Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito requested that the Chamber of Deputies strip deputy Radhames Garcia Ramos, now known as “Chino Ramos”, of his legislative immunity. The nickname was earned when he was arrested of smuggling 16 Chinese nationals across the Haitian border into the Dominican Republic in 2002. In his letter to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, the Attorney General points out the seriousness of the crime Garcia Ramos is accused of, and the “international shame that has been heaped upon all Dominicans by his actions.” Dominguez Brito requested that the chamber speak out and respect the protective custody order in Najayo jail, while revoking his legislative immunity. The AG argued that his office has acted in accordance with Garcia Ramos’s 2002 sentencing by Supreme Court Judge Edgar Hernandez Mejia. The AG also pointed out that Article 32 of the Constitution says: “no senator or deputy can be deprived of his liberty during a legislative session without the authorization of the chamber to which the legislator in question belongs.” President Leonel Fernandez called for a Special Session of the Congress, originally due to start yesterday, but the Chamber of Deputies head set 1 February as the date of the first session. The Diario Libre revealed the fact that the letter from the President to the Legislatures was dated 19 January 2004, and, once the error was detected, the missive was sent back to the Executive Branch for correction. One of the results of the mistake is that “Chino” Ramos is still in prison.