Senators request subpoenaing of the DGA head

SANTO DOMINGO. Four Senators issued yesterday a resolution in which they asked the resident of the Upper Chamber of Congress to subpoena the director general of Customs, Juan Fernando Fernandez, in order that he responds with regard to his accusations of an alleged influence peddling in the approval of the modifications of the General Law of Customs.

The request for the appearance was released during a press conference, and signed by Reinaldo Pared Perez, Charlie Mariotti, Euclides Sanchez and Rafael Calderon.

The head of the Directorate General of Customs (DGA) accused Pared Perez and Mariotti, the chairman of the Senate commission on Industry, Commerce and Free Zones, of "offering and selling" the modifications of the law in order to benefit the Courier companies. "The legislative proposal is (written) by Reinaldo Pared and by Senator Charlie Mariotti, his campaign chief. But remember that they stuck in two more laws. They also stuck in that of competitiveness. It was a package deal that they sold," cites an interview made with the official and published last 27 May.

Pared Perez and Mariotti and said that they are willing to relinquish their parliamentary immunity in order to be investigated, as they called the statements by Fernandez, "both irresponsible and unacceptable."

He did not provide information

Among the considerations of the resolution they indicate that the director of the DGA did not respond to requests by a the commission on Industry, Commerce and Free Zones, in October 2013 during the study of the modifications of the law, approved last 29 April.

Among the information required, whose request was reiterated in March 2014, are the income received from fines and how this is distributed among the employees; in addition to the income generated in the last five years regarding the amounts for tariffs for service.