‘Charity begins at home’ for Dominican Republic Gov. watchdog

Santo Domingo.- The Accounts Chamber’s members practiced the adage “charity begins at home” when they irregularly distributed RD$55.0 million as a “bonus” among themselves, officials and employees, the journalist Roberto Brito denounced on Monday.

He said the money contradicts the alleged economic precariousness that the overseer is going through.

“With this unusual distribution of Accounts Chamber funds, clearly outside the law, because it is not a private company that obtained great benefits or profits, the president of the audit institution, Hugo Álvarez Pérez, and the other members self-assigned as a “bonus” two full salaries of 350,000 and 313,000 pesos, respectively, which were the salaries they received monthly before the increase of 73,500 and 65,700 pesos made in January, which has unleashed a wave of indignation in different sectors of Dominican society,” said the journalist, quoted by ultimasnotiicas.com.do.

“The distribution, up to a total of 55,359, 678 pesos was made on December 15, according to transfer check number DAJ000002493, just a week after they received the Christmas bonus and five days before paying that month’s payroll, which means that only in this month they received four salaries and other juicy benefits,” Brito said.

“The delivery of this “bonus” draws attention in a government agency with great economic limitations as its members argued in Congress to justify an increase in the budget for 2018,” he said.

Brito adds that Accounts Chamber president, Hugo Álvarez; vice president Pedro Ortiz; secretary Carlos Noes; Margarita Melenciano and Félix Álvarez “took extra salaries in the guise of a “bonus.”