National Police and various Government entities disobey Constitutional Court sentences, reveals official publication

Santo Domingo.- The Constitutional Court has revealed that the National Police, along with other public institutions including the Presidency of the Republic, the Attorney General’s Office, and multiple ministries, have been among those most resistant to complying with sentences issued by the Court. This information was disclosed on the Court’s website, shedding light on instances of non-compliance between the years 2013 and 2022.

Numerous public institutions, including the Ministries of the Interior and Police, Education, Tax Authorities, Public Health, Public Works, and more, have been identified as entities that disregarded Constitutional Court rulings that sought to protect the rights of individuals who had filed appeals before the Court.

Likewise, the list includes private sector entities such as the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects, and Surveyors (Codia), Universal Insurance, Popular Pension Fund Administrator, and the Water Sports Association (Aprodelapen), among others.

The President of the Constitutional Court, Milton Ray Guevara, expressed concern over the non-compliance issue and emphasized that the decisions of the Court are final and binding for all government institutions. He underscored the principle of loyalty to the Constitution that binds all public servants to the Court’s decisions and the Constitution itself.

Ray Guevara warned that he would reveal the names and details of individuals responsible for non-compliance with the Court’s decisions. The Court’s website published a document explaining that its authority to address execution-related challenges is outlined in the Organic Law of the Constitutional Court and Constitutional Procedures.

The Unit for Monitoring the Execution of Judgments (USES) was established to address difficulties and non-compliance issues with the Court’s decisions. Additionally, the Plenary adopted Resolution TC/0003/21, empowering the Court to publish the names and necessary details of those responsible for breaching sentence execution on its website.

Last week, the Constitutional Court’s plenary session approved transferring unexecuted sentence files to the Ombudsman (DP) for appropriate action on behalf of citizens whose rights are affected by non-compliance.