Imminent Legal Action Against the JCE Before the U.S. Department of Justice

New York: The newspaper El Faro Latino announced that it is preparing to file a formal complaint against the Dominican Republic’s Central Electoral Board (JCE) before the U.S. Department of Justice, denouncing the lack of transparency in the management of resources allocated to the Dominican vote abroad during the 2024 elections. The action is based on the JCE’s refusal to deliver financial reports of the elections, despite repeated requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Dominican Republic allocated a total of RD$8,369,978,324.72 for the 2024 electoral cycle, which included municipal, presidential, and congressional elections. However, the electoral body has not published a territorial breakdown that would show how much of that budget was used abroad, where 11% of the national voter roll resides.

According to the JCE itself, 54.23% of the spending went to salaries, 15.48% to logistics, and 12.04% to electoral promotion. The largest category was “domestic per diem” with RD$2.41 billion, while expenses for international travel, rentals, or logistics abroad were not reflected.

Read also: El Faro Latino Warns the JCE of Legal Action in the U.S. Amid Denial of Justice in the Dominican Republic

The Weight and Abstention of the Overseas Vote

The overseas voter roll closed with 863,785 registered voters across more than 30 countries, making it the fourth-largest electoral district, surpassed only by Greater Santo Domingo, the National District, and Santiago.

Despite its size, participation was minimal, with only 160,374 votes cast, representing 19% of registered voters. Abstention reached 70% in Europe and 80% in the United States. In short, a significant amount was spent, few people voted, and the exact cost of the process abroad remains unknown, as the JCE refuses to release its financial reports.

The 2020 Precedent

In 2020, El Faro Latino reported an alleged embezzlement of more than US$4 million in the overseas vote, based on more than 18,800 documents obtained from the JCE itself. A forensic audit conducted by the firm Disla Doñeé & Asociados identified irregularities, including over US$800,000 in cash withdrawals in New York, untraceable multimillion-dollar transfers in New Jersey, a deficit of US$2,767,405.53 at the New York OPREE, US$263,098.55 in Massachusetts, US$140,543.00 in Pennsylvania, and US$145,128.47 in Miami. The audit also noted illicit deposits into personal accounts in Washington totaling US$95,000; US$217,969.69 in Puerto Rico’s OPREE; closures of Bank of America accounts; irregular payments in Europe; and additional account closures.

Although the JCE created a special commission and acknowledged “gray areas,” it never published a full audit. Four years later, the opacity remains.

Legal Battle in 2024 and 2025

In October 2024, El Faro Latino formally requested the financial reports of the 2024 overseas vote under Law 200-04. The JCE responded only with partial and incomplete information.

In April 2025, the newspaper filed an amparo (constitutional remedy) before the Superior Administrative Court (TSA). After two hearings, Judge Román Arturo Berroa Hiciano reserved his ruling and has yet to issue a decision.

Later, on June 27, 2025, the newspaper filed a complaint with the General Directorate of Ethics and Government Integrity (DIGEIG), registered under number C2025062745679; however, it was archived without a response, fueling perceptions of an institutional cover-up.

The JCE–MIREX Agreement

Through an agreement signed by Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez and JCE President Román Jáquez Liranzo, both institutions committed to promptly managing the permits necessary for holding elections abroad, as established by Article 126 of the Organic Law of the Electoral Regime No. 20-23.

The agreement stipulates that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX) must notify foreign authorities of the elections, expedite the dispatch of electoral pouches abroad, and assist the JCE in opening bank accounts overseas, among other aspects. This confirms the existence of financial operations outside the country. However, no information has been published regarding expenses for venue rentals, staff travel allowances, international logistics, advertising, or local services.

What is Being Demanded

During a virtual hearing held on May 28, JCE lawyers surprised the court by claiming that they had already delivered the requested information, albeit without complying with the General Law on Access to Public Information No. 200-04. Judge Berroa Hiciano decided to reserve his ruling.

El Faro Latino demands, at a minimum, the breakdown of 2024 expenses by overseas district and country; the application and methodology of the general budget for overseas voting; a list of foreign bank accounts with opening and closing dates; contracts and purchase orders executed abroad with final beneficiaries; and the cost per overseas voter compared with spending inside the Dominican Republic.

None of these demands requires legal reforms—only a willingness to be transparent.

Path Toward U.S. Justice

Given this situation, El Faro Latino will turn to U.S. jurisdiction, where many of these financial operations took place. The case will be based on provisions such as 28 U.S.C. § 1782 (production of documents and testimony in federal courts), federal money laundering statutes (18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957), the Bank Secrecy Act, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

“If in 2020 the alarms were raised, in 2024 a pattern of opacity was consolidated. The diaspora deserves answers, because their overseas vote cannot continue to be the black box of Dominican democracy,” the newspaper’s management stated.