Former Haiti PM denies favoring local companies with contracts

Santo Domingo.- Former Haiti Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive affirmed Monday that the Dominican companies allegedly favored with contracts after the 2010 quake, were either already in Haiti or were the first in arriving from Dominican Republic, because they were able to quickly mobilize and had the logistics needed.

He said it traveled with president René Préval to Santo Domingo after the quake to request assistance from president Leonel Fernandez, given Dominican Republic’s proximity, the presence of private companies and the incapacity of Haitian companies to respond to the tragedy on their own.

“At that time there was no money and the Dominican companies went to Haiti to clean up debris, to gather the dead, restore electricity and communications; without a cent. But as it turned out when there was money, we went to those companies because there were no others,” the ex Haiti PM said, speaking with Listin Editor in Chief Miguel Franjul.

Bellerive’s statements come in response to allegation in Port-au-Prince that he had favored Dominican companies over those of Haiti and foreign ones in the heels of the devastating quake.