Leġiżlazzjoni

Ir-Repubblika Dominikana – L-investigazzjoni dwar il-korruzzjoni tissaħħaħ

Two Dominican legislators with links to betting businesses have admitted to having paid bribes on a monthly basis to former officials from the gambling regulatory body. According to the Public Ministry, corrupt officials took in around US400k a month in a scheme which all took place under the protection of the then Minister of Finance.

The legislators linked to betting centres, who did not want to be identified, said that they had paid millions of pesos in extortion money. “We are living through very difficult times. We had to pay religiously every month,” said one lawmaker talking to local newspaper Diario Libre.

The other deputy told the newspaper that many sports betting and lottery outlets went bankrupt due to pressure from corrupt officials during the previous administration.  According to Diario Libre, as many as nine Dominican deputies are owners or are part of consortiums of gambling businesses.

Last week prosecutors announced that Deputy Sergio Moya, will be charged for alleged corruption and being part of the fraudulent structure created in order divert funds from gambling businesses. Last Thursday the legislator denied the accusations against him and said that he had never received any money irregularly from the Dominican State nor had he pressured or charged business owners to give him money.

The corruption case, called Operation Squid (Operación Calamar) by the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca) involves more than a dozen politicians and former cabinet members. Skont l-akkuża, fil-perjodu 2016-2020, uffiċjali għolja kkostitwixxu netwerk ta 'kollezzjonijiet illegali li setgħu ġabru daqs 19,700 miljun peso Dominikana, xi 360 miljun dollaru Amerikan, li jagħmilha l-akbar każ ta' korruzzjoni fir-Repubblika Dominikana.

L-eks-diretturi tal-Casinos and Gambling, Oscar Chalas Guerrero u Julián Omar Fernández, kienu implikati wkoll bħala parti mill-każ kontra l-korruzzjoni. L-uffiċjali ġew akkużati li ppermettew lis-swali tal-imħatri sportivi, il-lotteriji u s-slot machines tas-slots illegali jibqgħu miftuħa bi tpattija għal tixħim.