Law would make it easy to seize drug traffickers’ assets

Santo Domingo.- The Senate on Tuesday approved the bill forthe law to seize illicitly-obtained assets, aimed at bolstering to strengthenthe fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.

The law will allow the confiscation of properties of deporteesand foreigners, most from the United States.

Bill co-author senator Adriano Sanchez from Elias Piña saidthe initiative will ensure that the state recovers those illicit assets for theDominican people. "The property right cannot benefit from constitutionalor legal protection when it’s about property obtained from illicit activities."

The bill can circumvent, via a judge’s ruling, the right ofproperty obtained illegally.

"Jurisdiction on Forfeiture is exercised in all casesby instruction judges, so that the prosecution cannot decide over the loss ofproperty rights, but acting upon articles 30 and 31 shall collect and provideall the evidence, and take the necessary steps to provide the judge an inventoryand proof of their motion," Article 14 says.