The now former president of the Interamerican University Manuel J. Fernós assured tonight that he was unaware of the reasons why he was dismissed from the position he held for the past 23 years, but pointed out that it is not related to mismanagement on his part.
On the contrary, the lawyer stated that he was preparing to file complaints about possible irregularities in contracts made by the president of the Board of Trustees of Inter, José R. Muñoz Ávila.
“I think there is a misinformed board, misled, that made this decision without giving me a chance to be heard. Without any opportunity to be heard or to find out what it is about,” Fernós said in a telephone interview with this newspaper.
“The full Board is not aware of this. They are trying to silence my voice because I was going to denounce irregularities, I don’t want to say corruption, but irregularities in some consulting contracts,” he added, pointing out that these are “improper interventions” and “conflicts of interest” in bidding processes.
The Board of Trustees of the Inter-American University today dismissed Fernós as president. When announcing the departure of the lawyer, through a press release, the president of the Board of Trustees did not explain the reasons for the decision.
“They (the Board of Trustees), today withdrew their trust in me. They gave me two options: dismissal for cause or resign. I asked them what the cause was and they told me they didn’t have one. Since they didn’t have one, I told them ‘I’m not going to resign, they have to fire me,’” Fernós said.
The lawyer, who was previously dean of the Faculty of Law and rector of the Metro campus, said that he received a positive evaluation of his performance at the March meeting of the Board of Trustees. Now, he will return to his regular position as a professor at the Law School.
“Since November I have been feeling the continuous persecution of the president of the Board of Trustees, José Muñoz. He anticipated that everything that was happening was leading up to this, for him to resign,” he said.
He rejected information that an internal audit revealed that he had committed irregularities. He also defended his chief of staff, the lawyer Dominique Gilormini, whom he recently suspended, indicating that it was a “hoax” against his former assistant.
“I have come out clean from everything,” he assured. “I had to sign his (Gilormini) suspension letter, but I understand that everything against him is slander. I signed the suspension letter, but I understand that on the part of Mr. Gilormini, there is nothing against him… The head they were looking for was mine, ”he maintained.
Last week, the administration of the Interamerican University confirmed to several media outlets that the contract that former Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced had to teach at the Law School would not be renewed once it expires at the end of the month. Fernós indicated that he does not rule out that “they want to use” that controversy against him.
“There are external factors influencing here, there are external factors and there could be a political element involved and there could be other politicians,” he said, without elaborating.
He announced that he will file a legal appeal against the Board of Trustees for his dismissal and already has legal representation, which will be in charge of former Supreme Court President Judge Federico Hernández Denton and lawyer Harold Vicente.
“I am already a former president. I feel very calm because I feel free,” she commented.