SANTO DOMINGO – The long-awaited and debated reform bill to the Penal Code was passed into law tonight by the Senate of the Dominican Republic, after more than two decades of discussion. 162 amendments were introduced to bring it into line with current legislation.
The Chamber of Deputies, which had allowed it to expire three times in the last five years, approved it in the early hours of the morning with 159 votes in favor and four against. It was voted on within the regulatory timeframe (July 27-August 4) of the extraordinary legislative session requested by the Executive Branch.
The now Organic Law will be sent to the Executive Branch, where President Luis Abinader may either enact it or return it to Congress with observations.
Prior to the reading of the amendments, Senate President Ricardo de los Santos emphasized the significance of the moment: “This bill has generated so much discussion and debate in the Dominican Republic. But today we are closer than ever to fulfilling our promise and delivering a new Penal Code to the country,” he stated.
He noted that the current Penal Code was enacted in 1884 and retains a legal structure inherited from 1811. “We are talking about a code that is over 200 years old. It is only right that the Dominican Republic has a new penal framework that responds to current times, to new social, technological, and legal realities,” he emphasized.
The legislator also highlighted that in March of this year, a bicameral commission was formed, comprised of 11 senators and 21 representatives, which held 25 meetings with active participation from more than 30 legislators at each meeting. The result: 162 amendments introduced in the second reading to bring the text into line with existing laws.
One of the most complex challenges was adapting the articles of the new Code to more than a dozen special laws, including Law 137-03 on Human Trafficking, Law 53-07 on High Technology Crimes, Law 448-06 on Bribery, Law 631-16 on Weapons and the recently reformed Law 340-06 on Purchases and Contracts.
“That’s why there are so many modifications. Because this project wasn’t updated at the time with all those special laws that are now in effect,” De los Santos explained.
The bill, consisting of 401 articles, was approved in the Chamber of Deputies at 3:00 a.m. this Thursday. Just 18 minutes before 4:00 a.m., it was submitted to the Senate Secretariat, allowing for its immediate consideration during the afternoon session.
“Perhaps we don’t have the perfect code, but we do have the best and most authentic that the Dominican Republic has ever had,” De los Santos concluded at the close of the session, highlighting the collective effort of Congress and the contributions of the judicial system.
