Participación Ciudadana deeply concerned about prosecutor selection process

Santo Domingo.- Pro-transparency and anti-corruption campaign group Citizen Participation has expressed its deep concern about the Attorney General Office’s selection process for Public Prosecutors, which has been the subject of criticism from a range of sectors. The procedure has been described as a maneuver aimed at excluding certain prosecutors from the justice system, hastily and in violation of the law. The prosecutors in question have been recognized for their good performance, and the accusation is that the authorities wish to replace them with associates of the AG and the party political interests of the ruling PLD.

“Article 41 of Law 133-11 establishes that the post of Public Prosecutor will be elected for a four-year period and their mandate can be reconfirmed for a second single consecutive period following a performance review.” The Attorney General, who has been in post for more than two years in post has not complied with this disposition, and now, under pressure, he has called for a limited process for the same post, including prosecutors who already have less than two years to serve in the maximum timeframe allowed,” stated a press release from the organization.

They allege that the process has been marked by a number of violations that cannot be ignored. The first is the omission of reviews as established by Law, the second is the hasty imposition of a process that does not apply to the people who are in post, and the third concerns the impediment on applying for high-ranking posts.”

“We don’t want to speculate on the reasons behind these violations of the law. Regardless, the judicial authorities are obliged to comply and set an example of transparency and justice, two qualities that are absent from this process.”

Citizen Participation also called on Attorney General Jean Alain Rodríguez to address these “violations and lack of transparency and equality in this process.”

The organization said that as public opinion has already raised the alarm about this case, the Dominican government and its Attorney General have a duty to clear up suspicions that this is just another maneuver aimed at protecting corrupt officials and frustrating yet again any prospects of having an impartial justice system that will put an end to the shameful impunity that has done so much harm to this nation.