Santo Domingo.- The Government, with the help of international organisms, yesterday submitted another bill to amend Law 82-79 on the Sworn Financial Statement, which defines the penalties for corruption, 30 years after it was passed.

The piece was received in the Centro de los Heroes Courthouse by Senate Judicial Commission chairman Francisco Domínguez, who called the Law in effect since 1979 a swindle to the country, because it doesn’t help to prosecute official corruption.

The bill was presented by the Justice Ministry’s Anti-Corruption director Hotoniel Bonilla, who said that the assets of an ex official convicted of illicit enrichment will be seized and will become property of the State and those convicted will not be able to hold a public post from two to five years after.

Also present in the ceremony was World Bank representative Roby Senderowitsch, who hailed the bill’s effort to promote transparency. “The sworn statement is the first step toward governmental transparency, because where there’s no transparency there’s no good government.”