HomeNewsIs Dominican Republic Making Gains in Anti-Corruption Fight?
NEWS

Is Dominican Republic Making Gains in Anti-Corruption Fight?

CARIBBEAN / 13 SEP 2021 BY JULIANA MANJARRÉS EN

The dismantling of a drug trafficking and money laundering network implicating government officials in the Dominican Republic has presented a serious challenge to President Luis Abinader’s anti-corruption drive.

Prosecutor Yeni Berenice Reynoso announced September 8 that security forces carried out more than 80 searches across the country as part of the so-called Operation Falcón, according to an official press release.

Among the more than 20 people arrested was Juan Maldonado Castro, the head of Comunidad Digna (Dignified Community), a government-run organization fighting poverty. Also under investigation is Héctor Darío Féliz Féliz, a deputy from the opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Dominicano - PRD), according to prosecutor Reynoso. Authorities said he was caught helping one of the suspects escape, but was not arrested due to his parliamentary immunity.

SEE ALSO: Sweeping Corruption Probe Tests Dominican Republic’s Anti-Graft Fight

Using drug trafficking proceeds, prosecutor Reynoso said the criminal network amassed hundreds of properties, gas stations, farms, high-end vehicles, high-powered weapons and nightclubs, among other things. The group also allegedly "directly supported" certain unidentified legislators through financing their campaigns.

Maldonado Castro has since been suspended from his government role, and prosecutors have requested 18 months of pretrial detention for 21 of those detained as part of the operation.

“I promised this country that there would be no impunity, I promised this country there was going to be an Attorney General’s Office that would act, ... and that's what is happening,” President Abinader said September 8.

InSight Crime Analysis

Since coming to power a year ago, President Abinader has made rooting out corruption one of his government's top priorities. In December 2020, he presented an integral plan to do just that and also recover stolen public funds.

Since then, this commitment has repeatedly been put to the test.

Much of his government’s efforts have been focused on prosecuting officials and their family members from the administration of former president Danilo Medina (2016-2020). Top government officials and relatives of Medina have been investigated for a range of corruption charges.

SEE ALSO: Police Reform Top Concern for New Dominican Republic President

But Abinader’s own administration hasn't been spared by official corruption. A former public health minister was fired for approving a massively inflated contract to buy needles, while a high-ranking police official was dismissed for irregularities in handing out gun licenses, according to reports from El Nacional.

“Growing state prosecution of corruption cases in the Dominican Republic does not mean there is an increase in such cases, but shows the presidential drive to attack corruption in this country,” Félix Damián Olivares, a well-known criminal lawyer in the Dominican Republic, told InSight Crime.  

However, there is a risk that these anti-corruption gains could easily be unraveled. The success of the Dominican Republic’s anti-corruption fight remains wholly dependent on the goodwill of the government in power, according to Claudia Álvarez, a lawyer and anti-money laundering expert.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ELITES AND CRIME / 25 JUL 2021

The dismissal of Juan Francisco Sandoval, Guatemala's leading anti-corruption prosecutor who has since fled the country, has drawn condemnation at…

BOLIVIA / 8 NOV 2022

The Amazon is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, where wildlife trafficking threatens hundreds of thousands of species.

ECUADOR / 13 OCT 2022

US dollars have been flooding into Venezuela and Ecuador, with authorities unaware of how widespread their use has become…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.