Prominent attorney slams Dominican judiciary’s ‘Pyrrhic’ budget

Santo Domingo.- Prominent attorney Namphi Rodriguez on Thursdaysaid it’s unacceptable that being Danilo Medina president of the National MagistrateCouncil, judiciary’s budgetary autonomy law is violated and allocates a’Pyrrhic reconsideration" to the Supreme Court of RD$800 million in the billfor the 2017 Budget.

Rodriguez, president of the Justice and Law Foundation,said he’s amazed at the president’s disinterest and neglect on resuming thereform agenda and strengthen the judiciary as the backbone of public securitysystem.

"It’s a financial and institutional choking againstthe judiciary, which must cease and the president of the Republic is the bestperson to curb this situation because he’s the president of the National JudiciaryCouncil and as such knows its reality," Rodriguez said.

He noted that in 2005, Law 194-04 on the budgetary and administrativeautonomy established at least 4.10 percent of the tax revenue for the Judiciarybudget, and that percentage must be distributed a 2.66 percent for the SupremeCourt and 1.4 percent for the Justice Ministry.

“By ignoring the mandate of the judiciary’s law budgetaryautonomy, president Medina violates the principle of separation of powersembodied in article 4 of the Constitution,” the attorney said

"We’re on the shaky ground of unconstitutionality anddisregard for the principle of separation of powers, since the budgetaryautonomy is one of the most sensitive aspects of the institutional framework ofan organ or a state power and the percentages established by law the benefit ofthat body must be complied with."