UK Ambassador says wait for details on extortion row

Santo Domingo.- British ambassador Steven Fisher said Monday that Dominican Republic has a good investment climate, an affirmation which comes just days after sweeping rebuke for his accusation of extortion against an UK company by Dominican Government officials

“Of course it’s possible to invest, that’s reason we invite and subsidize the visit of British industrialists, so they come to look for opportunities here in the country.”

Fisher, speaking as host to a delegation of United Kingdom business leaders and parliamentarians which visited Dominican Republic’s Export and Investment Center (CEI-RD), said eight companies from the areas of construction, renewable energy, tourism, architecture and documentation came to look for possible investments and markets. “It’s a visit by parliamentarians interested in Dominican Republic and Haiti and also a visit by a number of private sector companies which are also interested in looking for opportunities here and in the neighboring country.”

As to his extortion allegations, the diplomat said he cannot provide details, “because that depends on the company, if it wants to make denunciation. There’s no denunciation, is necessary to take it in its context. Within days, probably today (yesterday) we’re going to put in the Internet, the British embassy site, the complete text of what I said and you can read it and decide, because it’s been very, very badly interpreted.”

He added that the UK’s current investment in Dominican Republic is US$1.0 billon, a figure which makes his nation the fifth biggest investor in the country.