Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony has taken offence to recent statement by Leader of the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) Allen Chastanet that the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) has “gone rogue.”
Describing it as “disrespectful and offensive” Anthony, who is also Finance Minister, said the statement attacks the integrity of every single person involved in the CIP from the members of the Board to the employees of the Unit.
“When a statement like that is made, it is clear that Chastanet wants to destroy the programme. His objective is to discourage badly needed investment in our country, and ultimately to prevent the programme from getting off the ground. The question is this: Why does Allen Chastanet want to harm our country?”.
The Prime Minister contended that not a single application for citizenship has been granted, yet Chastanet says the Programme has “gone rogue.”
He noted that the Government of St Lucia has appointed three major international firms or bodies to conduct due diligence on its behalf – Thomson Reuters, BDO Consulting and IPSA International.
“Is Chastanet saying that these firms too are participating in questionable practices?
The Prime Minister said that Chastanet will not be allowed to get away with malicious insinuations, adding that in time “his dealings with certain external operatives in the sector will be exposed for all to see.”
The opposition UWP, led by Chastanet which initially supported the CIP has recently stepped-up it’s criticism of the programme following its discovery of the over 12 month appointment of Saudi Arabian billionaire Walid Al Juffali as the island’s representative at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The UWP has questioned the appointment given the fact that he was yet to attend a single meeting of the IMO and the fact that Juffali had allegedly been provided with a St.Lucia passport.
The opposition further contends that the only reason his appointment became known here was when an English newspaper published a story of Juffali claiming diplomatic immunity on the basis of his IMO appointment to resist the right of his former wife to seek judicial determination to her right to property in an English Court.
The British Government has since taken the unusual step of asking the St.Lucia Government to have his diplomatic immunity waived so that his wife could have her day in court, and has requested that the Government reply by Thursday.
The opposition has asked whether Juffali is a “citizen-by-investment” of St.Lucia, and if so when did this happen, and how much has he invested in the island.
Arrangements for Juffali’s appointment were made by the then St.Lucia’s Ambassador to the UK Dr. Ernest Hilaire, who has since retired and taken up the position of Chairman of the CIP.
