The president of the bicameral commission that studies two bills of Domain Extinction for Civil Forfeiture of Illicit Assets, Senator Pedro Catrainassured that, if necessary, in order to achieve consensus to approve this initiative, they are willing to give in two or three controversial articles.
“If we have to give in two or three articles that there is no consensus and approve 97 percent of the articles, we are going to do it,” he said.
When questioned about the differences that exist around the piece of legislation, Catrain stated: “There is nothing to fear from the differences. There is no need to set an alarm. There is no need to make a scandal because there are differences. Because that is the normality of a democratic Congress.”
For him the characteristics of the current National Congress they are by consensus, so their actions will be based on the search for agreements as a way to provide the country with a law of Domain Extinction.
The senator for Samaná gave society guarantees that the congressmen who are members of the bicameral commission “are going to get this bill go ahead”.
In that sense, he highlighted that the commissioners decided to work two days a week in the study of the piece, in order to ensure that the report is ready by the end of May.
He stressed that legislative work is currently focused on the bills deposited by Antonio Taveras and Félix Bautista, because Senator Milciades Franjul decided to withdraw the initiative he had presented.
He reported that the methodology being implemented is to approve article by article after concluding the process of reading the two bills under study.
Another member of the bicameral commission, the reformist deputy Rogelio Alfonso Genao Lanza reported that the commissioners decided first to approve the articles on which there is consensus and that they postponed knowing the issues on which they have differences of opinion.
The non-retroactivity of the law, its scope of application, whether the presumption of innocence must be proven by the accused or by the Public Ministry and the creation or not of a special jurisdiction to hear these cases are part of the issues on which no consensus exists.
In addition, the reformist legislator considered that the study of the bill from Domain Extinction It must be assumed responsibly because it involves something delicate about the right to property.
They reject non-retroactivity
The members of the bicameral commission Genao Lanza, Shoraya Suárez and Santiago Zorrilla were opposed to the fact that in the law of Domain Extinction non-retroactivity is included because it would be unconstitutional.
Entrepreneurs, “they have nothing to fear”
Last week the executive vice president of the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), Circe Almánzar, expressed her concern that the scope of the Law of Domain Extinction could affect foreign investment.
When questioned about it, congressmen Genao Lanza, Shoraya Suárez and Santiago Zorrilla assured the businessmen that they have nothing to fear.
“”We cannot promote investment with dirty money, with illicit money, that is, no one can be promoting investment with money from laundering, drug trafficking, corruption, tax evasion””Spokesperson for the block of deputies of the PRSC
“I believe that those who behave well do not have to be afraid and Circe (Almánzar) and a number of businessmen who have contributed to the country are correct people. They don’t have to be afraid”Perremeist deputy
“Businessmen don’t have to be afraid. That’s why there is a Congress that works, that works and that approves a law in the National Congress but then it goes to the Executive Power and the president has the right to enact or veto it.”Vice President of the Senate
