When my Administration took office, we promised to take steps to ensure the integrity of our Citizenship-by-Investment program. This program has attracted significant criticism for its lack of transparency and its seeming disregard for rules that were supposed to govern its operation.
After enacting significant CBI reforms in St. Kitts and Nevis—including making underselling of citizenships illegal—our Administration led efforts that resulted in a Memorandum of Agreement among the five members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States which offer CBI programs. That MOA established CBI reforms and put OECS members on equal footing regarding CBI activities.
Now that we accomplished that, this Administration is turning its attention to irregularities that allegedly occurred with the CBI program before the reforms we enacted.
Today, the Director of Public Prosecutions’ Office announced that it has launched an inquiry into those alleged CBI irregularities, and I fully support that effort.
The CBI program is a vital asset for the citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis. We intend to ensure that it is administered properly and that anyone who improperly takes advantage of it is held to account.