The Lotería Nacional of the Dominican Republic has been sued for $8.5m by Aevalue Investments over a breach of contract regarding the development of new lottery games. The new authorities from the national lottery also reported irregularities in the Directorate of Social Assistance.
The records show that the past administration ‘did not carry out an effective defence and as a consequence this resulted in a litigation process due to failure to appear in court.’
The Legal Directorate of the institution also stated that they’re currently going through a transformation process to re-establish trust in the national lottery and they’re carrying out different strategies to correct irregularities from the past.
In addition, they reported embezzlement of nearly $1m. According to the Legal Directorate, the money was spent in face masks and special domino game tables, among other things, but they’re not available at the headquarters and they were not delivered either.
“Furthermore, seven vehicles are in the possession of people who no longer work for the national lottery and have not returned them.” Commented Aevalue Investments’ Legal Directorate. “[We] also found debts of around $5.6m.”
In order to make the internal processes more transparent, the Lotería’s Purchasing and Contracting department received specialized training through the General Directorate of Public Contracting.
The organisation stated: “We are pleased to be one of the first institutions to begin the training program and thereby contribute to the government’s vision to grow.”
