Yeni Berenice Reynoso
Yeni Berenice Reynoso | |
|---|---|
| Attorney General of the Dominican Republic | |
| Assumed office 24 February 2025 | |
| Appointed by | National Council of the Magistracy |
| Preceded by | Miriam Germán Brito |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 October 1982 |
| Education | Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (LLB) Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (LLM) |
| Profession | Lawyer, Prosecutor |
Yeni Berenice Reynoso Gómez (born 25 October 1982) is a Dominican lawyer and career prosecutor who currently serves as the Attorney General of the Dominican Republic. She took office on 24 February 2025, becoming the first Attorney General appointed by the National Council of the Magistracy following the 2024 constitutional reforms.
Prior to her appointment as Attorney General, she served as the General Director of Persecution of the Public Ministry (2020–2025) and as the District Attorney of the National District (2011–2018). She is known for her role in high-profile anti-corruption investigations and institutional reforms within the Dominican justice system.
Education
Reynoso holds a Law degree from the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago (UTESA), graduating in 2002.[1][2] She earned a master's degree in Penal Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), where she presented a thesis titled "Organized Crime as a Parallel Power: Challenges for the Dominican Justice System."[3]
She also holds a master's degree in State Administration Law with a dual degree from the Instituto Global de Altos Estudios en Ciencias Sociales (IGLOBAL) and the University of Salamanca in Spain.[1]
Her specialized training includes:
- Specialization in Procedural and Constitutional Law from the National University of Costa Rica.[1]
- Investigation and Leadership training at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA).[1]
- Specialization in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure from the National School of the Public Ministry and Universidad APEC.[2]
- Specialized training in feminicide investigation from the Spanish Cooperation Center in Antigua Guatemala.
- In 2025, she was pursuing a doctorate in National and Human Security at the National Defense University (UNADE).[1]
Career
Early Career and Prosecutor of Santiago
Reynoso began her career in the judicial system at age 17 as a legal volunteer in Santiago de los Caballeros. In 2009, she became the first woman and the youngest person in history to be appointed as the District Attorney (Procuradora Fiscal) of Santiago, the country's second-largest province[4].
District Attorney of the National District
In 2011, she was appointed District Attorney of the National District (Santo Domingo), a position she held until 2018. During her tenure, she prosecuted several high-profile cases involving corruption, money laundering, and gender violence.
Director of Persecution
In August 2020, she was appointed Deputy Attorney General and Director of Persecution by the Superior Council of the Public Ministry, under the administration of Attorney General Miriam Germán Brito. In this role, she led major anti-corruption operations, including "Operación Antipulpo" and "Operación Medusa," which targeted former high-ranking government officials.[5]
Attorney General
On 21 February 2025, the National Council of the Magistracy unanimously selected Reynoso as the Attorney General of the Dominican Republic. Her candidacy was proposed by President Luis Abinader. She is the first Attorney General selected under the 2024 Constitutional Reform, which removed the power of direct appointment by decree from the President to ensure greater independence of the Public Ministry.[6] She was sworn in on 24 February 2025.[7][8][9][10]
Recognitions
Reynoso has received multiple awards for her work in the justice sector:
- 2025: Recognition by the U.S. Marshals Service for her collaboration in public safety.
- 2024: Recognition by United States Homeland Security Investigations for her role in Operation Icarus.
- 2022: Integrity and Anti-Corruption Award, granted by the civil society organization Participación Ciudadana (local chapter of Transparency International).[11]
- 2013: "Woman of Courage" Award, granted by the United States Department of State through its embassy in Santo Domingo.[12][13][14]
- 2011: Grand National Quality Prize, awarded by the Ministry of Public Administration to the Santiago Prosecutor's Office under her leadership.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Perfil de la procuradora general de la República" (in Spanish). Procuraduría General de la República Dominicana. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ a b "Conozca más sobre Yeni Berenice Reynoso, nueva titular de la Procuraduría". El Nuevo Diario (in Spanish). 21 February 2025.
- ^ "Yeni Berenice Reynoso: una trayectoria de más de 20 años en el Ministerio Público". Diario Libre (in Spanish). 21 February 2025.
- ^ Libre, Diario (29 December 2011). "Yenni Berenice is the new District Attorney for the National District". Diario Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ Asmann, Parker (2 December 2020). "Dominican Republic's Anti-Corruption Crusade Targets High-Level Officials". InSight Crime.
- ^ "Yeni Berenice Reynoso es la nueva procuradora general". Diario Libre (in Spanish). 21 February 2025.
- ^ Delgado, Antonio María (9 December 2025). "From drug-traffic hub to interdiction leader: The Dominican Republic's turnaround". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 9 December 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Dominican Republic: Events of 2021". Human Rights Watch. 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ "Consejo Nacional de la Magistratura juramenta a Yeni Berenice Reynoso como nueva procuradora general de la República | Presidencia de la República Dominicana". presidencia.gob.do (in Spanish). 24 February 2025. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ Rivas, Karime (21 February 2025). "Yeni Berenice Reynoso: La fiscal de hierro que llegó a la cumbre del poder judicial". Revista Mercado (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ Olivo, Aaron (10 December 2022). "Participación Ciudadana otorga reconocimiento a los magistrados Yeni Berenice Reynoso y Wilson Camacho". Participación Ciudadana (in European Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Fiscal Yeni Berenice Reynoso recibe el premio "Mujer Coraje 2013"". Acento (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Embassy of the United States in the Dominican Republic". usembassy.gov.
- ^ "Ambassador Yzaguirre Presents 2013 Women of Courage Award to District Attorney Yeni Berenice Reynoso". U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic. 6 March 2013.