Politics

D.R. president’s office: Abinader has no links with family businesses

Santo Domingo, Oct 4 (EFE).- The Dominican President’s Office on Monday responded to revelations from the so-called Pandora Papers by emphasizing that President Luis Abinader cut his ties with any family-owned businesses before he was inaugurated in August 2020.

In a paid notice in several daily newspapers with nationwide circulation, the President’s Office emphasized that “since Aug. 16, 2020, President Luis Abinader has been completely disassociated from the administration and management of all corporations controlled by his family, whether established in the Dominican Republic or abroad.”

“President Abinader’s interest is that each day efforts favoring transparency, democracy, (and) the fight against impunity and corruption should be greater. Setting a good example, like nobody before him, he declared all of his assets, acting without any fronts and without hiding properties. All his investments are within the country and pay their tax obligations according to the national laws,” the statement said.

Abinader is one of 14 current world leaders who, according to an in-depth investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), have offshore corporations in tax havens, allegedly to avoid paying taxes in their home countries.

The statement from the President’s Office also reiterates the answer provided by the Dominican government to the ICIJ in which it said that “Abinader and his family used offshore companies to manage investments and local assets that comply with their tax obligations in ithe country.”

On Sunday, Dominican presidential spokesman Homero Figueroa emphasized that the ICIJ reports “acknowledge (Abinader’s) transparency … by recalling that his Sworn Asset Declaration includes all the offshore companies managed under a family trust.”

According to the ICIJ report, the documents examined by the consortium show that Abinader, along with his siblings, created two corporations in Panama – Littlecot and Padreso – which were founded in 2011 and 2014, respectively.

These corporations manage and control family assets in the Dominican Republic and hold shares in six other family companies, including the Dominican O&M University.

Related Articles

Back to top button