With the appointment of Antoliano Peralta Romero as attorney generalthe Dominican Government activated the legal term 12 months to put into operation the Ministry of Justicein accordance with the provisions of the Organic Law 80-25enacted in August 2025.
The Peralta appointment occurred on January 5, 2026through the Decree 1-26issued by President Luis Abinader. As of that date, the deferred application period provided for in the law for the complete implementation of the new institution began to run.
He article 66 of Law 80-25 establishes that the Ministry of Justice must come into permanent operation within a maximum period of 12 months from the date of appointment of the minister.
This implies that, at the latest January 2027the minister’s office, the vice ministries and the administrative dependencies provided for in the regulations.
The law contemplates a gradual start-up. Within this same transition process, an additional period of up to 18 months is set for definitive affiliation to the Ministry of Justice of entities such as General Directorate of Penitentiary Services and Corrections, the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif) and the Administrative Attorney General, which currently operate under other State agencies.
Separates administrative functions
He Ministry of Justice was created with the aim of separate administrative functions and management of the justice system that until now fell to the Attorney General’s Officewithout affecting the independence of the Public Ministry in criminal prosecution.
Its responsibilities include the coordination of state policy against crime, judicial and extrajudicial representation of the State, supervision of the penitentiary system, administration of registry matters and coordination of the National Human Rights System.
The structure of the new ministry includes six vice ministries: Attention and Collaboration to the Justice System; Judicial and Extrajudicial Representation; Human Rights; Public Policies against Crime; Penitentiary Policies and Corrections; and Registry Matters and Citizen Services.
By the year 2026, the General State Budget allocated RD$4,175.7 million for the start-up of the Ministry of Justice. Of that amount, 80% is allocated to current expenses and the rest to capital expenses, with the objective of covering infrastructure, staff and administrative systems.
With the appointment of the minister and the formal activation of the legal termthe Government is obliged to execute, within the year established by law, the administrative, budgetary and organizational actions necessary for the Ministry of Justice fully operate as part of the structure of the Executive power.
