.0 M

Santo Domingo.- A criminal complaint was filed Tuesday before the Justice Ministry’s Anti-Corruption Dept. against former of Public Works minister Victor Diaz Rua, charged with embezzlement in the construction of a bridge in the city of Bonao.

The lawsuit which includes the State and current Public Works minister Gonzalo Castillo was filed by engineer Francisco Sang de la Rosa, who claims that he was contracted Public Works on November 28, 2007, to build a bridge over the Masipedro river at Los Arroyos, in central Monseñor Noel province at an initial cost of RD$48.5 million, but was taken off the project without cause to assign it to another contractor.

He requested an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Dept., since according in his view, there’s evidence Diaz Rua embezzled taxpayers money.

Sang, quoted by elnacional.com.do, said while his contract was for RD$48.5 million, the other contract was assigned RD$247.0 million, despite that the bridge was in his assessment, 74.69 percent complete.

He called Diaz Rua’s action an absurdity, a violation of the Constitution, cost ballooning and an act of corruption via a bagman, which jeopardized the plaintiff and the State.