Santo Domingo.- Justice minister Francisco Dominguez on Friday railed against Dominican Republic’s justice system, which today has “become the ideal shield” for all types of crimes and government corruption.
"All this for not having the courage and responsibility to establish a system of consequences to put the brakes on excessive corruption," said Dominguez, after the judge acquitted senator Felix Bautista and six codefendants, citing lack of evidence in the money laundering and embezzlement case.
The country’s top prosecutor said the ruling reveals that justice failed to proceed in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and didn’t play its part of defending the rights of the population.
"The rule of law has been broken even further in the Dominican Republic, creating an environment for the lowliest of public servants to the highest ranking official to steal the money of the Dominican people," Dominguez said during press conference after the ruling by Supreme Court Instruction judge Alejandro Moscoso.
He said the justice system has failed the country and handed a triumph to impunity, with very negative consequences
"This case OISOE (State Works Supervising Engineers Office) is just another case of rulings which have become the biggest incentives for corruption in the Dominican Republic at all times," the official said in relation to the government agency where Bautista allegedly embezzled the funds, place in the hundreds of millions of dollars by some reports.