Santo Domingo. - Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez yesterday asked the government to investigate denunciations of corruption and establish responsibilities in the cases in which a crime has been committed.

“It’s not noble to accuse everybody and to try to condemn the people with denunciations. It’s up to a judge to condemn after accusing and presenting evidence,” Lopez Rodriguez said to journalists, adding that to a great extent it’s up to the President to order those investigations.

Whereas the Bishop emeritus Francisco Jose Arnaiz, also affirmed that the people in charge of fighting corruption are doing very little to confront it and warned that official statements and words won’t fight it efficiently.

Lopez Rodriguez, speaking in the Seminary Santo Tomás after a mass to mark the first graduation of 40 catholic reporters, demanded action by law enforcement to punish corruption, warning that if they don’t do their duty, then others must. “Those organisms are obviously for attending the citizenship’s demands, but if they don’t do so then don’t they exist.”

The Cardinal affirmed that the nation’s perception that corruption exists is more than confirmed. “And now what must be done is to look for a way to correct it and to punish it.”

Arnaiz complained that few corruption cases are taken to court and those that do aren’t penalized, due to the moral deterioration of the Judiciary. “The bad thing is that Justice isn’t very honest either once the complaint is taken to it.”

“Corruption in the country is immune and unpunished and there’s no one who can touch it”, Arnaiz said. “Everyone who steals, from the President down to you or I, whomever, if we are caught at it, we must pay for that crime.”

He added that statements or words aren’t going to correct corruption, and that is what appears is being done.