# Dominican ministry tax scrutiny

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-ministry-tax-scrutiny
> Updated: 2026-08-02T11:32:26.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

In late July, pastor Yesenia Then of the Centro Cristiano Soplo de Vida responded to media reports by asserting that her church and its training school were fully compliant with Dominican tax obligations, citing recent DGII certifications and offering to submit to an audit. She also explained delays in the Ciudad Refugio project due to unresolved land titles while a pilot program continued to serve vulnerable children.

A few days later, investigative journalist Nuria Piera published a follow‑up report that questioned the ministry’s financial transparency. The new report highlighted that the ministry had received multiple import‑tax exemptions for books and noted that several private businesses linked to Then and her husband lacked any tax‑status documentation. Analysts pointed out that the provided DGII certificates only confirmed filing of returns, not the accuracy of financial statements, raising concerns about possible mixing of personal and church assets.

## Claims

- Nuria Piera released a second investigative report on Yesenia Then's ministry. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Yesenia Then responded with a 17‑minute video to address questions about her ministry. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Then presented two DGII certifications confirming she is up to date with tax obligations. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- Then did not provide certifications for her private businesses and foundations linked to her ministry. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The Ministry International Soplo de Vida received 25 import‑tax exemptions in the last five years. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Those exemptions covered the import of 4,530 books, some authored by Yesenia Then. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Tax consultant Joseph Abreu said the exemptions may have benefited private commercial enterprises registered to Yesenia Then and her husband Joan Bonilla. (corroborated by 2 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-08-02: Yesenia Then's Ministry Faces Financial Probe Over Tax Exemptions

Nuria Piera's report alleges Yesenia Then's ministry received 25 tax exemptions, omitted documentation for linked businesses, and mixed personal and church assets, despite a video response with limited tax‑com​

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/yesenia-thens-ministry-faces-financial-probe-over-tax-exemptions

### 2026-07-28: Yesenia Then defends ministry finances amid Dominican tax scrutiny

Dominican pastor Yesenia Then said her church and school are tax‑compliant, denied misuse of donations, and noted that the Ciudad Refugio project is pending land titles but operating a CONANI‑approved pilot for

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/yesenia-then-defends-ministry-finances-amid-dominican-tax-scrutiny

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Cite as: Dominican ministry tax scrutiny. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/dominican-ministry-tax-scrutiny