Ministry of Justice will begin operations after the appointment of its head

Santo Domingo.– The Executive Branch enacted the law that creates the Ministry of Justice, an entity that will assume the administrative functions of the Dominican judicial system, although its entry into operations will depend on the designation of its first incumbent. According to article 66 of the new legislation, once the minister is appointed, the Government will have a maximum period of 12 months to enable the institution and the autonomous and decentralized bodies that will be attached. The Ministry of Justice will be in charge of prison management in the 32 provinces, forensic assistance to the courts, the administration of official records and certifications, among other attributions. With this change, the Public Prosecutor’s Office will focus solely on criminal prosecution policies.

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The regulations also set deadlines for the approval of regulations: six months for the general regulation and that of the National Human Rights System; eight months for those of Penitentiary Services and the Office of the Attorney General; and up to twelve months for any other additional regulations. With this creation, the number of ministries rises to 24, although the Government is promoting mergers such as that of the Ministry of Finance with that of Economy, Planning and Development, and is considering uniting those of Education and Higher Education, Science and Technology, which would again reduce the size of the cabinet.