The United Workers Party is deeply concerned about the recent lawsuit filed by MSR
Media in the United States against past and present senior members of the Government of
Saint Kitts and Nevis and involving senior officials of the Government of Saint Lucia.
The case makes damning allegations surrounding the business practices of Caribbean
Galaxy Real Estate, a Citizenship by Investment approved developer carrying on business
in both islands. The allegations include unlawful payments to Government officials and
selling of passports below the minimum price as stipulated by law in both Saint
Kitts and Saint Lucia.
Alarmingly, McClaude Emmanuel, the Chief Executive Officer of the Citizenship by
Investment Programme (CIP) of Saint Lucia, has been named as a co-defendant in the
lawsuit, and Ernest Hilaire Saint Lucia’s Minister responsible for the CIP has been named
as a co-conspirator in the racketeering lawsuit. This means that the integrity and reputation
of our CIP programme and our Government as a whole are now facing the scrutiny of
several international compliance authorities and foreign Governments with deeply
troubling implications for us all.
The allegations made will inevitably cause an erosion of trust and confidence in the
operation and management of our CIP Programme at a time when such programmes are
already in the crosshairs of the international community. This Government is gambling
with our visa access privileges, and a very real threat exists of restrictions being imposed
on our ability to travel freely and raises concerns about the integrity of our Banking
System.
In light of the revelations stated in the MSR Media lawsuit, the recent arrests by both the
United Kingdom and the United States of three individuals who obtained Kittitian
passports during the period under review, and the lack of transparency and accountability by the Government of Saint Lucia, the UWP is calling for immediate action to protect Saint
Lucia’s name and reputation and that of its CIP programme. We believe the following
must be done with immediate effect:
- Suspension of the Infrastructure Option: announced Infrastructure Option must be
suspended until there is both an independent investigation and full transparency by
the Government regarding how the Option is to work. There is evidence that this
Option is already being sold below the statutory price in contravention of the law. - Sending the CEO of the CIP on leave: McClaude Emmanuel, the current CEO of the
CIP, should be sent on leave pending the outcome of the investigation to ensure an
impartial and thorough review of the allegations. - Transfer of the CIP Portfolio: The CIP portfolio should be transferred to another
Minister while the investigation into the programme is ongoing to maintain the
integrity of the investigation. - Review of citizenships: All citizenships granted under the real estate option should
be reviewed to ensure that there were no approvals granted to persons who did not
pay the minimum investment sum as required by law. - Signing of Memorandum of Agreement: The Government must immediately sign the
Memorandum of Agreement that provides for common standards and regulations
between OECS territories for their Citizen by Investment Programmes.
The UWP urges the Government to take swift and decisive action to address these serious
issues as a sullied CIP programme jeopardizes the reputation of our country as a whole. It
is absolutely critical that our programme meets international standards in order to allay
concerns about citizenships being granted to questionable characters and Government
officials using the programme to enrich themselves.
When our Government engages in behavior that does not safeguard our integrity and puts
their own self interest above that of their citizens, it is the duty of us all to demand that they
do better. We call on all Civil Society groups to join us in this call for swift and decisive
action because the risks we face are real and imminent.
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