[DR1] SCJ 'untrustworthy' says Veras

[NewsWhore]

Ramon Antonio Veras, better known as "Negro" Veras, has been an outspoken critic of dictatorships, shoddy government practices, and the poor running of the justice system. Speaking in Santiago after receiving the Duarte, Sanchez and Mella Order of Merit, Veras told reporters from Multimedias del Caribe that he felt that the Supreme Court was no longer trustworthy, "even though there are some magistrates who do a good job, the 'system' isn't trustworthy". A lawyer famous for championing the underdog, Veras has often been put forward as a possible Supreme Court Judge, but has refused the post. He said that for some time he had been praising the current court as the best ever in the history of the Dominican Republic, but now he is "withdrawing from his previous position." He went on to say that "today, in 2006, I am sorry to have written so much and that my throat has uttered so many words of praise." He called the Court's latest actions "a slap in the face to those who aspire for a justice system that is clean and healthy." Unfortunately, the jurist did not go into details as to what action in particular led to his disavowal of the court. Veras criticized what he called "clientilism", what in United States politics is called 'patronage', and the conversion of politics into a commercial venture. Veras said that the only way to change things was for the members of the different political parties to change their entire leadership structure. Referring to his new honor, the noted jurist said that he had only done what thousands of other men and women have done and that he had just continued with this commitment to the law.

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