Felix Bautista, a major figure of the PLD will become a landmark case
He is the Secretary of Organization of the PLD and the Senator for San Juan
Abel Guzmán Then
SANTO DOMINGO. Senator Felix Bautista has become the first major figure of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) with which the Justice Department, during at administration of this party, has initiated an investigation for the possible occurrence of acts of corruption and money laundering.
These actions have also included the embargo of hundreds of assets which the Attorney General says are worth more than RD $3.0 billion.
All of this carried forward by the Attorney General of the Republic, Francisco Dominguez Brito, a former possible nominee for the presidency and a comrade in the party where both men are members of the principle organization, the Central Committee.
Bautista, the Secretary of Organization of the PLD and the operational hand of the political team of former President Leonel Fernandez, was arrested in the administration of former President Hipolito Mejia on 20 November 2000 accused of inflating the cost of the Highway between San Juan and Vallejuelo by some 50 million pesos, and was later absolved.
The political scientist Rafael Toribio, analyzing the case, said that due to the closeness of Bautista with the President of the PLD, the action started by Dominguez Brito was not undertaken without consultations.
"Everything makes you think that President Danilo Medina is up to date on the situation because it would be very risky for the Attorney General of the Republic to take an initiative of this magnitude," he underlined.
Toribio estimates that this case sets forth a difficult political situation within the PLD because the people close to Fernandez say that this is part of a plot to diminish the possibilities of the return of the former President.
He notes that from the beginning the case of Bautista is having repercussions in the internal struggle which in his judgment exists within the PLD.
It is noteworthy that no defense has been forthcoming from the top leadership of the PLD towards Bautista, which could be attributed to the fact that they see this as a clash between tendencies.
Yesterday, Senator Bautista once again accused Dominguez Brito of aiming his political cannons towards him and the reason that he alleges is the high acceptance which the Asisa polling company attributes to former President Fernandez.
"The chief of the Justice Department, who today is campaigning, and carrying out a political campaign by visiting several provinces, swearing in campaign teams with the photograph where it is seen that he, Francisco Dominguez Brito for President, is violating the Constitution of the Republic," said the legislator on the radio program "Sol de la Mañana" (the Morning Sun).
He said that what is happened with him is that there was an accusation in 2000 and the decision was a sentence which declared his innocence.
He recalled that later there were other accusations during a time of the campaign, and an investigation was carried out; it was determined that these were not true and the case dismissed.
Outside influences
The coordinator of the Dominican Alliance against Corruption (ADOCCO), Julio Cesar de la Rosa, trusts that on this occasion "there will be satisfactory results from what is an investigation of a former public official for the accusation of money laundering and it is very probable that this obeys some outside interests, not necessarily those of the Dominican Republic."
De la Rosa says that the case of Senator Bautista will get to the bottom of things because of the great interest that the United States has, not necessarily because of the will of the government or the official party.
"We are dealing with an investigation that is eminently judicial, that although it has the interest from overseas, the President of the Republic has no other option except to back the authorities that are carrying out this investigation because it deals with a member of his party, perhaps they are not very happy with carrying out this investigation," he argued.
He stressed that the country is a signatory to conventions which obliges them to cooperate in this type of investigation.
The Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (Finjus) said recently that they are dealing with the landmark case that has to be transparent and the person who should be most interested is Senator Bautista himself.
Julio Cesar de la Rosa, coordinator of Adocco
"There will be satisfactory results from what is an investigation of a former public official because of the component of money laundering and it is very probable that this obeys interests from overseas, not necessarily those of the country."
Rafael Toribio, political scientist
"Everything makes you think that President Danilo Medina is aware of this situation because it would be very risky for the Attorney General of the Republic to undertake an initiative of this magnitude with Bautista so close to Leonel Fernandez."
Pared Perez will take the issue to the Political Committee
The Secretary-General of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Reinaldo Pared Perez, said yesterday that the conflict and the accusations of political persecution by Senator Felix Bautista regarding the Attorney General of the Republic Francisco Dominguez Brito should be heard in the Political Committee, since both men are members of the Central Committee. He also reported that he will propose to the President of the PLD, Leonel Fernandez, the appointment of a commission of members of the Political Committee to look for a solution to the differences between the Senator from Dajabon, Sonia Mateo and the director of Indrhi, Olgo Fernandez, who also belong to the Central Committee.
