The Cuesta Brava Neighborhood Association and the Institute of Lawyers for Environmental Protection (Insaproma) filed a formal criminal complaint this week against Environment Minister Armando Paino Henríquez and Vice Minister of Housing and Buildings Danny Israel Santos Comprés for violation of environmental laws and the intent of building a private development in a protected city area. The complaint, which includes a civil party constitution, accuses the officials of enabling the environmental degradation of the Santo Domingo Green Belt, specifically in the Cuesta Brava sector of Arroyo Hondo.
The legal action was submitted to the Specialized Environmental and Natural Resources Prosecutor’s Office by attorney Euren Cuevas Medina, who represents both organizations.
According to the complaint, the officials allegedly used their positions to facilitate a high-impact real estate development in a legally protected area. The project in question reportedly includes more than 300 apartment units, 400 parking spaces, and two shopping centers—developments that required deforestation, the destruction of a mountain, and disruptions to the local water table within a fragile ecosystem.
The plaintiffs argue that these actions directly violate several environmental and anti-corruption laws, including:
• Law 64-00 on the Environment
• Law 202-04 on Protected Areas
• Law 340-22 on Asset Forfeiture
• Law 155-17 against Money Laundering
• Decree 183-93, which established the Santo Domingo Green Belt
• Resolution 2/2023 from the National District City Council, which prohibits high-impact construction in the area
A key piece of evidence included in the filing is a technical report by the Environmental Commission of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). The report directly contradicts an environmental permit issued by Environmental Minister Henríquez, which classified the project as having “minimal impact.” The construction project envisions hundreds of apartments.
The UASD report concludes that due to the area’s environmental sensitivity, no such authorization should have been legally or technically granted. It further alleges that Henríquez downgraded the permit category to facilitate the development.
In what the plaintiffs describe as one of the most serious aspects of the case, the complaint alleges that Housing Vice Minister Danny Santos Comprés is the owner of Balcones del Cerro, the real estate project causing the greatest environmental harm. The vice minister is accused of using his public office to advance his private business interests within a protected ecological zone.
Environmental Prosecutor Francisco Contreras has already ordered the suspension of a related development, Balcones de la Ribera, and has been asked to do the same for Balcones del Cerro.
Residents of Arroyo Hondo claim they have formally alerted multiple authorities—including the Mayor of the National District, the Ministry of Environment, and the Government Ethics Agency — without receiving any official response. They note that Prosecutor Contreras remains the only official to have taken action.
Local residents are calling for the suspension of all ongoing construction in the area until the courts issue a final ruling, citing the principles of precaution and prevention outlined in Dominican environmental law.
Read more in Spanish:
Noticias SIN
14 August 2025