Top senator slams Justice chief on ‘traffickers-turned lawmakers’

Santo Domingo.- The General Secretary of Dominican Republic’sruling party (PLD) on Thursday said Justice minister Francisco Dominguez should’ve revealed the names of the candidatesallegedly linked to drug trafficking before the May 15 elections, to keep themout of Congress.

Reinaldo Pared said "already elected, the Office ofthe Attorney General, is the entity which should file the complaint, it must makeit known to the authorities that will head both congressional chambers for theappropriate action and to follow up on the people who might be in thatsituation."

The senator of the National District said if theallegations are verified, the law provides mechanisms to keep those people areaway from the legislative exercise.

Pared added that there has to be well-founded records andirrefutable evidence in such cases against those who may be linked to issuessuch as those cited by Dominguez, who in his view, should provide the evidence.