President Luis Abinader signed on to a change to the Constitution so that the candidates to attorney general (procurador general de la república) be reviewed by the National Council of the Magistracy instead of hand-picked by the President. The President has the last say in the choice, though.
An analysis in Hoy pinpoints several of the possible proposed candidates. The most mentioned possible candidate is the current chief litigation prosecutor, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, who would be promoted to replace her boss, retiring Miriam German Brito.
Other candidates mentioned in the Hoy report are lawyer Jorge Luis Polanco, who is part of the committee that is recovering resources from the state in cases related to corruption.
Also Enmanuel Esquea Guerrero, legal advisor to the Presidency, deputy for the PRD, ambassador to the United Nations, and founder of the National Young Entrepreneurs Association (Anje).
Carlos Pimentel, current director of the Procurement Agency.
Milton Ray Guevara, former president of the Constitutional Court.
Jorge Subero Isa, former president of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Aura Celeste Fernandez, a two-term former member of the Central Electoral Board director of the National Public Ministry School.
The National Council of the Magistracy is due to meet on Friday, 21 February 2025 to receive the proposals for candidates.
The recent constitutional reform transferred the responsibility of designating the Procurador General from the President of the Republic to the National Council of the Magistracy (CNM). What is different now is that the President of the Republic proposes candidates for the position to the CNM. Following the candidate’s presentation, the CNM may hold up to three additional meetings to finalize the designation process.
The new rules establish that if the proposal of the President is not accepted by the members of the CNM, the President has 30 days to propose a new candidate to continue the process to choose the Attorney General.
The CNM will designate the Attorney General for a two-year term with a minimum of five favorable votes after evaluating the candidates.
The President also proposes those who will represent half of the adjunct prosecutors and the CNM will designate them.
The CNM will evaluate candidates based on personal criteria (integrity, ethics, service vocation), interpersonal skills (leadership, teamwork, discretion), cognitive abilities (analytical skills, legal argumentation, knowledge of the legal system), and performance-oriented attributes (diligence, efficient resource use, commitment to improving the justice system).
The CNM consists of nine members:
• The President of the Republic, Luis Abinader.
• The president of the Supreme Court of Justice, Luis Henry Molina.
• The president of the Constitutional Court, Napoleón Estévez Lavandier.
• The president of the Senate, Ricardo de los Santos.
• The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco (participates remotely).
• The judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, Nancy Salcedo Fernández.
• Senator Omar Fernández.
• Deputy Tobías Crespo.
Read more in Spanish:
Hoy
Diario Libre
20 February 2025