Dominican Republic leader’s reelection push ripe with bribe talk

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Anticorruption Alliance (Adocco) on Sunday announced it will file a complaint with Justice minister Francisco Dominguez on statements by several deputies who accused government officials of payoffs to lawmakers to amend the constitution and pave the way for president Danilo Medina’s consecutive nomination.

The most recent allegations of payoffs occurred during the national assembly session to review the proposed amendment submitted by National District senator Reinaldo Pared.

Adocco said the complaint includes statements of the deputies who for days have been making complaints, including Ramon Bueno of the opposition PRD party who on April 21 said "There are ministers who have contacted legislators intending to bribe to vote in favor of the constitutional reform allowing the reintroduction of reelection."

During the debates over the law calling for the review by the National Assembly, deputy and opposition PRM party spokesman Nelson Arroyo said the minister of the Economy and of Public Works and senior leader of the PRSC pro-government bloc, Marino Collante, “had the task of persuading their colleagues.”

Adocco said other evidence which merits an immediate investigation are statements voiced amid the National Assembly session by independent deputy Minou Tavarez Mirabal, who said she was disgusted with how Congress was converted into a market.

More accusations

PLD Jorge Frias said the amendment was full of graft, and also requested an investigation. He said he’s willing to take a lie-detector test. “I don’t sell myself, and will name names.”