Supreme Court chief justice Jorge Subero Isa challenged the United States, civil society and others to show evidence that the Dominican justice system was not effective. He said that in his view, Dominican justice is the best in Latin America. “I challenge anybody to present proof of a better justice system anywhere else in Latin America,” said the top judge. These statements are in reaction to the generalized lack of confidence in the Dominican courts’ competence to decide the extradition of accused drug smugglers Quirino Paulino Castillo and Francis Rauli Velasquez Minyetty. The Supreme Court penal chamber will decide today on Quirino’s extradition to the US.
Writing in Hoy newspaper, columnist Orlando Gil says that Subero Isa’s declarations were unwise, and could only do him and the courts more harm than good. “The Chief Justice must realize that the doubts expressed by society and by reputable institutions are not unfounded. On the contrary, they are legitimate, fair, and above all, necessary”. Referring to the Quirino case, he reminds readers that the Colombian courts were powerless against the drug barons: “The risks are obvious and these fears are a possibility”.