El Faro Latino accuses JCE through DIGEIG of hiding expenses for 2024 overseas elections
New York: Dominican journalist and director of El Faro Latino newspaper, Esteban Cabrera, formally filed a complaint on the morning of Thursday, June 27, before the General Directorate of Ethics and Government Integrity (DIGEIG), headed by Dr. Milagros Ortiz Bosch. The complaint accuses the Central Electoral Board (JCE) of repeatedly refusing to release public information related to the budget management of the 2024 Dominican elections held abroad. The complaint was officially registered under case number C2025062745679.
The complaint, submitted on June 27, is based on the direct violation of Articles 8 and 10 of Law No. 200-04 on Free Access to Public Information and Article 49 of the Constitution of the Dominican Republic, which enshrines the citizen’s right to receive truthful, timely, and transparent information about public funds.
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- Roman Andres Jaquez Liranzo, president; the regular members are Dolores Altagracia Fernandez Sanchez, Samir Rafael Chami Isa, Hirayda Mercelle Fernandez Guzman, and Rafael Armado Vallejo Santelises.
According to the documents submitted to DIGEIG, Cabrera formally requested the information on October 21, 2024, through the SAIP Unified Portal, demanding details regarding the methodology and execution of the budget allocated to the Dominican elections in the three overseas constituencies. Although the JCE initially requested an extension, it later provided incomplete information and, in an act of institutional opacity, denied the requested documents, falsely claiming they had been fully delivered.
“This refusal is a serious affront to transparency and a direct violation of the right of Dominicans abroad to know how public resources are being used on their behalf. We are facing a wall of silence that is incompatible with a democratic state,” Cabrera denounced.
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- Judge Román Arturo Berroa Hiciano of the Fourth Chamber of the Superior Administrative Court (TSA).
In response, El Faro Latino and its director filed a constitutional protection (Amparo) action before the Fourth Chamber of the Superior Administrative Court (TSA), presided over by Judge Román Arturo Berroa Hiciano, who on May 28, 2025, reserved his ruling, which remains pending as of today.
The formal complaint requests that DIGEIG open an administrative investigation and, if ethical and legal violations are confirmed, apply the appropriate sanctions to the responsible officials. The submitted evidence includes copies of the original information request, official JCE communications, judicial documents, and a detailed legal report on the institutional refusal to comply with the law.
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- Román Jáquez Liranzo, president of the JCE Plenary, and Well Sepúlveda, director of the Dominican Vote Abroad of the JCE.
“The silence of the JCE not only violates our right as a media outlet but also the rights of the entire Dominican diaspora. We will not allow this claim to be shelved. We demand answers, justice, and exemplary sanctions,” Cabrera concluded.
El Faro Latino calls on national and international organizations, civil society, and the free press to remain vigilant in the face of such abuses, reaffirming its commitment to independent journalism, the defense of the public interest, and the transparency of the Dominican state. (See copy of the complaint):
