Ex-LA Dodgers slugger says he doesn’t need to steal taxpayers money

Santo Domingo.- Former LA Dodgers slugger and San Cristobalmayor Raul Mondesi on Tuesday said he doesn’t need to steal taxpayers money becausehe spent “over 20 years earning millions of dollars” in baseball.

The Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office (Pepca) on Tuesdayquestioned the former big leaguer over alleged irregularitiesduring his term as mayor.

Mondesí said he made his money in his activities as anathlete and denied being involved in corruption.

He’s charged with negotiating with government land and ofembezzling more than RD$200 million.

"I don’t need a single penny from the municipalcouncil," he said, adding that "I thought being mayor was somethingto help people, but in fact it’s a political hook; now I have a calm mind,because they should really investigate people who come to City Hall withnothing, not people who come to politics and then pretend to accuse them ofthings."