As reported in El Caribe, 20 senators are ready to vote yes for the fast-tracking of the Penal Code as received from the Chamber of Deputies. This means the senators are not willing to do their job and review what was received from the Chamber of Deputies. Instead, the committee that had 30 days to make recommendations decided to urge the floor to pass the bill as received from the Chamber of Deputies. The president of the Senate, Eduardo Estrella favors the in depth review of the bill.
As reported, the Senate would session on Tuesday, 10 August 2021 and the bill could move to the floor for the vote if the motion is placed on the agenda of the day by the president of the Senate.
If fast-tracked in the Senate, the Penal Code would move to the Presidency for enactment. The Attorney General Office, Ministry of Women and civic organizations strongly favor the Senate review the bill. Analysts say the bill is far from being transparent and clear and instead presents multiple contradictory clauses that would make for dysfunctional justice as judges would need to rule in favor of criminals and corruption.
The Foro de Juristas por la Democracia and the Instituto Dominicano de Ciencias Penales have asked the president of the Senate to not put the bill on the agenda because it would be shameless to approve the bill without reading it. Senator Dionis Sanchez (Fuerza del Pueblo – Pedernales) says the Special Senate Committee read and discussed the bill with 40 organizations and 75 personalities. The committee did not incorporate any of the recommendations and at the end, signed off on passing the bill as received from the Chamber of Deputies and requesting that it be fast-tracked in the Senate.
If the Penal Code is not passed in the Congress by 15 August, it will expire and again require the approval of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in the new legislature that opens on 16 August.
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10 August 2021