Dominican judiciary ´on the brink of collapse,´ think tank warns

Santo Domingo.- The Institutionalism and Justice Foundation(Finjus) warned Wednesday that Dominican Republic´s justice system is "onthe brink of collapse" with the recent challenges to its authority, and inhis view the most serious of the past three decades.

Finjus vice president ServioTulio Castaños said the allegations aren’t just about the corrupt judges, butalso other actors.

After meeting with the SenateJustice Commission in Congress, the prominent jurist said corruption goesbeyond the five judges accused by the prosecution of selling rulings to felons.He cited as an example the statements by National District prosecutor YeniBerenice Reynoso, implicating police officials in crimes submitted to heroffice.

The spokesman for thethink tank also mentioned cases of killings and extortion networks operatingfrom prisons.

"We’re probablyexperiencing the most serious institutional crisis which the justice system hasfaced in the past 30 years," said Castaños, who also noted allegations by FranciscoMatos, ruling PLD party deputy for Santiago, who on Tuesday claimed to have inhis possession 112 complaints against prosecutors across the country, accusedof "fabricating false files" to extort citizens.