A member of the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) National Council, who has been the Calidonia local representative for five consecutive terms has been jailed for five years and banned from public office for another five.

On Wednesday. February  12 Judge Nixela Aizprúa, of the Eleventh Criminal Court, sentenced Ramón Ashby Chial, to 60 months in prison for embezzlement to the detriment of the local community.

She  also condemned Ricardo Cannolly, Juan Manuel Suárez Navarrete and Inés Goméz de Meléndez.

According to the judge, Ashby Chial, 49, issued nine checks for the purchase of eight cell phones in breach of the Administrative and Fiscal Procedures Manual for Minor Contracts. 

Spending spree
 In addition, the disbursement of checks for $32,000 was detected for the purchase of materials, payment of social services and holidays, among others, which did not have the documentation to support the expense in violation of the Accounting Manual for Community Boards and the Rules of Internal Government Control.

The investigation was carried out by the Third Anti-Corruption Prosecutor. The probe began with the Special Audit Report of September 18, 2009, of the Comptroller General of the Republic, which highlighted unsupported expenses related to hiring, procurement of goods and services of the Calidonia Community  Board  between September 1, 1999, and August 31, 2003 for the sum of $505,355.25

Chial’s lawyer is appealing.