Santo Domingo.- The Constitutional Tribunal (TC) on overturned a lower court ruling that ordered the return of 17 properties to the extraditable José Arismendy Almonte Peña (Joselito.com).
The TC ruled that only an instruction judge has jurisdiction to order the return of the confiscated properties, and not the Santiago District Court Criminal Court judge, who handed down the ruling on May 18, 2012.
The TC ruled for the request by the Seized and Forfeited Assets Management and Custody Office, the National Anti-money Laundering Committee and the National Drug Council.
The ruling also upholds the instruction judges’ jurisdiction to hear requests for the return of seized assets, and not through an injunction.