标签： Dominican Republic

In a high-profile corruption case unfolding at one of the Dominican Republic’s busiest international air hubs, the country’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has formally requested pretrial preventive detention for a veteran migration inspector accused of extorting bribes from incoming foreign travelers.

The defendant, Albert Isaac Pérez Ferreras, has served as an entry/exit control inspector with the Dominican General Directorate of Migration since 2022. He was taken into custody on May 17 in flagrante delicto at Las Américas International Airport, following an alleged attempt to solicit a $200 bribe from a Spanish national and their travel companion in exchange for granting the pair entry into the country.

Investigative records detail that Pérez Ferreras falsely claimed the travelers planned to stay in the Dominican Republic for three months, a stay that would exceed the permitted duration under the country’s migration rules. The inspector claimed the $200 payment was a required immigration penalty for the overstay. The Spanish travelers pushed back on the demand immediately, noting they had entered the country on previous occasions without being charged any similar fees.

When the Spanish visitor explained he only carried $70 in cash, the accused inspector agreed to accept the reduced sum and told the traveler to tuck the banknotes inside his passport for the hidden exchange. Authorities confirmed that the entire interaction, including the handoff of the money, was captured on the airport’s closed-circuit television surveillance system, providing concrete audiovisual evidence for the case.

The request for coercive pretrial measures was submitted to the Santo Domingo East Coordinating Office of the Courts of Instruction by a team of senior anti-corruption prosecutors, led by Mirna Ortiz, head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Prosecution of Administrative Corruption (Pepca). Ortiz was joined on the filing by fellow prosecutors Yoneivy González, Ernesto Guzmán Alberto, and Elizabeth Paredes Ramírez.

Public prosecution officials confirmed the case was originally referred for investigation by the General Directorate of Migration itself. As a public servant tasked with migration control, Pérez Ferreras was explicitly required to carry out his passenger oversight duties in strict adherence to core public service standards of legality, transparency, and ethical conduct.

Prosecutors note that the case against the inspector is built on a robust body of evidence, including documented records, witness testimony, the surveillance footage provided by migration authorities, and physical evidence recovered during the arrest. Pérez Ferreras faces formal charges for violating Article 146 of the Dominican Constitution, as well as multiple sections of the country’s Penal Code that address public corruption and bribery offenses.

As the legal process moves forward, authorities confirmed that the broader investigation into the incident is still ongoing, with no further details released on potential additional co-conspirators or related offenses at this stage.

Senior government leaders in the Dominican Republic have formally opened the final phase of a sweeping waterfront redevelopment project along the capital’s eastern coast, capping off a public investment initiative designed to boost local quality of life and national tourism. On Wednesday, President Luis Abinader joined Tourism Minister David Collado in Santo Domingo to inaugurate the second phase of the Santo Domingo East Boardwalk reconstruction, bringing the multi-stage transformation to an official close.

The full revitalization effort has carried a total public investment price tag of more than 685 million Dominican pesos, with the second and final phase alone accounting for 314.4 million pesos in spending. The completed project stretches 4.1 continuous kilometers along the Avenida España coastal corridor, running from the Dominican Naval Base in the north to the Las Américas Highway in the south. In total, the redevelopment has delivered more than 237,000 square meters of new public recreational and green space for local communities and visitors.

Speaking to attendees at the inauguration ceremony, President Abinader underlined the far-reaching benefits the project will deliver for three key local sectors: tourism, public recreation, and urban development across Santo Domingo East. He framed the newly renovated boardwalk as a world-class, accessible public gathering space that will serve both long-term residents of the area and the thousands of domestic and international tourists who visit the Dominican capital each year.

For his part, Tourism Minister David Collado noted that the boardwalk project is not an isolated initiative, but a core component of the Ministry of Tourism’s national strategy to restore and modernize waterfront and coastal public spaces across every region of the Dominican Republic. Collado emphasized that integrated coastal development serves dual purposes: it strengthens community connection to public natural spaces, while also expanding the country’s tourism infrastructure to attract more visitors and drive long-term economic growth.

The comprehensive infrastructure intervention included a wide range of public works beyond new green and recreational space. Construction crews built new pedestrian sidewalks, dedicated bicycle lanes, internal access roads, and landscaped central medians along the corridor. The project also added 11 new public parking areas, multiple open recreational plazas, new public urban furniture, upgraded stormwater drainage systems, and modernized electrical infrastructure to support public operations and safety along the boardwalk.

The inauguration ceremony drew a broad cross-section of public and community stakeholders, including municipal and provincial government leaders from the Santo Domingo East region, senior national government officials, and representatives from local business, community, and tourism sectors. Attendees framed the completed project as a landmark public investment that will deliver tangible benefits to the region for decades to come.

In Santo Domingo, the Dominican government has partnered with two leading global organizations – the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) – to unveil the preliminary outcomes of an ambitious nationwide social initiative focused on combating entrenched gender inequality. The four-year project, titled “Changing Gender Norms for the Prevention of Violence and Early Unions,” launched in 2022 and runs through 2025, with a core mission to cut rates of child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and gender-based violence across the country.

