US State report bashing Presidency’s lack of transparency ‘unacceptable’

Santo Domingo.- Government Ethics director Marino Vinicio Castillo on Sunday called the US State Dept. report comparing Dominican Republic to Haiti on transparency in public spending “unacceptable.”

The official referred to Washington’s criticism of alleged lack of transparency in spending by the Office of the Presidency, noting that the Dominican Republic cannot be compared with a collapsed State such as Haiti.

He said it was an "excess" in the State Dept. report to question the transparency of the Presidency’s Office, which is allocated 9% of the total government budget and of the Overseers named to monitor it.

Speaking in his program La Respuesta, the official said a mention of the Presidency such as State’s report, must be “vigorously rebuked” anywhere in the world.