Dominican Senate converts domain extinction project into law
The Senate of the Republic unanimously signed into law this Tuesday the domain extinction project for the confiscation of illicit assets in the Dominican Republic, accepting the more than forty amendments made by the Chamber of Deputies.
The legislative initiative now passes to the Executive Power, where its promulgation or observation will be weighed.
The piece leaves behind more than 12 years of congressional debates, and both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, it was unanimously sanctioned, its category being organic.
On this final day of the first legislature, the senators met to review more than 40 modifications and concluded that the amendments improve the piece much more. This precept was analyzed in a bicameral commission for a year and a half.
The domain extinction bill resurfaces from the merger of two bills of the same nature, authored by senator Antonio Taveras Guzmán (Santo Domingo province), while a second bill is by senators Félix Bautista, Aris Yván Lorenzo and Jose Del Castillo Saviño.
Its objective is to establish the legal framework for the regulation of the forfeiture of illicit property, to define the consequences and powers of the authorities responsible for its application, to recognize the rights and guarantees of the intervening parties, to lay down the fundamental principles for the operation of the administration system of confiscated property, as well as the procedure required for its judicial declaration in favor of the Dominican State.
Also read – USA supports the implementation of the Domain Extinction Law
The beginning of the debates, after the changes received by the norm were reviewed, was marked by the self-adjudication made by the three main party blocs in the Senate.
From the bench of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), its spokesman, Yván Lorenzo, affirmed that this law is the daughter of that organization; Meanwhile, the People’s Force argued that this rule is contained in the 2010 Constitution, born in the government of former President of the Republic, Leonel Fernández.
To this, the legislators of the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) stated that it has been due to the will of this organization that today there is a law of domain extinction.
The regulation also punishes human trafficking, including the sexual exploitation of minors (child pornography), in addition, it sanctions the illicit trafficking of human organs, kidnapping, embezzlement and fraud against the State, as well as offenses related to terrorism or its financing.
The domain extinction is an independent and autonomous criminal, civil, administrative arbitration procedure, it will not be an obstacle to initiate a trial in this matter, due to the existence of any other judicial process.
