Weekly Report - 5 August 2003

A Santo Domingo judge has ordered Editora Listí­n Diario, the holding company of jailed banker Ramón Báez Romano, returned immediately to its legal owners - in this case, Báez's father. The media conglomerate, the biggest in the country and including its oldest news paper, Listí­n Diario, was placed under administration after the collapse, due to fraud, of Báez's bank, Baninter (WR-03-22). This led to the dismissal of dozens of journalists and the closure of two newspapers.  

The government, claiming that it had ordered the takeover of the media outlets under the country's anti-laundering legislation, has said it will appeal. The prosecutor handling the case has already begun the restitution process.