New York City — El Faro Latino warned that noncompliance by the Junta Central Electoral with a ruling issued by the Tribunal Superior Administrativo could extend beyond the Dominican legal system. The warning follows a legal dispute initiated by the outlet and its director, Esteban Cabrera, after the electoral body refused to provide financial documents related to overseas voting in the 2024 elections.
The case was heard by the Fourth Chamber of the TSA, which on May 28, 2025, granted the constitutional protection action filed by El Faro Latino and ordered the JCE to deliver specific information regarding the management of public funds allocated to overseas electoral processes. More than six months after the ruling, its effective compliance remains disputed. The outlet directed its warning to JCE president Román Jáquez Liranzo and to Well Sepúlveda, who are responsible for overseeing the administration of those resources.
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El Faro Latino stated that if any of the funds were handled through the U.S. financial system, including transactions in dollars or through banks based in the United States, federal jurisdiction mechanisms could be triggered. The legal framework cited includes the Bank Secrecy Act, the Money Laundering Control Act, and federal statutes on bank fraud and wire fraud, reinforced by provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act. The outlet clarified that these references do not constitute formal accusations but outline a potential legal scenario when foreign public funds interact with the U.S. financial system.
According to the report, the ruling was not formally notified to El Faro Latino until mid-November 2025, despite being issued in May. The JCE maintains that it complied with the order by delivering a USB drive with requested information in September 2025. However, the outlet states that the delivery occurred prior to formal notification and did not include all documents ordered by the court, such as detailed budgets, bank statements, transfers, and other key financial records. Legal experts cited in the report indicated that partial delivery, especially prior to official notification, does not meet the standard of full judicial compliance.
The TSA ruling established a 60-day compliance period starting on December 5, 2025, the date of formal notification. Until that period expires, the court cannot declare contempt or impose sanctions. El Faro Latino’s legal team has opted to wait for the deadline before returning to court. If the JCE fails to comply fully, the court may verify noncompliance, declare administrative contempt, and order the complete delivery of the information.
Beyond the legal dispute, the case raises broader concerns about transparency in the management of overseas electoral funds and the right of the Dominican diaspora to access information about public resource allocation. The report notes that voter registration abroad grew to more than 863,000 by 2024, while participation dropped significantly, with abstention rates reaching approximately 81 percent.
The report also highlights previous allegations of financial irregularities, including the closure in 2020 of four bank accounts linked to the JCE at Bank of America in New York. It states that such actions typically occur when compliance alerts are triggered within the U.S. financial system. If confirmed, the potential consequences could extend beyond financial or legal sanctions and impact the viability of conducting Dominican electoral processes on U.S. soil.
The ruling has been issued. The deadline is running. The question is no longer whether a legal obligation exists, but whether it will be fulfilled and how far the dispute could escalate if it reaches U.S. courts.
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