Hipolito Mejia in the press conference today. Photo elnuevodiario.com.do
SANTO DOMINGO.- Ex president Hipólito Mejía today distanced his administration and himself from any guilt in the US$2.5 billion Baninter bank fraud case, and called accusations he says president Leonel Fernandez voices against him since the scandal broke in 2003 as “unfounded and politicking.”
The ex chief executive said he’s satisfied with the conviction of those implicated in the fraud, who must also pay 64 billion pesos in fines to the Central Bank.
In a second letter he sent to Fernandez and published today on the Baninter case, Mejia mentions the National District Court of Appeals’ guilty verdict for forgery and concealment, among other crimes, and experts of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and foreign embassies, whom he said supported his government’s decisions to deal with the fraud, “because it avoided the collapse of the national financial system and protected more than 700,000 depositors.”
“The decision of Dominican justice, complemented by that group of totally independent opinions, shows that the accusation by you and some of your economic team officials against my government is totally unfounded and politicking” the ex- president tells Fernandez.
“It was possible to be conclude from the analysis of those experts that the banking crisis was the result of a fraud that began in 1989 and exploded in 2003 when the intervention of the government that I presided takes place,” the ex chief executive said, adding that as soon as his government noticed the insolvency of the three banks which later colapsed, “we intervened to protect the depositors and the financial system.”
Mejía said the Central Bank could confirm whether 19 savings and loans associations, 3 multi-banks and several pension funds, retirement plans, as well as foundations, non-government organizations and churches, had substantial deposits in the collapsed banks.
“Your very own Foundation, Mr. President, the Global Foundation, Democracy and Development, were among the depositors in one of the broken banks, with two checking accounts, a savings account and 64 financial certificates that totaled RD$119,132,136.98,” Mejia says in the letter.
Written by: juanb, 4 Aug 2008 2:24 PM
From: Dominican Republic
And it was his stupid idea to pay all the creditors for deposits that were not insured thereby protecting a few very rich accounts and BANKRUPTING the entire country. Mejia was and always will be the worst president this country will ever have to suffer under.
Written by: TheTruth, 4 Aug 2008 2:41 PM
From: United States, Boston
the dominican republic was bankrupt WAY b4 him , as for the worst pres. ,Trujillo ring a bell ...........
From: United States
you see, Juanb, 75% of the deposits in baninter were held by 80 depositors. in this country, you did not expect the government to do injury to the rich, did you?
From: United States
Trujillo (a wana be Hitler II, I think) had an agenda, and at least he he was open about his politiking.
Hipolito in the other hand, played his cards right, tricked the House, got the votes, and robbed the country at the end with his buddy buddies......and he still is a free man,... wha da kontree.
Written by: Jander, 4 Aug 2008 4:10 PM
From: Dominican Republic
I can see the it already, hands up in the air shoulders slightly shrugged and quietly saying "no es mi culpa'
From: United States
just in case you might have missed it, UnderCover, all the politicians who robbed the country are still free. if they were to be indicted and brought to justice, we would be leasing land space from another country to build a jail large enough to house them.
From: United States
or, Jander, how about the tried and trusted "no se"?
From: United States
Or he should at least a little more honest and say...."I can't remember". That line is doing preatty well here in the USA, for the last couple of years.
From: United States
He is an ignorant, lying, uneducated, immoral, buffoon.
He was linked to the Bank via his drug connections. The reason why he is saying anything now is that his friends on trail in the US are ‘ratting’ everyone out.
He is on the list and will be prosecuted.
From: United States
The Hippo is up to something. He is trying to clean up his image all of a sudden.
Written by: BASTA, 4 Aug 2008 5:05 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Way to go Hipólito - Truth hurts!
From: Canada
send the Gimp back to the basement.....Make sure you put the red rubber ball in his mouth to shut him up
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera, M.T.S.
Juan & Dreadlock, I think you've hit the nail right on the head. I'm sure that the "fleecing" of the banking system started way before Hipolito; but I charge him with corruption, ineptitude, and/or negligence how he handled the crisis. Covering ALL deposits, even if they were beyond the RD$100,000 that were actually supposed to be insured. I think it's RD$100000.
Anyhow, the lack of transparency in our (present and past) government is what faciliates these scams. If we had an independent, non-politicized bureacracy we would have everyone standing on-line, not just the poor; we would have all banks properly supervised; and we would not let personal and/or familial linkages cloud our judgement when dealing with these situations, or alloting contracts or social benefits! Now, who truly knows who things are handled inside our government.
LF hasformalized many processes, and we need to acknowlege his achivements, but not limit our analysis to only the positives. We DEMAND more!
From: United States
Baldoria, did you see where Goulet, Frank, NYCDR and others are trying to arrange a get-to-know-you meeting in the near future? maybe we should dedicate some effort into pulling it off.
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera, M.T.S.
NO, haven't seen anything about it. We should start a listserve, so that we can email eachother about these things...
Keep me in the loop - baldoria23@gmail.com.
Written by: DennisC, 4 Aug 2008 9:38 PM
From: United States
This bunch of mercenary clowns of the PRD, immoral thieves, starting with this man, who ruined
the country to levels unknown before, not even by that other s..., Jorge Blanco,
really believe that people of our country forgets, some might do for their own convinience,
and not only PRD, also any other party that have occupied the high offices of the country,
but make sure you Hipolito Mejia,
in the history of Latin America, you have to rate very high as the worst man, worst person,
and worst President our country have ever known.
This clown made a mockery of being a President of a country, immoral as no one before.
