A casino resort in the Dominican Republic shut down last month after a group of soldiers, accompanied by a man who said he was a “bailiff,” forcibly evicted dozens of European, Canadian and American tourists.
The group entered the Cacao Beach Hotel and Casino in Santo Domingo, claiming to work for Luigi Luesoli, an Italian who had owned a stake in the resort. He claimed new owner Pasqual Remigio Valenzuela had not paid him for his stake, and that he was therefore seizing the assets.
Valenzuela insists he paid all the monthly installments on time to purchase the hotel. He complained to the local authorities that the improper seizure action, which involved breaking locks on safety-deposit boxes and hurling furnishings into the street, could cause irreparable damage to tourism in Santo Domingo, the largest city in the Dominican Republic.
According to a local newspaper, the military contingent occupied the hotel at the request of the nation’s government tourism agency.
