Dominican leader let close collaborator´s questioned tenure fester

Santo Domingo.- The recently-firedhead the State Works Supervisory Engineers Office (OISOE) Miguel Pimentel Karehwill be investigated in connection with the collapsed Peravia bank, National District prosecutor Yeni BereniceReynoso revealed Wednesday.

Pimentel, who isreportedly a close collaborator of president Danilo Medina, had held the postfor three years despite a questioned tenure at OISOE.

She said among thedozens of people being investigated figure senior military officers and"possibly more officials", which she couldn’t identify "to averttipping them off."

Outlet Hoy reportsthat Jenny Alexandra Garcia Polanco, former assistant to Peravia bank presidentJosé Luis Santoro, was interrogated by prosecutors on 26 May, when she revealedthat her former boss and Pimentel had several business dealings through thebank and the Union de Seguros insurance company, which is also the target of aprobe.

Garcia revealed thatthe two agreed "that the vast majority of OISOE´s public works had to buy Unioninsurance, in exchange for a 50% cut to Pimentel´s daughter," identifiedas Deborah Pimentel, who in turn "was divided among the OISOE staff and Vilma Mejia, Pimentel´s paramour.

Related: http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/opinion/2013/5/29/47791/Dominican-Republic-president-Medina-just-another-puppy-dictator