US could exert pressure to prosecute Odebrecht case

Santo Domingo.- The civic organization Citizen Participation (PC) on Tuesday praised the Dominican Republic for the numerous government officials indicted for corruption, calling  it “a step forward.”

The entity that receives funding from the US Aid for International Development (USAID) said it doesn’t rule out that the United States will bring pressure to bear and prosecute the culprits in the Odebrecht bribes case.

PC coordinator Marisela Duval urged the lawmakers charged with taking bribes and of ballooning the cost of public works with the Brazilian company Odebrecht, to waive their congressional immunity.

“We expect the names of the culprits in this international scandal to continue arriving from Brazil,” Duval said, adding that the organization will continue working to achieve a transparent process, “above all, to widen the investigation.”

In the heels of Justice minister Jean Rodríguez’s statement that there are no other indicments, Duval asks: Are they all there or are there more still?”

“It’s a great question and above all, that the proceedings on these cases begin with transparency.”