Criminal Charges for Polluting a River in the Dominican Republic

ELAW partners in the Dominican Republic recently won a court verdict that brought criminal charges against the owner of a pig farm that had been polluting the Rio Jamao al Norte in Espaillat province for years. The court sentenced Luis Manuel Brache, owner of LB, SRL Pig Farm, to a one-year suspended sentence, suspended his environmental license to operate until he corrects the violations of the law, ordered him to give talks to pig farmers as a way of compensating for the one-year suspended sentence with community service, imposed a fine of 15 million pesos (US$ 256,000), and ordered the environmental damages to be remedied.

Euren Cuevas Medina, from the Institute of Lawyers for the Protection of the Environment (INSAPROMA), says, “We are satisfied with the verdict because it creates an important precedent for the cleanup of rivers for human health, water quality, and environmental health. The Jamáo Al Norte River is the most important in the Espallat province. It provides drinking water to the province as well as the supply to water crops and cattle. The province is an ecotourism destination, thanks to the beauty of the turquoise water and natural pools visitors and locals enjoy.

To achieve this verdict, more than 20 institutions and individuals united to demand justice, accompanied by INSAPROMA.

Euren approached ELAW’s Science Team for support in interpreting the environmental report of the case and determining what diseases could be caused by the waste listed among the effluents from the pig farm. The most concerning community health findings were the results of the analyses that tested positive for E. Coli. This bacteria causes a potent toxin that damages the lining of the small intestine. The ruling proved that many people have been injured by the river pollution caused by the pig farm.

Congratulations to all who collaborated to hold this polluting farm accountable and preserve clean water and community health.

Bern Johnson
Executive Director
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide

For more information, please see:

Abogados de Insaproma y Procuraduría Ambiental de Moca logran condena millonaria por contaminación

Tribunal Santiago condenan empresario por contaminación de río Jamao al Norte

Tribunal da lección de ética a empresario con condena de RD$15 millones

Photo 1: Río Yasica, Las Espinas, Jamao al Norte, Espaillat, Dominican Republic. Photo by Albert0829 on Wikimedia Commons.
Photo 2: Pork Factory Farm. Photo by Mercy For Animals on Wikimedia Commons.