Conep urges Congress to approve corporate criminal-liability delay before November 5

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — The National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep) asked Congress on Sunday to speed up approval of the bill that delays by two years the entry into force of the Criminal Code provisions on the criminal liability of legal entities, before those rules begin to apply on November 5.

In letters to Senate President Ricardo de los Santos and Chamber of Deputies President Alfredo Pacheco, the business group welcomed the urgency declaration and the Senate's approval of the initiative, but warned that the legislative process must be completed swiftly so the amendment can be enacted before the scheduled date.

The bill, introduced by La Altagracia Senator Rafael Barón Duluc Rijo, amends article 31 of the Criminal Code and was urgently approved by the Senate on October 21. It still requires approval by the Chamber of Deputies and enactment by the Executive Branch to take effect.

According to Conep, the additional time would allow companies and organizations to adapt their structures, policies and internal procedures to the new legal requirements, and to develop compliance programs, internal control mechanisms, reporting channels and prevention policies. The group also argues the time would help train justice-system operators and define uniform criteria for applying the rules.

Conep offered to collaborate technically on the review of the provisions and stressed the importance of clear attribution criteria and objective standards for assessing compliance programs, based on each entity's nature, size and risk level, in order to strengthen legal certainty.

Photo: FV Digital

Source: 7 Días and FV Digital