An American company applied, and a French company also applied. However, the French government, through its embassy in the Dominican Republic, hired a lawyer who filed a legal challenge with the General Directorate of Public Procurement (Dirección General de Compras y Contrataciones), denouncing irregularities and illegalities in the bidding process.

There have been completely unethical practices regarding the mechanical passport booklets (libretas mecánicas), favoring a specific company. But here’s the catch: that French company and the American company are among the world’s leading suppliers of mechanical and electronic passports. How is it possible that these same companies supply passports to hundreds of countries, yet the Dominican Republic claims they don’t meet the requirements?

The bidding process was manipulated to disqualify them and benefit this other company. This led to a formal complaint, and now the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism is under scrutiny. The Attorney General’s Office (Procuraduría) has raised concerns about this PPP due to its ties to a Haitian businessman linked to the winning company.

Key Notes on Translation Choices:
Legal & Institutional Terms:

«Dirección General de Compras y Contrataciones» → Kept in Spanish with English explanation in parentheses since it’s a formal entity.

«Procuraduría» → Translated as «Attorney General’s Office» (closest equivalent).

Tone: Maintained the accusatory and investigative tone of the original text.

Clarity: Broke down complex sentences for better readability in English while preserving urgency.