Convicted congresswoman Rosa Amalia Pilarte López (PRM-La Vega) has submitted a petition to the full Supreme Court of Justice asking for a review of her appeal against ruling SCJ-SS-24-0592 issued by the Second Chamber of that high court on 28 May 2024.
Her attorneys Eduardo Jorge Prats, Julio Cury, and Roberto Medina Reyes, presented a 112-page appeal that outlines seven alleged legal errors committed by the Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court. These include violations of due process, the right to be tried by a competent jurisdiction according to pre-existing laws at the time of the alleged offenses for which the legislator was judged and convicted, and being tried without prior impeachment proceedings by the congressional body to which she still belongs.
The appeal criticizes the court for its “strange and false interpretation” of the legislator’s actions, disregarding recent precedents set by the same judges, thereby allegedly violating Pilarte López’s rights to equality and legal security. Furthermore, it argues that the verdict wrongly found Pilarte López guilty of violating laws that did not exist at the time of the alleged acts, contravening constitutional principles of non-retroactivity and the limitations of laws.
The appeal also contends that the court’s decision lacked legal rigor, relying on speculative reasoning and empiricism, which compromised justice to the detriment of the legislator.
The petition to the full Supreme Court requests the annulment of the criminal proceedings against Pilarte López due to irreparable flaws that invalidate the process. Alternatively, it seeks acquittal on the ground that the charges of money laundering and terrorism financing under Law No. 155-17 are unsubstantiated.
The lawyers also request, as a subsidiary measure, a retrial before the Second Chamber of the Supreme Court should their primary appeals not be upheld.
The Second Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court has found Congresswoman Rosa Amalia Pilarte López guilty of money laundering charges.
Presided over by judges Francisco Jerez Mena, María Garabito, Nancy Salcedo Fernández, Fran Soto, and Francisco Ortega Polanco, the court sentenced Pilarte López to five years in prison at the Rafey Mujeres Correctional and Rehabilitation Center.
In addition to the prison term, Pilarte López was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to 200 times the minimum wage and forfeit various properties, including a 3,081.41 square meter parcel located within Parcel No. 157 of Cadastre District No. 29 in La Vega municipality, all seized in favor of the Dominican state.
The legislator maintains her privileged status as a deputy until her term expires on 16 August 2024.
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Noticias SIN
22 July 2024