SANTO DOMINGO.-By 10 a.m. on Sunday, only three senators had completed the entire process of sworn declaration of assets before the Chamber of Accounts (CCRD).
They were Ramón Rogelio Genao from La Vega, Daniel Rivera from Santiago and Rafael Barón Duluc Rijo from La Altagracia.
Taking advantage of the extended deadline granted by the CCRD and which expires this Monday, dozens of legislators and some public officials, including the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, who sent a representative to complete the process, took advantage of the hours of Saturday and Sunday to comply with the legal requirement.
A room on the second floor of the building housing the CCRD was set up for these purposes. Of the senators, five declarations were awaiting physical delivery and 13 had been notified, pending completion of the required documentation.
Among the deputies, 34 of them had already completed the process, 44 had yet to physically submit the documentation and 75 had been notified for correction.
Complexities
The spokesman for the Fuerza del Pueblo deputies, Tobías Crespo, who criticized the process for some of the organization’s requests, stated: “What I said we reiterate now, the CCRD apparently changed the platform and in that sense, is asking for documents that violate the law and the Constitution.”
He said that in his case, fourteen observations were made, such as the receipt of payment for insurance policies, although the bank had already confirmed their existence.
They also asked for a photo of all the pages of the passport, which the legislator considered had nothing to do with the meaning of the sworn statement.
Possible reform
Among the possibilities to improve the process, there is talk of a possible modification to the law so that elected officials can file and/or prepare their documentation even before being sworn in, thus avoiding the bottleneck.
Extended deadline
— Until today
This Monday, the Chamber of Accounts will continue receiving documentation from elected, outgoing and appointed officials until nine o’clock at night, so that they can comply with the declaration.
Lorenzo, the only unemployed person reported
Fact: Among the senators who ceased their duties, only Yván Lorenzo, from the Dominican Liberation Party, had completed the process of sworn declaration of assets.
The now ex-deputy Víctor Fadul, also from the PLD, was in similar conditions and finished said works yesterday.
Generally, it is the outgoing officials who are the ones who take the longest time to comply with the requirement and some do not even do so.
These data are alarming at the municipal level and today, the CCRD promised to present a consolidated report with the delay.
