A group of Dominicans who paid significant sums of money for the purchase of a property from the construction company IndisArq gathered this weekend in Upper Manhattan, New York, asking the justice system of the Dominican nation to take action against the real estate scam of which they were victims.
“We are here against real estate scams,” said the victims, who came from Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, among other states, with banners to protest and demand legal security.
The protesters claimed to have paid from US$10,000, US$15,000, US$21,000, US$31,000, US$39,000, US$48,000 up to US$60,000 to the construction company IndisArq, owned by architect Emmanuel Rivera, after signing a contract and paying the initial amount to acquire the property in Santo Domingo.
“My husband and I made sacrifices to take out loans to pay that money, and now they tell us we have nothing. That’s not fair,” Jennifer Diaz Genao told Univision, adding that she had paid US$37,000 as a down payment for an apartment valued at US$178,000 in Santo Domingo East.
They stated that, although some have filed complaints, they are unaware of the course of the investigations being carried out by the Public Prosecutor's Office in the Dominican Republic.
A report by N Investiga last October revealed that the scams cited range from undelivered apartments, oversold homes, illegal constructions, among others.
“We even relaxed about the fact that we were going to live together,” commented two of those affected during the weekend protest, referring to the same apartment number that was sold to two different buyers.
“Our rights have been violated because no one is helping us,” said Rosario Montero, one of those affected. One of the projects mentioned was Riviera Tower, also promoted as Riviera del Este, which consists of seven 30-story towers, located in Santo Domingo East.
“The man continues to operate as usual without any restraint or arrest,” declared Jean Cristhoper Pérez, lawyer for 7 of the victims, who assured that the construction of the project has not yet begun.
Prosecutor's Office
Last October, the Public Prosecutor's Office issued a summons to the lawyers representing the alleged victims. Up to that point, at least 13 people had filed complaints against Riviera with the Prosecutor's Office, alleging that he had not delivered the apartments in the projects in which they had invested, despite having made payments and the delivery deadline having passed.
“We are at a stage where we must keep everything secret so as not to compromise the investigation. Given that we are obligated to act objectively,” the Public Prosecutor's Office said last October, referring to the cases.
