Customs director Miguel Cocco has been tough on corruption, Justice minister Radhames Jimenez's decision in the Lockward case was surprising.
SANTO DOMINGO.- A National District Court’ acquittal Thursday of Cabinet minister Angel Lockward on all charges in the RD$350 million fraud via subsidized cooking gas coupons during Hipólito Mejía’s presidency (2000-2004) has further undermined the Dominican Government’s credibility in the war on corruption.
Lockward's acquittal came after the Justice Ministry's surprising decision to drop the charges against him.
Despite spending more than RD$944.6 million this year in the effort to prevent and fight it, it has only meager court penalties to show for it.
The ruling on the case agaisnt Lockward, who was Industry and Commerce for two years in Mejia’s administration, is yet another failure of the Justice Ministry’s Anti-Corruption Agency (DPCA), and comes in the wake of the ongoing scandal in the Accounts Chamber.
The efforts of agencies such as the Comptroller General and the Public Ethics Commission, whose purpose is to restrain the waste and mismanagement of taxpayers money, have shown few results, while the population begins to voice deepening skepticism and the perception that it’s all about politics.
Statistics show that despite the large personnel and structures to fight corruption, insignificant numbers and weaknesses are the norm in the handling of State funds.
The DPCA filed charges on only 16 of 263 cases from 2004 to 2007, whereas 153 investigations are still open since July, 26, 2007, many of them into the 107 cases pending from Mejía’s government.
Its 2008 budget of RD$32.3 is to design and carry out prevention policies and fight corruption, as well as to promote ethic, education and transparency in public management. It must also investigate corruption, preserve the taxpayers’ money, and coordinate with related sectors to bolster the state of law, among other attributes.
And while the Accounts Chamber is also responsible for protecting the taxpayers money, its administrators are being accused of hiding information on audits conducted, and of squandering of its RD$424 million yearly budget.
From: Canada, Toronto ,Cabbagetown,Parliament and Gerrard
Its a case of the scorpion stinging itself do death.....you cannot make this stuff up....maybe we can import a suicide bomber and get rid of all these guys....."Tennis anyone"
From: Dominican Republic
note goulet; even suggesting assasination is illegal. Suggesting it with the use of terrorists not only is illegal but can also bring homeland security down on you.
I know you are just kidding. But are you so confident in Cherthof and Cheney's senses of humour?!? I wouldn't take any comfort in thinking that your Canadian passport will protect your rights. It is waaaaaay too eacy to get put on a watch list and it seems Canadian authorities have an automatic policy for watchlist names of; bind, gag, pack, and ship C/O waterboarding depatment Gitmo.
I'm not gennerally known as paranoid but on this topic we are either going to need to rediscover the constitution or I am going to start to need a regular program of med.s
Written by: juanb, 20 Jun 2008 9:30 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Here's what is really the saddest point of all. An article like this will get a few comments like, "That's the way it is here", or Ëverybody does it" and there will be no outcry and at most 5 or 6 comments in total. But you put the word Haiti or Haitian in the title of the article and there are 50 comments (MINIMUM) and every one is very concerned, outraged, up in arms.
I think that we should get our priorities straight. What is more important, that the government, at a time of a huge increase in income, is allowing all of our monies to be either wasted or stolen, or that some outside agency is complaining about our treatment of Haitians? Maybe it's both. But certainly what we are allowing to happen to us, in either case is outrageous. For myself, I chose to ignore what outsiders say and I focus on how we are being abused by our own government.
Miguel Cocco for President
From: Canada, Toronto ,Cabbagetown,Parliament and Gerrard
Maldito thanks for your concern and know it is true what you say but .....as someone who has used freedom of info act to find out about oneself I could not do myself much more harm...........Again thanks for your concern
From: United States, Lawrence, massachusetts
If the Dominican justice system cannot do anything about it, and Fernandez hasn't intervened, then Interpol should. These men are involved in a creative criminal organization, with the malicious, willful, and sellfish intent to defraud tax payers money for the purpose of power and wealth. This is bullshit. Lets feed them to the aligators lost in the ozama river.
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera, M.T.S.
What the political elites don't realize is that this lack of transparency & checks on power, and the overall sense of impunity reduces the effectiveness & efficiency of government. We need leaders who will say "YES I WANT TO BE MONITORED", not just those who want to monitor others.
Until we have someone who actually is willing to give up some of his/her power & autonomy, things won't change. In other words, the congress is checking up on the CC, but who's checking up on COngress? Most diputados have not submitted their accounts to be evaluated. Hypocrisy!
From: Canada, Toronto ,Cabbagetown,Parliament and Gerrard
this is true Baldy
From: Dominican Republic
hmm, eradi; you might be right...I don't think aligators are covered under the terrorism act....goulet, you might be safe with that one ;-)
From: Canada, Toronto ,Cabbagetown,Parliament and Gerrard
Maldito what about crocagators....you know where one end is an alligator and the other end is a crocodile they are the meanest animal you ever saw....they once asked me being built like that how do they SH--T........The answer ...they dont that is why they are so mean
Written by: Jander, 20 Jun 2008 1:42 PM
From: Dominican Republic
From: Dominican Republic
Oh s#!t..did you hear that goulet; jander says that crocagator is a key word...I think I hear the silent invisible helicopter with the men in black coming to git ya
Written by: BASTA, 21 Jun 2008 10:04 PM
From: Dominican Republic, SPM
COCCO is part of the same dominican Mafia. Just another Crook.
From: Dominican Republic
Cocco is not so bad...he is just one more Commie that found his wings. At least he is still a Nationalist. You may have legit reasons to complain about him but can you imagine anyone else that could do a better job, with less corruption, and/or with better results for the DR to do his job? If you are honest with yourself then the answer is, "no". He's one of the best the country has got, at least until the institution is strong enough to allow his assistant to take his job.
From: United States
Corruption is a serious problem in the USA and I do not have a viable answer aside from masses of people demanding a clean up.
Most probably the same is the situation in the DR and the rest of the world today.
If you find the key, let us all know.
From: Dominican Republic
The same but different.
"A wink is as good as a nod to a blind bat, d'ja know what I mean, d'ja know what I mean; nudge, nudge, wink, wink; mmm' say no more, say no more."
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I know you are just kidding. But are you so confident in Cherthof and Cheney's senses of humour?!? I wouldn't take any comfort in thinking that your Canadian passport will protect your rights. It is waaaaaay too eacy to get put on a watch list and it seems Canadian authorities have an automatic policy for watchlist names of; bind, gag, pack, and ship C/O waterboarding depatment Gitmo.
I'm not gennerally known as paranoid but on this topic we are either going to need to rediscover the constitution or I am going to start to need a regular program of med.s
I think that we should get our priorities straight. What is more important, that the government, at a time of a huge increase in income, is allowing all of our monies to be either wasted or stolen, or that some outside agency is complaining about our treatment of Haitians? Maybe it's both. But certainly what we are allowing to happen to us, in either case is outrageous. For myself, I chose to ignore what outsiders say and I focus on how we are being abused by our own government.
Miguel Cocco for President
Until we have someone who actually is willing to give up some of his/her power & autonomy, things won't change. In other words, the congress is checking up on the CC, but who's checking up on COngress? Most diputados have not submitted their accounts to be evaluated. Hypocrisy!
The Secret Room.
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/multimedia/2006/04/70619
Most probably the same is the situation in the DR and the rest of the world today.
If you find the key, let us all know.
"A wink is as good as a nod to a blind bat, d'ja know what I mean, d'ja know what I mean; nudge, nudge, wink, wink; mmm' say no more, say no more."