The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (Spanish: ProcuradurÃÂa General de la República) of the Dominican Republic is a government institution belonging to the executive branch that is responsible for representing the Dominican State in courts of law, defending public interest, assuring respect for the due process of law and overseeing penitentiaries in the Republic.
It was established on the 1844 Dominican Constitution as the Secretary of State of Justice and Public Instruction (SecretarÃÂa de Estado de Justicia e Instrucción Pública). Its headquarters are located at Santo Domingo, at the Centro de los Héroes, near the Supreme Court and the Congress of the Dominican Republic. Since February 21, 2025, the Attorney General is Yeni Berenice Reynoso.
It is analogous to Departments of Justice or Ministries of Justice in other countries.
The origin of this Ministry can be found on the first Dominican Constitution, signed on November 6, 1844. This document specified that:
Thus, it was established the Secretary of State of Justice and Public Instruction (SecretarÃÂa de Estado de Justicia e Instrucción Pública) as the regulatory office of the judiciary activity and as the nexus between the President and the Supreme Court, established on Art. 31 of the same code of law.
The following year, on June 11, 1845, the Law no. 41 determined the role of the Attorney General. Initially, this position would be the link between the Secretary of Justice and the Supreme Court.
In 1931, the Secretary was suppressed and its functions on the matter of justice were transferred to the Office of the Attorney General (ProcuradurÃÂa General de la República). In 1934, the Secretary of State of Justice was reestablished, at the same as the creation of the Secretary of State of Education and Fine Arts taking the functions in the matter of public instruction. During the 1950s, the office was given roles on the subject of labour, being temporarily named Secretary of State of Justice and Labour.
On November 10, 1964, by the Law no. 485, the Secretary of State of Justice was permanently abolished and all its functions were transferred to the Office of the Attorney General.
The Office of the Attorney General has a number of agencies that work alongside it to improve the judiciary system of the Dominican Republic. These are: