Dominican society ‘deserves’ a purge of judges, lawyers

Santo Domingo.– Prominent attorney Julio Miguel Castaños Guz onWednesday said the judges, prosecutors and lawyers who abuse their profession’sfunctions and power to commit offenses should be punished with charges in courtand disbarred for life.

"They must not only be sent to prison, their licenseto practice the profession should be canceled, so that after they conclude theirsentences have to pursue something other than this, because this countrydeserves a purge, a cleanup of all these professionals who are damaging theexercise of all of us who work in an honest and dedicated manner," said Castaños,dean of the PUCMM Pontifical University Legal Sciences Dept.

He said corruption has cast a spotlight on Dominicanjustice because "we have encountered drug lords involved with judicialauthorities. We also have to look at other players in the judicial system,which also, surely are engaged in such activity."

Castaños, quoted by hoy.com.do said recent events in Dominicanjustice reflects society. "It’s a true reflection of what is happening insociety."

He said he’s observed many variables involved in corruptionscandals and among them cited the legal profession’s role, “not just judges,but also lawyers, prosecutors and law enforcement."