• In this photo provided by Diario Libre, The Dominican Republic’s Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources Orlando Jorge Mera poses for a publicity photo in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 18, 2022. Mera was shot and killed in his office on Monday, June 6, 2022, according to officials. (Alexander Arias / Diario Libre via AP)
    In this photo provided by Diario Libre, The Dominican Republic’s Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources Orlando Jorge Mera poses for a publicity photo in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, May 18, 2022. Mera was shot and killed in his office on Monday, June 6, 2022, according to officials. (Alexander Arias / Diario Libre via AP)
  • Police guard the Ministry of Environment offices in Santo Domingo after the minister was shot. EPA
    Police guard the Ministry of Environment offices in Santo Domingo after the minister was shot. EPA
  • A close friend of the minister, Miguel Cruz, was later arrested at a nearby church, police said. EPA
    A close friend of the minister, Miguel Cruz, was later arrested at a nearby church, police said. EPA
  • An ambulance leaves the ministry offices. EPA
    An ambulance leaves the ministry offices. EPA
  • Shots rang out, with people on the street yelling and taking cover, reports said. Reuters
    Shots rang out, with people on the street yelling and taking cover, reports said. Reuters
  • Employees leave the ministry offices. EPA
    Employees leave the ministry offices. EPA
  • A security agent runs to the ministry building. EPA
    A security agent runs to the ministry building. EPA
  • Police and emergency officials swarm the offices. AFP
    Police and emergency officials swarm the offices. AFP
  • Police prevented mourners gathered near the offices from entering. EPA
    Police prevented mourners gathered near the offices from entering. EPA
  • Police at the premises. EPA
    Police at the premises. EPA
  • An officer redirects traffic. EPA
    An officer redirects traffic. EPA
  • Police close the gate of the ministry offices. AFP
    Police close the gate of the ministry offices. AFP
  • Mr Jorge Mera's office was on the fourth floor of a building that also houses the Ministry of Tourism. AFP
    Mr Jorge Mera's office was on the fourth floor of a building that also houses the Ministry of Tourism. AFP

World

The Americas

Dominican Republic environment minister Orlando Jorge Mera killed in his office

Close friend Miguel Cruz was later arrested at a nearby church

The National

June 07, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

The Dominican Republic’s Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera was shot and killed in his office on Monday, the office of the president said.

Mr Jorge Mera's close friend Miguel Cruz was later arrested at a nearby church. Authorities said he told a priest he committed a crime and handed over a gun to him.

Officials gave no motive for the shooting of Mr Jorge Mera, whose father was a former president of the Caribbean nation.

“We express our deepest condolences,” the office of President Luis Abinader said.

Shots were heard late on Monday morning, with people on the street yelling and taking cover, AP reported.

Mr Cruz had promised at the church to turn himself in if they guaranteed he would not be killed, authorities said.

Heavily armed police officers took him into custody at the church, which is about a 15-minute drive from the office where Mr Jorge Mera was shot.

When he was brought out, Mr Cruz was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest and kept his head mostly down as the glasses he wore slid slightly down his nose.

One bystander yelled: “You killed a good man! Murderer!”.

Miguel Cruz is taken into custody after Dominican Republic Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera was shot dead on Monday. Reuters
Miguel Cruz is taken into custody after Dominican Republic Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera was shot dead on Monday. Reuters

Powerful family headed by former president

The victim came from a powerful political family. He was the son of former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco and his sister is a deputy minister in Mr Abinader’s administration. His son is a Modern Revolutionary Party legislator, of which Mr Jorge Mera was a founding member.

The family said Mr Cruz had been friends with the environment minister since childhood. It said Mr Jorge Mera was shot numerous times.

“Our family forgives the person who did this. One of Orlando’s greatest legacies was to not hold grudges,” it said.

Police and emergency officials swarmed the office of the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry in the capital of Santo Domingo and barred people from entering as mourners gathered nearby.

Mr Jorge Mera's office was on the fourth floor of a building that also houses the Ministry of Tourism.

“We are troubled by the situation,” the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry said.

Mr Jorge Mera, a lawyer, was appointed as environment minister in August 2020.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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