The President of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) and of the Judicial Power Council (CPJ), Magistrate Henry Molina received a visit from Spanish experts in criminal matters, who shared their experiences and knowledge on how to optimize the criminal process and improve interoperability among its actors. The meeting was held within the framework of theTwinning project executed with financing from the European Union.
The mission, made up of the judge of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Spain, Javier Hernández García and the head of the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Tarragona, María José Osuna Cerezo, during the meeting with Magistrate Henry Molina, expressed their gratitude for the reception, while commenting on the importance of the need to speed up criminal proceedings.
Magistrate Molina thanked them for the support they offer to the country, while commenting on the Program for the Optimization of the Criminal Process implemented by the Dominican Judicial Branch, whose main objective is to improve the service of justice and adopt measures that contribute to efficiency, functional independence and the rule of law.
As part of their agenda, the Spanish experts visited the National School of the Judiciary (ENJ) where they gave workshops for the construction of best practices focused on the use of "Alternative Measures to Criminal Conflict" and "Coercive Measures", aimed at judges, judges from different jurisdictions, members of the Public Prosecutor's Office and public defenders.
Through the workshop, knowledge was exchanged on the Spanish experience in the implementation of acceleration mechanisms for the use of alternative exits in criminal matters, with a view to decongesting the courts and optimizing criminal proceedings.
They also expressed that although Dominican procedural law has opportunities for improvement, it offers numerous legal tools that facilitate the resolution of cases without the need to reach the trial stage.
The main objective of the Twinning project is to share experiences and support initiatives that promote citizen confidence and satisfaction in the services offered by the Judicial Branch.
The project focuses on three components: the establishment of an integral management model based on quality, the improvement of quality and satisfaction in the attention provided to users, and the strengthening of judicial integrity.
PGR and Public Defense visits
The Spanish delegation also met with the Director General of Prosecution, Yeni Berenice Reynoso and with the director of the National Public Defense Office, Rodolfo Valentín, in meetings where they discussed different topics of interest regarding the Program for the Optimization of the Criminal Process.
The meeting with Reynoso was also attended by the ambassadors to the Dominican Republic of the European Union, Katja Afheldt; of Spain, Antonio Pérez-Hernández y Torra; of Germany, Maike Friedrichsen; as well as the General Coordinator of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Manuel Alba Cano.
