Rubén Bichara refuses to elaborate on Maxy Montilla's agreement.

The former executive vice president of the defunct Dominican Corporation of State Electric Companies ( Cdeee ), Rubén Jiménez Bichara , reacted briefly this Sunday to the agreement that allowed Maxy Montilla , brother-in-law of former President Danilo Medina, to return some 3,000 million pesos to the State for embezzlement from the Electricity Distribution Companies (EDE), pointing out that his opinion is secondary to the agreement with the Public Ministry .

"He's already spoken about that agreement; whatever I can say, he's already spoken about. He's already spoken about it, and now we have to wait. We have to wait for it to play out, but he's already said what he made of his own words. My opinion and that of other citizens is now at the mercy of what he said," Bichara said after leaving a meeting of leaders of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) in Santo Domingo .

The former official's brief and limited response is relevant given Bichara's position in the electricity sector during the administrations of former President Danilo Medina and because his name appears among those named in the 2021 complaint that led to the investigation into contracts awarded at the EDEs.

However, the former official avoided making a substantive statement about the controversial agreement or the scope of the responsibilities.

The agreement

Montilla's agreement with the Public Prosecutor's Office , approved by a judge under the criterion of opportunity, has been criticized by social sectors and by the PLD members themselves, who believe that the delivery of the amount without criminal consequences could encourage future corruption in the State .

Although the agreement involves the delivery of 3 billion pesos , the dissolution of several electricity companies, and the obligation to cooperate with the investigation , political and social sectors consider the sum insufficient compared to the amounts reported and that it should not preclude the application of criminal sanctions.

The Public Prosecutor's Office establishes in the document that Montilla Sierra , investigated in the case against Juan Alexis Medina Sánchez and his associates, used the companies as a corporate vehicle to participate in public contracting processes fraudulently and in violation of the regulations that govern Dominican State contracts, "thereby obtaining contracts in an illicit manner, detrimental to public assets."

The prosecution points out that during the time he did so he had access to privileged information .

According to authorities, this situation was due to losses resulting from competitive practices and " fraudulent management " by public officials and contractors.

"From that moment on, several members of his family and close associates , both directly and indirectly, substantially increased their presence and influence in government procurement and contracting processes, especially in strategic areas such as energy, using their proximity to political power as a platform," the document states.

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