ARTICLE - MIRLANDE MANIGAT INDIGNANT

MIRLANDE MANIGAT INDIGNANT, DENIES HAVING RECEIVED $250,000 FROM FELIX BAUTISTA
(Haiti Libre) -

According to information revealed by the Dominican journalist Nuria Piera, Saturday, April 1 on his show "Nuria on the 9", the businessman and Senator Félix Bautista would have paid $250,000 U.S. dollars for the electoral campaign of Mirlande Manigat, Secretary General of the Rassemblement of National Progressive Democrats (NPDR), who was a candidate defeated in the last presidential elections;... a serious allegation, which has made Mrs. Manigat strongly react and denying having received such money.

"...this issue affects me very much. My first reaction is of indignation... to see my name on who is involved in the Dominican and Haitian press [...] They say that this is a credible journalist, but she is wrong [...] for me it was an April fools joke, but when I realized that this was something and that it was real, I was indignant.

Everyone knows that Mirlande Manigat is a person who has principles [...] that is moral. Secondly, during the electoral campaign it's not me who had money... and so far I still have debts from my electoral campaign [...] During my campaign, I had a committee that was responsible for finding money. We asked for money everywhere, that's true [...] However, I do not know anyone on this Committee who received such a sum in cash [...] $250,000 is not nothing!

I can say that myself, I am not aware of this case and in any case, the indignation that it is not the fact that the journalist has said that I received money. She could have said that I had received from a Haitian bank or from a Haitian firm;.... indeed, I received money,... I received 50,000 - 70,000 from people working in Haiti. I am indignant because as part of her show my name was mentioned and associated in a case of bribery, a corruption scandal [...]

I feel personally affected [...] I would like to see documents. It is said that this journalist is credible, that is why I say that she is wrong. I would like to know the name of the person who received this money because it was not me [...]

I know Senator Félix Bautista, as I know many politicians in the Dominican Republic, starting with President Fernández [...]; but neither Bautista, nor any other senators in the Dominican Republic can say that myself, Mirlande Manigat, am involved in a corruption case, of bribes [...]

I do not intend to dwell on this subject [...] It is a very bad time, a very bad day for me, and I think that everyone who knows me will put a big question mark behind this case. The journalist is doing her job, [...] but she was mistaken, in my case..."