More doubts cast on Odebrecht power plant probe

Santo Domingo.- The Presidential commission which investigates the Punta Catalina power plant contract will have to determine whether the links between Odebrecht and the company hired to examine the process’ technical aspects would affect its work.

A source quoted by diariolibre.com said that Peter Nolan will lead the team of the transnational FTI Consulting, contracted “to examine the technical aspects” in the probe into Punta Catalina’s tender and awarding process.

The commissioners will analyze the situation in a meeting on Tuesday, as well as which aspects could affect their final report.

According to the international press, FTI Consulting has provided advice to Odebrecht in Brazil and Colombia.

“The Commission should assess at its next meeting on Tuesday to determine whether these possible links affect the work entrusted to it and consequently our final report,” the source said.

In Brazil, FTI Consulting worked through the subsidiary TSC Brasil for Grupo Schahin and Odebrecht.

In Colombia, FTI Consulting provided professional communication consulting services to Odebrecht from 2011 until January 1, 2017. The consulting firm, founded in 1982, is one of the 20 largest consulting companies in the United States.

In the Dominican Republic it was selected because it submitted the lowest tender offer.

FTI Consulting under the microscope

According to acento.com.do, FTI Consulting Latin America office chief Frank Holder is a man with a questioned past. “Holder, a former CIA agent, has been involved in all sorts of scandals: from Argentina to Venezuela.”

It adds that he’s accused of “stealing information, of extortion, of falsifying reports of due diligence, of lying, of vilifying his clients against alleged enemies, of stealing funds from clients, and of falsifying documents.”

Commission

In the commission coordinated by monsignor Agripino Núñez figure the reverend Jorge Alberto Reynoso, the moguls Pedro Brache and José Luis Corripio Estrada (Pepín), union leader Gabriel del Río, prominent attorney Servio Tulio Castaños, El Nuevo Diario editor-in-chief Persio Maldonado, engineer César Sánchez and economist Jaime Aristy.