Investigative journalist’s bombshell to drop on wealthy official

Santo Domingo.- Wealthy developer Diandino Peña, whose ‘Diandy’ logo identifies dozens of luxury high-rises throughout the capital, faces what the outlet noticiassin.com.do promises to be a bombshell stemming from the ‘Panama papers’ scandal.

According to the news site, the so-called Czar of the Santo Domingo Metro and key figure in the administrations of former president Leonel Fernandez, filed a financial statement in which he stated having no income other than the US$3,200 per month as a government official.

The official, who has headed the powerful Transport Reorganization Bureau (OPRET) during the past 13 years, has handled the country’s most expensive infrastructure work ever, or nearly US$2.0 billion.

In his financial statement filed in December, Peña, who has crisscrossed the country campaigning for Fernandez’s first bid for the presidency, said he doesn’t own real estate, motor vehicles, luxury properties, investment certificates, invested capital or other income other than those from his government post.

Fernandez named him in the post during his three terms in office, and was retained by president Danilo Medina.

However, an investigation by Noticias SIN, Alicia Ortega and the Investigative Journalism Center, found that Peña Criqué concealed that he’s the head, principal beneficiary and legal representative of an emporium of at least 29 companies, which includes 15 registered abroad and 14 in the Dominican Republic, many of which are related to each other through multi-million dollar transactions of transfers of shares, assets and cash.