Constitutional Court closes case on millionaire claim by Trujillo’s descendants
The Constitutional Court (TC) of the Dominican Republic has issued a final ruling that puts an end to the claims of the descendants of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who were seeking to recover a large sum of money deposited in the Banco de Reservas since the year 1950. The decision, marked as TC/0737/26, declared the constitutional review appeal filed by Rafael José Ramón and Yolanda Altagracia Trujillo Lovatón inadmissible.
The claimants, children of the dictator’s extramarital relationship with Lina Lovatón Pittaluga, were attempting to access the funds from certificate of deposit number 2117. According to their claim, the capital was to be transferred to Lovatón Pittaluga following Trujillo’s death. However, the country’s highest judicial body determined that the request lacked the “special constitutional significance or relevance” required by Law 137-11 to proceed with the appeal.
Citizen voices regarding the ruling
After the resolution was made known, various citizens expressed their position on this historic litigation. The majority of the opinions gathered support that the resources remain under state control, arguing that the assets accumulated during the dictatorship have an origin linked to the public treasury.
I do not agree, not at all. When Trujillo was in power, what he produced was his and not the people’s. Therefore, that money does not belong to the Trujillo family, it belongs to the Dominican people.
Manuel Herrera, citizen consulted.
On the other hand, there were those who questioned the management of these funds within the State, raising doubts about their efficient use, while other sectors emphasized that the claimants did not perform productive work to generate said capital, thus disqualifying the legitimacy of their succession claim.
That money can be used for infrastructure projects and for the benefit of Dominican society.
Anderson Núñez, citizen consulted.
Judicial process details
The plenary of the Constitutional Court, under the presidency of magistrate Napoleón Estévez Lavandier, thus validated the position that had already been held by the Supreme Court of Justice. The legal conflict centered on the interpretation of Law 57-85, regarding the confiscation of assets linked to the Trujillo family, as well as the regulations of the Civil Code on deposit contracts.
With this ruling, the SCJ-PS-25-086 judgment issued in April 2025 is confirmed, which ratified the decisions of lower courts that favored Banco de Reservas. In this way, the Dominican State maintains possession of the assets in dispute, closing a judicial chapter that has persisted for years on the national agenda.
