Ministry seeking three-year sentence for Baní Dunes offenders

Santo Domingo.- The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has filed a complaint with the Public Ministry, seeking to prosecute two individuals accused of cutting and burning trees in the buffer zone of the Las Dunas de las Natural Monument Boilers. The complaint, presented before the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources in the Province of San Cristóbal, identifies Estervino Vizcaino Guerrero and Fausto Vizcaino Rodríguez as the perpetrators.

Represented by Rigoberto Santana, the Ministry of Environment is acting as a civil plaintiff in the case, seeking a three-year prison sentence for the accused, in accordance with Article 183 of Law 64-00 on the Environment and Natural Resources.

Furthermore, Miguel Ceara Hatton, the head of the ministry, is requesting the maximum penalty prescribed by law. In addition to the criminal charges, the ministry is seeking compensation of 500,000 pesos from the defendants in civil damages.

The ministry alleges that the actions of the accused violate several legal provisions, including articles 66, 67, 138, 174, 175, and 183 of the Constitution of the Republic, as well as Law 64-00.

According to the complaint, the affected area spans approximately 200 square meters.