Santo Domingo – In a public statement shared via her official Instagram account, U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Leah Campos has outlined significant concerns over systemic corruption and uneven regulatory enforcement across the Caribbean nation, warning that these gaps pose tangible threats to formal cross-border commerce and the Dominican government’s ability to collect critical public revenue.
Campos noted that arbitrary enforcement of rules and pervasive corrupt practices create a deeply unfair competitive landscape for law-abiding enterprises operating in the country, putting compliant local and international firms at a marked disadvantage relative to bad actors that skirt legal requirements. She specified that these issues become a direct priority for U.S. authorities when documented irregularities harm the operational interests of American businesses and investors active in the Dominican market.
Despite airing these concerns, the ambassador offered explicit recognition of recent progress made by Dominican domestic authorities to crack down on non-compliant operations, pointing to the high-profile October 29 closure of the Cartesa cardboard factory in San Antonio de Guerra as a tangible example of this enforcement push. The facility was shuttered following a targeted inspection that uncovered a string of violations ranging from invalid operating permits to unsafe, unregulated fuel storage protocols.
Campos went on to reaffirm the long-standing, close bilateral working relationship between the two sovereign nations, emphasizing that U.S.-Dominican collaborative efforts on cross-border trade and public security remain fully in effect. She also expressed full support for ongoing joint policy initiatives designed to bolster regional security frameworks, expand pathways for legitimate, transparent commercial activity, and crack down on illicit trafficking networks that erode both countries’ public safety and long-term economic prosperity.
U.S. Ambassador warns corruption can undermine fair trade in Dominican Republic
