Likewise, the Public Ministry must provide the Housing Ministry with copies of the plans for each of the constructions, the cost statement or financial statement of the work and the outstanding payments, as well as a copy of the observations for each of the works already started and the list of contractors with their corresponding contractual documents.
SANTO DOMINGO – The Ministry of Housing, Habitat and Buildings (MIVHED) will be responsible for completing all prison facilities currently under construction in the country. This includes the Las Parras prison complex, also known as Nueva Victoria, a construction project where, according to the voluminous Medusa case file, 163 million pesos were allegedly paid in bribes for earthmoving alone, through the Humanization Plan implemented by former Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez.
In an agreement signed yesterday between the Attorney General of the Republic, Miriam Germán, and Minister Carlos Bonilla Sánchez, the Attorney General's Office transfers the construction of these penitentiary centers and, at the same time, regulates subsequent projects in that area, in the interest of making the investment of State resources more efficient.
“The Attorney General’s Office, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office itself, have specific functions unrelated to the construction sector. Therefore, we believe it is more feasible, to ensure the streamlining of processes and the effective investment of public resources, for the construction of penitentiary facilities to be carried out by the Ministry of Housing,” explained Attorney General Miriam Germán in a statement.
According to a statement from the Attorney General's Office, the agreement establishes that the policies for the location, design, construction, equipment and security of penitentiary and correctional buildings will be governed and supervised by the Public Ministry in coordination with the MIVHED.
It also states that prison facilities will address security needs and the concept of restorative justice and consistent application of the progressive system, in accordance with the provisions of Law No. 113-21, which regulates the Penitentiary and Correctional System in the Dominican Republic.
Likewise, the Public Ministry must provide the Housing Ministry with copies of the plans for each of the constructions, the cost statement or financial statement of the work and the outstanding payments, as well as a copy of the observations for each of the works already started and the list of contractors with their corresponding contractual documents.
Furthermore, it must provide copies of the procurement processes that awarded contracts to the contractors for the projects already underway and nearing completion. It will also define the institutional priorities for the construction of new correctional and rehabilitation centers and determine their locations in accordance with the corresponding licenses or authorizations and the criteria established by law.
Germán Brito praised the agreement signed with engineer Carlos Bonilla Sánchez, head of MIVHED, during an event held in his office in which the general Administrative Director of the Public Ministry, Vilma Pérez, and the legal director, Frinette Padilla, were present.
Also present were Danny Santos, Deputy Minister of Construction of MIVHED; Claudio Stephen, Director of Legal Affairs; and José Carlos Isabel, Coordinator of the Office of Minister Bonilla Sánchez.
