Román Jáquez and the JCE Did Not Charge Former Officials Who Diverted Over $4.6 Million Abroad.

New York: The current president of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Magistrate Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo, the Director of Dominican Voting Abroad, Well Sepúlveda, and incoming full members Rafael Armando Vallejo Santelises, Dolores Altagracia Fernández Sánchez, Patricia Lorenzo Paniagua, and Samir Chami Isa, along with alternate members Dolores Vanahí Bello Dotel, Prado Antonio López Cornielle, Freddy Ángel Castro Díaz, Anibelca Rosario, and Hirayda Marcelle Fernández Guzmán, merely dismissed Cruz Herasme and other lower-ranking officials for severe offenses identified in their audit. This, combined with an investigation by the newspaper El Faro Latino, revealed a loss of more than $4,618,696.76 from the Dominican public treasury, which vanished without any consequences. The scandal involved diverting funds to cover the Dominican elections abroad in 2020. Similar irregularities are suspected to have occurred during the 2024 elections. In October, JCEase’s financial documents requested was refused reled by El Faro Latino under the Free Meanwhile, the Freedom of Information Act as part of an ongoing investigative report.

In 2020, the audit uncovered millions of unsupported vouchers lacking signatures or stamps of approval. Furthermore, the individuals responsible for disbursing the funds were unknown, and the amounts paid sometimes exceeded limits established by public procurement rules without prior or subsequent approval. Payments to election center officials and facilitators were not made according to approved regulations, and additional fees were issued to the presidents and secretaries of these centers. Funds were also disbursed to the director of Dominican voting abroad, who had already received funds to cover travel expenses.

Election resources were also used for expenses incurred after the electoral process, documented in a December 30, 2020, remittance that was not recorded in the automated system. Moreover, unused OC-8 security papers and checkbooks were identified, some of which were utilized after Bank of America closed the JCE’s accounts due to ATM misuse involving withdrawals exceeding $800,000. Additionally, the director of overseas voting reportedly overstepped his authority to control embezzled funds at the OPREE office in New York.

Well, Sepúlveda, director of the Dominican Vote Abroad.

The illicit acts included impersonations of administrative roles and non-compliance with approved regulations, which revealed that some officials acted under direct orders from the director of overseas voting. Payments exceeded public procurement limits without necessary approvals, and additional disbursements lacked proper documentation.

Although the JCE’s report indicated that the officials responsible during the 2020 electoral process failed in their duties, the new Board, led by Magistrate Jáquez Liranzo and the members above, took no legal action against the offenders. According to the article, this inaction could violate numerous articles of the Dominican Penal Code and other laws regarding embezzlement and misappropriation of funds.

The Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (PEPCA) did not act on the corruption cases mentioned, and the JCE has also refused to release financial documents related to the 2024 elections. This raises the possibility of linking the alleged financial crimes of 2020 with those of 2024 to initiate legal proceedings in the United States, as the embezzled funds involved U.S. financial systems such as the Bank of America. The bank had closed the JCE’s accounts due to illegal activities, including potential money laundering, with indiscriminate ATM withdrawals exceeding $800,000 days before the elections.

In conclusion, the JCE’s opaque management of public resources and the lack of legal action against those responsible leave the door open for a judicial investigation in the United States. This stems from the absence of judicial transparency in the Dominican Republic, where corruption and impunity appear to have prevailed in this case. This undermines confidence in institutions and the transparency of the Dominican electoral system.