The district attorney Elvis Muñoz of Montecristi, a province on the northwest of the country, denounced that 12,000 tareas (626 meters per tarea) are in the hands of a company, Promotora de Desarrollo Turístico de Montecristi, that plans to exploit their tourism potential. The lands are the property of the Dominican Agrarian Institute and were acquired irregularly. The district attorney ordered the arrest of businessman Francisco Madera Cepín, and requested the presence of former senator Francisco Gómez for questioning.Recently, two judges of the court of appeals of Montecristi returned property titles of lands with tourism development potential in the province. The lands had been irregularly acquired during the transition period of the past administration. Attorney General of the Nation, Abel Rodríguez del Orbe, has said he will not prosecute persons voluntarily returning land titles despite these being irregularly obtained.
