penal system

Prisoner money missing

The Fundación de Apoyo al Detenido made a complaint yesterday to the Ministerio Público (MP) over more than $10,000 that allegedly has been stolen from foreign prisoners being held at El Renacer.

Officials said the irregularity was discovered after an audit. In the complaint, the foundation asked the MP to investigate the prison's director, Frida Govea, for alleged offences of theft, embezzlement and corruption of a public official. The complaint states that the audit was ordered after a native of the Dominican Republic, who is to be deported this week, told officials that he only received $10 out of the $500 that he was sent by relatives.

The complaint also indicates that the audit found that El Renacer authorities have not opened a bank account to deposit funds belonging to the detainees, which is a violation of penal system regulations.

Prison System Director Luis Gordon disagreed with the foundation's claims, and said that he believes that Francisco Ortega, an MP employee, is responsible for the misappropriation. He said the amount that is missing is closer to $2,400.

“When the officer stopped going to his job, I ordered his office to be opened and we realized the money was missing, so we made a complaint to the MP for misappropriation. That was 15 days ago, and Ortega still has not said anything about it,” Gordon said.

The missing money is owed to four defendants, according to the prison director.