Govt. is ‘accomplice’ of Dominican Republic’s ‘owners’

Santo Domingo.- The spokesman for a judicialthink tank on Wednesday accused the Dominican government of being"principally responsible" of the disorder which prevails in thetransport sector, a view shared by National District prosecutor Yeni BereniceReynoso.

Institutionalism and Justice Foundation(Finjus) vice president Servio Tulio Castaños said government officials act as accomplicesof the "thugs" which in his view are the transport sector leaders "thatshould be investigated into how they obtained their wealth."

He said the Anti-Money Laundering Prosecutor andInternal Taxes should be part of the case against transport union boss BlasPeralta to establish how those groups, "which are not unions," haveaccumulated so much wealth.

As mere examples of how leaders of the sectorbehave, Castaños also cited the cases of transport union (Unatrafin) boss ArsenioQuevedo, and of Pedro Brand councilman Ericsson de los Santos, indicted on contractkillings.

The prominent attorney spoke in the securityand justice roundtable "System of Integrity in the Justice Sector: CurrentSituation and Challenges" held in a hotel in the capital.

Prosecutor

NationalDistrict prosecutor Yeni Berenice Reynoso on Tuesday questioned the motives of EliasPiña senator Adriano Sanchez Roa, two deputies and other officials of thatprovince for their offering last December to be guarantors to release Quevedo.

Country’s ‘owners’

Dominican media have dubbed Quevedo and otherbosses of the transport unions "the country’s owners" for theirfrequent and often violent strikes that instill fear on the government.