These actions have also included the embargo of hundreds of assets which the Attorney General says are worth more than RD $3.0 billion.
All of this carried forward by the Attorney General of the Republic, Francisco Dominguez Brito, a former possible nominee for the presidency and a comrade in the party where both men are members of the principle organization, the Central Committee.
Bautista, the Secretary of Organization of the PLD and the operational hand of the political team of former President Leonel Fernandez, was arrested in the administration of former President Hipolito Mejia on 20 November 2000 accused of inflating the cost of the Highway between San Juan and Vallejuelo by some 50 million pesos, and was later absolved.
The political scientist Rafael Toribio, analyzing the case, said that due to the closeness of Bautista with the President of the PLD, the action started by Dominguez Brito was not undertaken without consultations.
"Everything makes you think that President Danilo Medina is up to date on the situation because it would be very risky for the Attorney General of the Republic to take an initiative of this magnitude," he underlined.
Toribio estimates that this case sets forth a difficult political situation within the PLD because the people close to Fernandez say that this is part of a plot to diminish the possibilities of the return of the former President.
He notes that from the beginning the case of Bautista is having repercussions in the internal struggle which in his judgment exists within the PLD.
It is noteworthy that no defense has been forthcoming from the top leadership of the PLD towards Bautista, which could be attributed to the fact that they see this as a clash between tendencies.
Yesterday, Senator Bautista once again accused Dominguez Brito of aiming his political cannons towards him and the reason that he alleges is the high acceptance which the Asisa polling company attributes to former President Fernandez.
"The chief of the Justice Department, who today is campaigning, and carrying out a political campaign by visiting several provinces, swearing in campaign teams with the photograph where it is seen that he, Francisco Dominguez Brito for President, is violating the Constitution of the Republic," said the legislator on the radio program "Sol de la Mañana" (the Morning Sun).
He said that what is happened with him is that there was an accusation in 2000 and the decision was a sentence which declared his innocence.
He recalled that later there were other accusations during a time of the campaign, and an investigation was carried out; it was determined that these were not true and the case dismissed.
Outside influences
The coordinator of the Dominican Alliance against Corruption (ADOCCO), Julio Cesar de la Rosa, trusts that on this occasion "there will be satisfactory results from what is an investigation of a former public official for the accusation of money laundering and it is very probable that this obeys some outside interests, not necessarily those of the Dominican Republic."
De la Rosa says that the case of Senator Bautista will get to the bottom of things because of the great interest that the United States has, not necessarily because of the will of the government or the official party.
"We are dealing with an investigation that is eminently judicial, that although it has the interest from overseas, the President of the Republic has no other option except to back the authorities that are carrying out this investigation because it deals with a member of his party, perhaps they are not very happy with carrying out this investigation," he argued.
He stressed that the country is a signatory to conventions which obliges them to cooperate in this type of investigation.
The Institutionalism and Justice Foundation (Finjus) said recently that they are dealing with the landmark case that has to be transparent and the person who should be most interested is Senator Bautista himself.
Julio Cesar de la Rosa, coordinator of Adocco
"There will be satisfactory results from what is an investigation of a former public official because of the component of money laundering and it is very probable that this obeys interests from overseas, not necessarily those of the country."
Rafael Toribio, political scientist
"Everything makes you think that President Danilo Medina is aware of this situation because it would be very risky for the Attorney General of the Republic to undertake an initiative of this magnitude with Bautista so close to Leonel Fernandez."
Pared Perez will take the issue to the Political Committee
The Secretary-General of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Reinaldo Pared Perez, said yesterday that the conflict and the accusations of political persecution by Senator Felix Bautista regarding the Attorney General of the Republic Francisco Dominguez Brito should be heard in the Political Committee, since both men are members of the Central Committee. He also reported that he will propose to the President of the PLD, Leonel Fernandez, the appointment of a commission of members of the Political Committee to look for a solution to the differences between the Senator from Dajabon, Sonia Mateo and the director of Indrhi, Olgo Fernandez, who also belong to the Central Committee.
Abel Guzmán Then
Continuar con Google