Legal and criminal proceedings in Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has seen various legal developments involving fraud and criminal activity. In the Coop-Herrera case, known as Operación Búho, a court ratified preventive detention for several individuals accused of participating in a network that allegedly defrauded a savings and credit cooperative of over RD$2,500 million.

Recent updates to the Operación Búho case confirm the ratification of preventive detention for Gabriel Santana Borsilea, Jorge Eligio Méndez, and Jacer Eliazar Mejía Pereyra. These individuals are accused of a scheme involving fraudulent loan simulations and irregular financial certificates that affected approximately 366 people. The trial for this case is scheduled to begin on November 20, 2026.

In the Operación Gavilán case, involving individuals accused of altering criminal records in the Public Ministry database, the Public Ministry announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice. This follows a decision by the Court of Appeals to reduce sentences and grant house arrest to several defendants, including Luis Peña Cedeño and Pilar Yrenes Medina Trinidad, after a lower court had originally imposed 10-year prison terms. The prosecution argues the appellate court misinterpreted the law.

Other judicial actions include the preventive detention of four Colombian nationals, who were ordered into three months of detention for allegedly conducting armed robberies in the Piantini and Naco sectors. In Santiago de los Caballeros, Cyber Police arrested two men for alleged electronic fraud involving a Facebook impersonation scam and a villa rental scam in Río San Juan.