Senior official slams cousin, ex Foreign Minister on corruption

Santo Domingo.- The former head of the cronyism-fraught Dominican Municipal League (LMD) on Monday revealed that former president Leonel Fernández asked him not to seek re-election for the post to avert a rift between the ruling PLD party and the pro-government PRSC.

Fidias Aristy said his departure from the LMD was the PRSC’s condition to support president Danilo Medina’s bid in 2012.

Interviewed on the program “Hilando Fino,” Aristy said he couldn’t put the PRSC-PLD alliance at risk just for personal interests.

Aristy, current head of the Antinarcotics Council, said he collided with his party’s interests, which in its view, considered the League a “war chest” to designate “botellas” (people who get paid without working) and perks.

Parallel League

Aristy revealed that the party sector of former PRSC president and ex Foreign minister Carlos Morales had requested the League’s payroll, “apparently with the intention of creating a parallel League.”

Aristy added that people –which he didn’t identify- expected him to act in same way as former LMD Secretary and his cousin Amable Aristy, since “my priorities aren’t the same,” adding that “Amable was never an obstacle for my tenure.”