Dominican Republic participates in UN convention against corruption

Vienna, Austria.- The Dominican Republic has reaffirmed its commitment to fighting corruption during its participation in the 15th Period of Sessions of the Review Group of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in Vienna, Austria. The country’s General Directorate of Ethics and Government Integrity (DIGEIG) led the delegation.

The Dominican Republic highlighted several notable achievements, including its Pro Tempore presidency of the Group of Experts for the Control of Money Laundering (GELAVEX) of the Organization of American States (OAS) and its presidency of the Board of Directors of the Transparency and Access to Information Network (RTA) for the period 2024-2027.

The country also emphasized its presidency of the Inter-American Government Procurement Network (RICG) and the Mechanism for Monitoring the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption of the OAS (MESICIC).

In addition, a team from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducted an on-site visit to the Dominican Republic in November 2023, during which experts from Suriname and Romania evaluated the country’s report on compliance with chapters II and V of the Convention against Corruption.

The visit was attended by 18 national commissions representing the Constitutional Powers of the Dominican Republic, as well as several civil society organizations. The recommendations from the visit are currently being finalized and are expected to contribute to further progress in fighting corruption.

In terms of legislation, the government has approved two new laws: Law No. 340-22, which regulates the process of “Extinction of Ownership of Illicit Assets”, and Law No. 60-23, which governs the administration of seized and abandoned assets in criminal proceedings and asset forfeiture trials.