Former judge Juan Miguel Castillo Pantaleon told Hoy newspaper that he doubts the case of Baninter will ever be fully discussed in court. Technical Secretary to the Presidency Carlos Despradel recently said on the radio that the Dominican Republic is not ready for the trial because it would shock the Dominican people. Castillo Pantaleon, in an interview with the newspaper, said that the case is an indication of what he called pernicious linkage of the judicial power with the powers within the banking sector that promise impunity and advancement of political interests. He said that despite the country suffering the RD$100-billion fraud perpetrated by executives of the three banks, none of these cases will be heard in court. Castillo Pantalon described 2003 as an unfortunate year for Dominican justice, a year in which cases against corruption stagnated. He said that the judiciary produces only rhetoric, while the citizenry perceives that the system only exists to process the poor and not those responsible for crimes linked to the structure of power. He also mentioned the cases of Dario Gomez and the assassination of Carlos Everstz.
Supreme Court of Justice president Jorge Subero Isa believes, in turn, that 2003 was a positive year for his Judicial Branch. He mentioned the implementation of the new criminal procedure code, that of children, and the results of the program for the modernization of the property jurisdiction.