The papers this morning give prominence to the story of outgoing Attorney General, Victor Cespedes Martinez and his ruling to drop the case against the 727 individuals accused of illegal land expropriation in the Bahia de las Aguilas, an area of exceptional natural beauty which is part of the Jaragua National Park nature reserve in the southwest of the country. This controversial decision was made on 13 August, three days before the handover of power to the new administration. The individuals concerned were to be given back their land titles, according to the newspapers. The dispute had been in process since 1997, when an area of over 500 tareas was taken over by a group of individuals that included such prominent figures as a former director of the Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD) and a top PRSC leader. The new attorney general, Francisco Dominguez Brito, has revoked his predecessor’s ruling, however, saying that the case against the accused ? which began during the previous PLD government’s term of office – would proceed regardless. The Bahia de las Aguilas area is seen as a prime spot for potential commercial tourism developments, but the plans have been met with stiff opposition from environmentalists and the Dominican Academy of Sciences. Listin Diario reports that the new Tourism Minister Felucho Jimenez is planning to promote the southwest as a tourist destination.