From: Canada
Dennis does this mean you will not be voting PRD next time or should we keep you in the undecided column......................long time no see been on a world cruise ?
Written by: DennisC, 4 Aug 2008 10:11 PM
From: United States
GOULCOL:
nobody better than you know my unilateral position with those bunch of loose criminals and thieves, I have had the misfortune of living through their times in power, and have not been
easy to digest.
The worst part is they are like the worst nightmare, like leech, they want to stick and suck your blood to the end, and then come back with these stupidities, but what do you expect from
them?, only the worst our country have ever produced,
I'll be damned, give me anybody but them, I refuse to go through another of their governments,
and I mean anybody, even you for that matter.
From: United States
hi Goulet. i see you have been absent all day. community service, perhaps?
From: Canada
yes Dread something like that......Dennis you will have to be more exact and stop trying to conceal your feelings about Ali Baboon and the 400 thieves go ahead dont hold back tell us how you really feel about the PLD you have to try to get this out and stop hiding your true feelings please
Written by: Duane, 5 Aug 2008 5:36 AM
From: United Kingdom
How dare you put Trujillo next to Mejia!
One tried to build a country the other tried to destroy it.
There is no comparison there.
As for comparing Trujillo to Hitler, silly moustaches are all they had in common.
From: Canada
Let us hope the Hippo will be indicted not assassinated....even though he deserves the latter ....I say a fair trial and then we string him up
From: Dominican Republic
The interesting part is, the whole thing could still have gone undetected for some time, but Pepe´s credit card was what blew the whistle and sent the CB auditors in. So, is it fair to say the PRD, out of their own malfeasance, averted even bigger damage? Twisted karma, man..
As far as Hipocrito goes, let's give him a second chance, on one condition. He will have to demonstrate that he finally can tell Nintendo from Internet, and his arse from a hole in the ground.
NO go, Hipo
Written by: BLANCO, 5 Aug 2008 3:07 PM
From: Dominican Republic
JUST TO CLEAR a few things.."insured" deposit level was 500,000.
1.6 billion dollar equivalnet to pesos of the day held in 95 accounts.....WHO a state secret
pepe had exceeded the credit line on the cards, the bank wanted their money but not all. they were a going to pass of some to an insurance company as a bad debt. mejia argued no pay nada. MEJIA WANTED LISTIN DIARIO. HE HAD TO GET THE BANK.
THE ReAL CRIME IS the money his govt borowed at 9.5 interest dthey borowed 2 billion dollars and put 50% of it in foreign banks at 2% interest
somebody figure that one out i'm tired of this pr..k
mejia is leaving on a jet plane soon air marshall flight#2 northbound
From: United States
you have to give the guy credit for ingenuity. borrow at 9.5. lend at 2.
From: Canada
He was going to make it up on the volume
From: United States
touche, Goulet. that is my good, uproarious laugh for the day.
From: United States
El Calvo is feeling the heat!!!
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Hipolito in the other hand, played his cards right, tricked the House, got the votes, and robbed the country at the end with his buddy buddies......and he still is a free man,... wha da kontree.
He was linked to the Bank via his drug connections. The reason why he is saying anything now is that his friends on trail in the US are ‘ratting’ everyone out.
He is on the list and will be prosecuted.
Anyhow, the lack of transparency in our (present and past) government is what faciliates these scams. If we had an independent, non-politicized bureacracy we would have everyone standing on-line, not just the poor; we would have all banks properly supervised; and we would not let personal and/or familial linkages cloud our judgement when dealing with these situations, or alloting contracts or social benefits! Now, who truly knows who things are handled inside our government.
LF hasformalized many processes, and we need to acknowlege his achivements, but not limit our analysis to only the positives. We DEMAND more!
Keep me in the loop - baldoria23@gmail.com.
the country to levels unknown before, not even by that other s..., Jorge Blanco,
really believe that people of our country forgets, some might do for their own convinience,
and not only PRD, also any other party that have occupied the high offices of the country,
but make sure you Hipolito Mejia,
in the history of Latin America, you have to rate very high as the worst man, worst person,
and worst President our country have ever known.
This clown made a mockery of being a President of a country, immoral as no one before.
nobody better than you know my unilateral position with those bunch of loose criminals and thieves, I have had the misfortune of living through their times in power, and have not been
easy to digest.
The worst part is they are like the worst nightmare, like leech, they want to stick and suck your blood to the end, and then come back with these stupidities, but what do you expect from
them?, only the worst our country have ever produced,
I'll be damned, give me anybody but them, I refuse to go through another of their governments,
and I mean anybody, even you for that matter.
One tried to build a country the other tried to destroy it.
There is no comparison there.
As for comparing Trujillo to Hitler, silly moustaches are all they had in common.
As far as Hipocrito goes, let's give him a second chance, on one condition. He will have to demonstrate that he finally can tell Nintendo from Internet, and his arse from a hole in the ground.
NO go, Hipo
1.6 billion dollar equivalnet to pesos of the day held in 95 accounts.....WHO a state secret
pepe had exceeded the credit line on the cards, the bank wanted their money but not all. they were a going to pass of some to an insurance company as a bad debt. mejia argued no pay nada. MEJIA WANTED LISTIN DIARIO. HE HAD TO GET THE BANK.
THE ReAL CRIME IS the money his govt borowed at 9.5 interest dthey borowed 2 billion dollars and put 50% of it in foreign banks at 2% interest
somebody figure that one out i'm tired of this pr..k
mejia is leaving on a jet plane soon air marshall flight#2 northbound