Abinader appoints Joel Santos as interim minister of the Presidency
President Luis Abinader appointed Joel Santos Echavarria as interim minister of the Presidency, replacing Lisandro Macarrulla, who took a leave of absence.
Santos Echavarría, who was appointed by Decree 378-22, is the current general manager of AFP Reservas and is also an advisor to the Executive Branch on Tourism matters.
He has also been president of the National Association of Hotels and Restaurants (Asonahores) and of the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE).
In addition, he was a professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra for 10 years in economics and finance, and facilitator of the Post-Graduate Program in Corporate Finance. He was president of the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (Anje), and president of the Centralized Securities Depository (Cevaldom).
The designation made known through the president’s Twitter account occurred days after the head of state accepted Macarrulla’s license, who requested it after it became known that his son, Lisandro José Macarrulla Martínez, appears as one of those accused by the Public Ministry in the Medusa case file along with others implicated, including the former Attorney General of the Republic, Jean Alain Rodríguez.
Macarrulla’s license, as explained by Homero Figueroa (presidential spokesman), is “indefinitely until he considers that he is satisfied with his personal need or until the president decides.”
Macarrulla is on leave
Lisandro Macarrulla Tavárez took leave after remaining in the Ministry of the Presidency since his appointment on August 16, 2020, when President Luis Abinader took office and appointed his first cabinet.