DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Mayor Carolina Mejía of the National District (Santo Domingo) is facing a civil and criminal complaint after allegedly authorizing permits for large-scale residential construction in the city’s protected Green Belt (Cinturón Verde), a move opponents warn is a grave threat to the capital’s crucial ecological breathing space.

The lawsuit, filed with the Attorney General’s Office, directly accuses the Mayor and other high-ranking officials of violating environmental laws by issuing land-use permits for projects in a zone designated for environmental protection where multi-family housing is reportedly prohibited.

The action was initiated by private citizen Francisco Romeo Roa Jiménez, who alleges his 4,000 square-meter home in the Prados de Arroyo Hondo sector was destroyed as part of the controversial development.

According to the complaint, Mejía’s administration, through...