The Attorney General's Office (PGR) has ordered an investigation into possible real estate fraud in 134 protected areas, due to suspicions of criminal networks, administrative corruption, document forgery, and registration irregularities.
SANTO DOMINGO. – The Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, Yeni Berenice Reynoso, has shifted the focus of prosecuting environmental crimes by ordering a broad criminal investigation into the issuance of land titles and possible real estate fraud within protected areas, in a context marked by a recent ruling from the Superior Administrative Court that impacts Jaragua National Park.
The TSA ruling orders the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources to update the official land registry of the park, which could involve modifying the administrative boundaries of plots located in the coastal area.
The Public Ministry's directive instructs specialized prosecutors to investigate not only physical occupations, but also the legal, administrative, and registration acts that resulted in the issuance of titles within the National System of Protected Areas, SINAP, which encompasses 134 spaces under state protection.
The designated areas include Jaragua National Park, Valle Nuevo National Park, the Baní Dunes, the Sierra de Bahoruco and Hoyo del Pino National Park, as well as the Bucanyé area.
The Fifth Chamber of the TSA issued sentence no. 0030-1643-2025-SSEN-00786, accepting a protection action filed by individuals, linked to lands located within the polygon of the Jaragua National Park.
An unexpected turn
In that scenario, the Attorney General's Office ordered the creation of a specialized task force to investigate possible criminal networks, administrative corruption, document forgery or registration irregularities that may have facilitated the titling of land within national parks and other protected categories, which are also strategic territories for water security and biodiversity conservation.
According to the official statement from the Attorney General's Office, the refocusing involves treating environmental crimes with the same rigor as organized crime, due to their structural and often irreversible impact.
The timing of the TSA ruling and the criminal investigation order places the environmental debate at the center of the institutional agenda, at a time when the scope of legal protection over one of the country's largest, most ecologically sensitive national parks, and one that is the focus of tourism and real estate investments, is being discussed.
Specialized task force
To conduct the process, a task force was appointed, coordinated by Deputy Attorney General Wilson Camacho, head of the General Directorate of Prosecution of the Public Ministry, accompanied by a team made up of Court Attorney Mirna Ortiz, from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption; Francisco Contreras, from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for the Defense of the Environment and Natural Resources.
Also part of the team are Ramona Nova, from the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing; Ana Burgos, head of the Real Estate Investigation Unit; and Gedeón Platón Bautista Liriano, State Attorney before the Real Estate Jurisdiction of the Central Department.
Scope of the investigation
Prosecutors will be tasked with determining whether criminal networks, acts of corruption, document forgery, or malfeasance facilitated the misappropriation of public natural resources. They will also be required to prepare a detailed report on the legal status and impact of environmental crimes in the areas comprising the National System of Protected Areas (SINAP), in coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
According to the official statement, the conservation of these areas is strategic for protecting water sources and ensuring the environmental services that support productive activities and the supply of drinking water in the country.
Accumulated context
Among the areas under scrutiny are Jaragua National Park, Valle Nuevo National Park, the Baní Dunes and the Bahoruco Mountains, all with a history of conflicts due to occupations, illegal agriculture or questionable real estate projects, according to public reports and administrative decisions of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources recorded since the 2000s, after the entry into force of the Sectoral Law of Protected Areas 202-04:
* In Valle Nuevo, authorities have been carrying out operations to clear agricultural crops within its core zone for more than two decades.
* Jaragua maintains territorial disputes prior to the promulgation of the Sectoral Law of Protected Areas 202-04, particularly in coastal areas.
* The Baní Dunes have faced occupations and land use disputes since the 1990s.
* The Sierra de Bahoruco has historically experienced conflicts related to logging, agriculture, and human settlements within protected areas.
Controversies have also arisen regarding land demarcation and certifications in environmentally protected areas, generating public debate and questions about potential shortcomings in registration and administrative controls.
It is within this context that Attorney General Yeni Berenice Reynoso has ordered a comprehensive investigation that extends beyond physical occupations and Jaragua National Park to encompass the legal and administrative acts that may have legitimized the appropriation of public natural resources.
Reactions and questions
The Ministry of Environment rejected the TSA's decision and announced legal action, arguing that the boundaries of a national park are defined by law, including Law 64-00 and the Sectoral Law of Protected Areas 202-04, and by constitutional provisions that establish its public interest character, so any modification would require legislative intervention.
Francisco Domínguez Brito, former Minister of the Environment and former Attorney General, intervened in the public debate, warning that the judicial decision could set a precedent that weakens the integrity of the protected areas regime.
Environmentalists Luis Carvajal and Yolanda León, members of the Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas, also spoke out, arguing that the ruling introduces legal uncertainty in territories that the Constitution declares to be of high public interest.
Jaragua National Park
This park, located in the Pedernales province, is part of the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve and covers more than 1,300 square kilometers, including land and marine areas, as well as extensive stretches of beach of high ecological value, including the coveted Bahía de las Águilas.
Any alteration of its boundaries impacts land territory, coastline and environmental buffer zones.
The TSA ruling orders a review of the official mapping of the protected area, based on the claims of Inversiones del Sur, SRL, which invokes acquired rights over lands allegedly and previously titled, originally included in the Jaragua National Park, which should have been excluded from the protected area because, after the validity of Law 266-04, those same lands were classified as a Tourist Hub.
In their particular opinion, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources did not update the National Registry of Protected Areas to reflect this legal change, and for that reason they filed the amparo action.
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