Backed by a total investment exceeding $4.5 million USD, the initiative was built through coordinated action across multiple Dominican public bodies falling under the national Cabinet for Children and Adolescents (known locally as GANA). Key implementing partners include the nation’s Ministries of Education and Women, the National Council for Childhood and Adolescence (CONANI), and the Supérate social welfare program, with overall oversight managed by the Ministry of the Presidency.

Intervention activities were concentrated in five high-need regions across the Dominican Republic: Santo Domingo, Santiago, San Cristóbal, Higüey, and Barahona. The project centered on four core strategic pillars: building personal and economic autonomy for girls and young adolescents, expanding evidence-based prevention programming within local school systems, driving widespread cultural and behavioral change around gender roles, and strengthening national institutional protection systems for survivors of violence.

Project leaders noted that one of the initiative’s most significant achievements has been its successful institutional transition. What began as a time-bound external intervention has since been fully integrated into the operations of existing Dominican public institutions, creating a sustainable framework that will outlast the original project timeline and open pathways for full nationwide expansion in the coming years.

The preliminary results released at the presentation show the initiative has already reached millions of Dominicans across all segments of society. More than 10,000 girls and adolescents have completed empowerment and life skills training through dedicated Girls’ Clubs established under the program. Over 190,000 teenage students have participated in school-based workshops addressing the harms of early marriage and gender-based violence. More than 5,000 primary and secondary school teachers have received specialized training to identify at-risk youth and support adolescents navigating gender-related challenges, while national awareness campaigns and community outreach efforts have reached more than one million parents and local community leaders.

A unique and key component of the project has been its intentional focus on engaging men and boys as partners in cultural change: to date, more than 51,000 men and boys have taken part in workshops focused on promoting positive masculinity and equitable gender norms. Additionally, over 1,300 public sector officials have completed training in child protection protocols, cross-agency coordination, and evidence-based prevention strategies.

Project officials emphasized that the initiative directly advances existing national policy goals. It supports the implementation of the Dominican Republic’s national Policy for the Prevention and Care of Early Unions and Adolescent Pregnancy, and aligns with ongoing enforcement efforts following the 2021 passage of Law 1-21, which formally banned child marriage across the country.

Speaking at the official results presentation, Sook Jin Byun, Country Director for KOICA, stressed that meaningful shifts in harmful social norms cannot be achieved through short-term projects, requiring consistent, long-term investment and engagement. Carlos Carrera, UNICEF’s Representative in the Dominican Republic, framed the initiative as a powerful proof of concept, demonstrating that coordinated collaboration between national governments, local communities, and global development partners can meaningfully expand life opportunities for marginalized girls and adolescents.

Dominican authorities closed the presentation by noting that the project lays critical institutional and social groundwork to accelerate progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the target to eliminate all harmful practices including early child marriage by 2030. They reiterated that sustained investment and continued expansion of prevention and protection programs across the country remains a critical priority to lock in long-term change.

In the Dominican Republic’s northern city of Santiago de los Caballeros, local municipal authorities have launched a groundbreaking new initiative designed to protect one of the city’s most cherished cultural legacies while addressing longstanding concerns over animal care and worker livelihoods. Titled “Tourist Carriages: Tradition, Well-Being and Protection”, the project marks a balanced approach to preserving a centuries-old iconic attraction that draws cultural tourists to the city, while updating outdated operating practices to meet modern animal welfare standards and support the generations of coachmen who rely on the trade for income.

The program was formally introduced by Iris Cepín de Rodríguez at a public launch event, where she framed the initiative as a necessary response to the dual nature of horse-drawn tourism in Santiago. “The horse-drawn carriages of Santiago are part of our cultural identity and history, but they also represent an important social and urban challenge,” Cepín de Rodríguez noted. To address these challenges, the project establishes a clear set of binding rules for all operators, including designated authorized routes, mandatory regular veterinary check-ins for all working horses, strictly regulated work hours, specialized training for carriage drivers, and enforceable penalties for any documented cases of animal abuse.

Deputy Mayor Mariana Moreno outlined the key structural changes the program will roll out to reduce strain on working animals. A core adjustment is the implementation of shorter, more manageable routes and structured, limited operating hours that cut down on overwork. Looking ahead, the municipal government also plans to gradually introduce electric or motorized support systems to further reduce the physical burden on horses. Beyond animal welfare, the initiative includes a dedicated social assistance component designed to support coachmen and their families, many of whom have long struggled with economic instability and limited access to health resources.

Veterinarian Horacio Ceballos reported that the first phase of animal care has already been completed in the Bella Vista neighborhood, where more than 20 working horses received essential preventive care including vitamin supplements and deworming treatments. Another key welfare adjustment being rolled out is a shift in working schedules that prohibits horses from operating during the hottest midday hours, when heat exposure poses a major health risk to the animals.

The multi-stakeholder project has brought together a cross-disciplinary team of experts to ensure its success, including legal specialists to draft and enforce regulations, experienced veterinarians to lead animal care, urban planners to map safe, appropriate routes, and sustainability specialists to guide the transition to lower-impact operations. Local tourism bodies VISIT Santiago and the Santiago Tourism Cluster have also thrown their support behind the initiative. Municipal leaders emphasize that the program’s ultimate goal is to deliver shared benefits: safeguarding a beloved cultural tradition for future generations, ensuring humane living and working conditions for the horses at the heart of the attraction, and lifting economic outcomes for the coachmen who keep the tradition alive.