President Abinader Scrutinizes Chamber of Accounts Bill

Santo Domingo.- President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic has closely reviewed the legislation regulating the Chamber of Accounts. His focus is particularly on the aspects concerning the regime of administrative sanctions that the body can levy against officials of the institutions it oversees.

In a letter to the deputies, President Abinader stressed the importance of a robust administrative sanctioning regime for the effectiveness of external control over audited entities. He suggested an alternative phrasing of the relevant article, incorporating a comprehensive list of administrative infractions.

The President’s scrutiny also encompasses the powers of the Chamber of Accounts’ Plenary Session. It includes matters related to convening processes, and the roles and responsibilities of the president, vice president, and general secretary. Moreover, he reviewed the provisions governing the special administrative career that oversees the external control of public funds.

The President chose to scrutinize specific articles of the bill, namely 29, 30, 31, 32, 35, 41, 42, 45, 53, 54, 82, and 90, which were previously passed by the National Congress.

According to Article 103 of the Constitution, the Congress has a timeframe of two ordinary legislative sessions to address the President’s observations. If no action is taken within this timeframe, the observations are automatically accepted. Article 102 allows the Executive Branch to return legislative proposals for reconsideration if they are likely to cause legal or administrative issues.

These observations from President Abinader are detailed in official letter no. 00300, dated January 5, 2024, addressed to Alfredo Pacheco, the president of the Chamber of Deputies.