The Public Prosecutor’s Office continued on Wednesday with the interrogation of Sergio Alejandro Miniel Castilloan expert from the Chamber of Accounts, with whom they laid the foundations and incorporated the report of the special investigation carried out on the funds disbursed by the Patrimonial Fund of the Reformed Companies (FONPER), in favor of the Women’s Foundation for the Development of San Juan de la Maguana, inc., (FUMUDESJU), chaired by Lucia Medina Sanchez.
The Litigation Coordinator of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA), Mirna Ortiz, assured that this audit has revealed the allocation of irregular funds to said foundation and serious indications of criminal offences.
In this regard, Mirna Ortiz explained that the FONPER law prohibited the donation of funds to direct relatives of people linked to the entity, which constitutes a case of embezzlement and mismanagement of funds, a situation that was not adequately supervised by FONPER under the management of Fernando Rosa and his administrative vice president, Magalys Medina Sánchez.
The FUMUDESJU foundation was chaired by Lucía Medina Sánchez, sister of the then administrative vice president of FONPER, Magalys Medina Sanchezwho is charged in this judicial process, along with her brother Alexis Medina Sanchez.
“In our opinion, and this is what we are proving with our evidence, there is direct involvement on the part of Fernando Rosa and Carmen Magalys Medina Sánchez, who violated FONPER’s internal regulations by approving funds for that organization,” said Ortiz.
She also explained that Carmen Magalys Medina Sánchez is jointly responsible, as administrative director of FONPER, for the payments, expenses and contracts made by the government entity during her administration.
Anomalies identified in the special audit
The special audit presented by the Chamber of Accounts identified various irregularities, including income not reported to the General Directorate of Internal Revenue (DGII) for an amount of RD$38,250,000, the absence of physical checks and accounting records corresponding to several months, as well as discrepancies in payrolls and reports to the Social Security Treasury (TSS).
They were also detected Payments for activities without supporting documentssy acquisitions without evidence from its use in the foundation’s activities.
Among other notable anomalies, payments of RD$8,800,000 in medicines without supplier formality and differences between salaries reported to the TSS and those paid by payroll.
Regarding the complaint of Citizen Participation
When questioned about the report by the non-partisan movement Citizen Participation, which expresses concern about the alleged slowness in this and other corruption cases, Mirna Ortiz said that the Public Prosecutor’s Office has been active in all the processes.
“Despite the workload facing the courts, which delays the start of hearings, and other issues such as the health of those involved, which have caused extensions of the proceedings, we have been ready to hear each case from day one,” Ortiz explained.
“These are trials with many parties and many defendants, but these delays were not caused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” he stressed.
The hearing in the Antipulto case was postponed until next Monday, September 9, at 9:00 a.m., when the defense team will continue cross-examining the expert from the Court of Accounts.
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