PLD Calls for Audit of Dominican Public Payroll

The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) has renewed its criticism of the government’s management of public employment, calling for an independent audit of the central government’s payroll and questioning the growth of spending on salaries and employee contributions.

The opposition party said the government has budgeted approximately RD$377 billion for compensation and contributions in 2026, compared with about RD$210 billion budgeted in 2020. The figures cited by the PLD are broadly consistent with the 2026 budget formulation, which puts central government spending on remuneration at RD$377.8 billion.

The PLD argues that the increase requires a detailed explanation, including information on new hires, dismissals, salaries and the different forms of public-sector contracts.

PLD Questions Payroll Controls

At the center of the party’s criticism is the System for the Administration of Public Servants (SASP), a government human resources platform that includes functions for employee records, payroll, recruitment, performance evaluation and other personnel-management processes.

The PLD alleges that controls associated with the system were dismantled and that the public payroll subsequently expanded. The party said authorities are now attempting to regain control through a new system, although the statement did not provide independent evidence establishing that the changes to SASP caused the increase in payroll spending.

The government maintains public payroll information through official transparency portals, while the Ministry of Public Administration describes SASP as a tool for managing public-sector human resources and payroll.

Party Seeks Independent Review

The opposition party is asking for a comprehensive and independent audit covering the central government’s public employment system. It wants the review to establish the exact number of public employees, identify new appointments and separations, detail compensation and determine the different contractual arrangements in use.

The PLD also called for greater transparency around what it described as nominillas, referring to payroll-related lists that the party says the relevant minister has acknowledged. It wants authorities to determine whether individuals are receiving public compensation without clearly justified duties.

Official budget documents provide additional context for the debate. The 2026 consolidated public-sector budget sets total remuneration spending for the non-financial public sector at RD$571.4 billion, with the central government accounting for RD$377.8 billion of that amount. The same document estimates 770,184 public employees across the non-financial public sector.

PLD Says State Employment Requires Greater Transparency

The PLD said public institutions should not become employment pools for whichever political party is in power, arguing that state employment must be administered in the public interest.

The dispute comes as the Dominican government continues to publish institutional payroll records through transparency portals. The Ministry of Finance, for example, makes monthly payroll documents available for 2026, while other government institutions publish their own personnel records.

The PLD’s demand for an audit therefore centers on whether existing payroll information and administrative controls provide enough transparency to explain the growth in compensation spending and changes in public employment.

The party has framed the issue as one of accountability and public-sector management, placing the size and administration of the government payroll among its broader criticisms of the Abinader administration.