Vice President Raquel Peña had just announced this week that the Presidency would be submitting a new Penal Code to Congress, when surprise. Senator Ramon Rogelio Genao (PRSC) resubmitted the Penal Code. He says it is the same code that had not passed in the past legislature, excluding the most controversial issue, the three grounds for exceptions to the ban on abortions.
News commentators were prompt to speculate on why the rush. The floor announced the bill would be sent to a review committee after opening the floor for preliminary senator remarks.
It is not clear if this was the Penal Code bill that Vice President Raquel Peña and Minister of the Presidency Joel Santos were talking about when she presided the meeting with senators-elect on the National Police reform. During the meeting, Minister of the Presidency Joel Santos said that in ongoing months the Executive Branch would submit 16 bills relative to reform security, including the Penal Code and the Penal Procedures Code.
A veteran politician, Ramon Rogelio Genao participated in the 19 May 2024 election and won his bid for reelection. Yet, 17 of the present 32 senators will not be returning to the legislature once the 2024-2028 term begins on 16 August 2024. The present legislature ends on 26 July 2024.
In the 2020-2024 legislature, Ramon Rogelio Genao was a strong ally for the ruling party, PRM. Prior to being a senator, Genao held several terms as deputy for the same PRSC. His son, Ramon Rogelio Genao Lanza was reelected a second time for deputy for the same PRSC minority party. He was also an ally of the former ruling Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), during the two Danilo Medina administrations.
As reported in Hoy, the 00926-21 Penal Code initiative has 421 articles. It adds 30 to 40 years in jail for genocide, or group murder. It also increases to 40 years the terms in jail for femicides. It adds the figure of induction to suicide, that is the creating of conditions and influences so that a child, teenager or senior commit suicide, and establishes a penalty of 10 years in jail. It establishes penalties of up to 30 years and monetary fine for damages caused by toxic substances, such as devil’s acid, to others. It establishes penalties of up to 10 years for aggravated bullying that may result in suicide.
The controversy over the three grounds for exceptions in the case of abortions is probably the most debated item. Nevertheless, there are many other articles that would not stand much debate. After the project stagnated in Congress, there are expectations it would be improved before resubmitted to Congress. The Abinader administration has sufficient legislators to pass the bill in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
Hosting the Esta Noche con Mariasela talk show panel that focused on the Penal Code, outgoing National District Senator Faride Raful, joined by outgoing deputy Jose Horacio Rodriguez, concurred that what has impeded the passing of the Penal Code has not been the three exceptions for abortion. Rather the main obstacle has been when select legislators have advocated for including more rigorous penalties for fighting anti-corruption. Raful and Rodriguez spoke of how the plenary wanted to pass the code with a 10-year expiration for corrupt acts to be judged. Those against administrative corruption were only able to extend the expiration time to 20 years, even when past Supreme Court of Justice judge Francisco Ortega had stated that corruption does not expire. Ortega was promoted to a seat on the Constitutional Court.
The submitted Penal Code was sent to study by a commission that would carry out the readings and make recommendations for its passing in the Senate. If it moves to the Chamber of Deputies, the deputies will have until 26 July 2024 to pass the bill, or it will move on to the new legislature that opens on 16 August 2024.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Z101 Digital
Esta Noche con Mariasela
27 June 2024