Santo Domingo. – The Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) denounced on Wednesday an alleged “opaque and centralized” management of the sustainable trust funds and demanded a comprehensive, technical and financial audit of it.
The PRD revealed that, according to data obtained through the Law of Free Access to Information, since the creation of the Trust in 2021 until the closing of 2024, RD $ 7,978.76 million have been collected, of which only 38.8%, equivalent to RD $ 3,095.28 million has been executed.
Víctor Feliz, Secretary of Municipal Affairs El PRD, indicated that more than 92% of these executed funds have been assigned to only five companies hired as managers: Key West Corporation SRL, Mobile Environmental Solutions, Gautier Industrial Park Corporation Gautier (Copi), Cilpen Global Business SRL and Vermont SRL Sanitary Fill. The last two have received more than 80% of the money disbursed.
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He pointed out that Cilpen Global Business SRL received more than RD $ 1,337 million in 2023 and 2024, despite the fact that its declared capacity is just 300 tons per day. Applying the rates established in Law 225-20, the annual income that could justify would not exceed $ 85 million, according to PRD calculations. This difference raises serious doubts on the legal, technical and ethical basis of said assignments.
For its part, according to the report presented by the PRD, the Vermont SRL Sanitary Filling company received more than RD $ 1,136 million in the same period, without public reports on the amount of processed waste or independent technical audits that support the payments.
The PRD also denounced that dozens of local governments, community associations, recycling microenterprises and cooperatives have been left out of the trust, contradicting the principle of decentralization enshrined in Law 225-20 and weakening public confidence in institutions.
He warned that the situation is aggravated by the possibility that the National Congress approves an increase to the mandatory contributions that private companies must pay to the trust, without the current use of the funds being transparent.
In that sense, the PRD demanded the publication of all contracts signed with managing companies, the dissemination of compliance reports of physical and financial goals and the immediate suspension of any attempted tax reform or increase in contributions, until the management model is restructured and democratized.
“Solid waste management cannot become a closed business to enrich a few. It must be a public policy that generates green jobs, drives the circular economy and strengthens the participation of local communities and governments,” said Víctor Feliz, Secretary of Municipal Affairs El PRD.
The press conference was headed by the general secretary, Peggy Cabral, and the Secretary of Municipal Affairs, Víctor Feliz, who were accompanied by the National Secretary of Organization, Carlos Diclo; Ysrael Abreu, Director of Public Policies; Fernando Pérez Vólquez, delegate to the Central Electoral Board; Joel Díaz, president of the National District; José Juan Zapata; Secretary of Electoral Affairs; Mario González, Vice President, Víctor Garrido, of Professional Affairs, and Geraldo Baldera, Operational Delegate before the JCE.
