Penal Code: These will be the penalties for murder and poisoning

Santo Domingo – The Dominican Republic’s recent Penal Code establishes severe penalties for those who commit the crimes of murder for hire and poisoning, with prison sentences of up to 40 years. These amendments aim to combat and eradicate criminal practices that threaten national security and life in the country.

According to Article 98 of the new legal framework, a contract killing is considered to be anyone who plans, commissions, orders, or executes, directly or indirectly, a murder in exchange for remuneration or the promise of payment. The law stipulates that this crime will be punishable by a sentence of 30 to 40 years in prison, in addition to a fine ranging from 50 to 1,000 times the minimum public sector wage.

Scene of a murder by a hired killer in the Dominican Republic

On the other hand, Article 99 introduces strict regulations against poisoning, a common crime in the country. Poisoning is defined as the act of threatening a person‘s life through the administration or use of toxic or non-toxic substances that can cause death, regardless of the physical state of said substances (liquid, solid, or gas), or the method in which they are applied.

Patient waiting in the emergency area.

The penalties for the crime of poisoning also range from thirty to forty years of major imprisonment, accompanied by fines that vary between fifty and one thousand minimum wages of the public sector.

With these provisions, the Penal Code strengthens the fight against these serious crimes, sending a clear message about the Dominican State‘s intolerance toward actions that threaten the life and integrity of people.