Attorney General defends new criminal-procedure code as “most rights-guaranteeing in Ibero-America”

Santo Domingo.- The Attorney General of the Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, publicly defended the recently enacted criminal-procedure reform, declaring on Wednesday that the new code remains “the most rights-guaranteeing in all of Ibero-America.”

Reynoso attributed criticism of the legislation to “sectors linked to organized crime and other vested interests.” According to her, some of the opponents sought to restrict citizens’ ability to file complaints without retaining a private attorney, a move she argued would have effectively denied access to justice for people unable to afford legal representation.

The reform —approved under Law 97-25— preserves all existing powers of the public prosecutor’s office and does not grant any additional authority beyond what it had under prior legislation, Reynoso affirmed.

Among the changes introduced, the code grants the defense extended deadlines for written arguments and opportunities for counter-expert evaluations, expands the use of plea agreements throughout all stages of proceedings, and establishes a sentencing guideline framework to strengthen legal certainty. It also codifies a broader catalogue of victims’ rights and enhances provisions for combating organized crime.

Reynoso emphasized that nothing in the reform undermines due-process guarantees. She challenged any critic to show a power that the Public Prosecution now has that it lacked before 2004.

The new criminal-procedure code entered into force immediately following its promulgation. Prosecutors reportedly began applying it right away, including in the first corruption case linked to the reform, known as “Operation Cobra.”