While economically pressed Caribbean countries are selling citizenship to mostly Middle Eastern, Asian, and Russian applicants as an easy revenue source, reports here says abuse of the programme is on the rise.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, the twin-island federation of St Kitts and Nevis, of roughly 55,000 people, grants citizenship in exchange for either a contribution of US$250,000 or more to its Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation or the purchase of approved real estate worth a minimum of US$400,000.
“Selling passports is a way for the cash-strapped nation to raise money and has helped transform an economy once dependent on sugar cane,” said the paper on Friday. “But, as the programme has grown, so have allegations of abuse.”
Big money for the “Big” boys. that’s all. How many Years now, for decades, Dominica operating an Economic Citizenship Programme, where are the benefits to the country and its people?
The Layou River Hotel project lies in ruins. A classic example of how an entire nation was fooled and allowed itself to be fooled by the whims, fancies and greed of a few. Passports sold. Millions collected. Where are the projects/investments from that ECP? Where the $$$$$$$$ gone? Gone to the pockets of a few?
As if the people have not been fooled enough, a new name, Citizenship-by-Investment flying about. The ECP wasn’t about investment, nuh? Same ting, selling of our sacred passports, our collective property, to the highest bidder, money for a few, while the majority getting poorer.
Explain how our Dominican passports reach into the hands of foreign criminals and fraudists? Explain the selling of our diplomatic immunity? selling, handing over our diplomatic passport to people of questionable repute? for how much? where is the money? who give them the passports?
Imagine a foreign criminal could be exempt from facing the law for his crimes, or fleeing from justice, by dishing out his diplomatic passport and claiming immunity?
Is so we come, then?
Even though thousands of Dominicans cry to Gov’t to stop the programme, because of lack of transparency and accountability, they won’t budge. Money, money, money!!!!!!
Is Dominica for SALE? How much will the poor people receive after the sale? Think about it!!!!!!!!!
This is a good way to lose Your Country.When these Economic Citizens form a block (Party) They will be the majority and totally take the country away.
Change is a must, Big News Nigel Farage big winner in local elections, Linton u can do it.
stop giving the Haitians our passports
Today`s legal form of human trafficking. The World as we know it money talks bull walk. You have the money lets talk. What does it profit a country to buy all those with their money for quick fix economy, and later we are all worst off for it? Judas sold Jesus for 12 pieces of sliver”. The last days are coming things are playing themselves in those disguise form but we call it development! In my opinion our growing generations will view it as ” devastation.” to the very fabric of our beloved Island.
Dosent or didnt america have their own programme which can now boast of serious criminal elements being able to boast of being billionairs and gazillionairs?…. anything the caribbean does will always be criminalized. Even their visa programs have been compromised but do you see anyone saying anything. Their articles and publications are just ways of dirtying the caribbean so that it remains a group of small island developing state. their aim is to ensure that the caribbean reamins in the developmental stage for ever.
What all you expect to come out of this. The Government is the biggest part of the abuse. They cannot give an account of the money and where it is spent. Economic citizenship is just another magnet for criminal enterprise and people with no good intentions. Tell me why else would someone want to buy citizenship in a country that does not offer anything better than theirs and in which they do not plan to stay. Any crook can make a dominican passport and there is nothing dominica can do to stop except cancel the program
St. Kitts rake in million of dollars from selling the passports to foreigners. These are rich people who are able to pay exorbitant sums of money for a passport and citizenship.
you do not know where the millions are going to? As a lawyer you should make it your business to find out.
Selling passports to Iranian, Asian and Middle East could be dangerous. Do they not know the reputation of those countries? They may also end up with terrorists in their country. They use the passports as a leeway to conduct and promote their illegal activities.
Dwyer (longtime no see)
What are the Kittitian people saying about this selling of passports and the amount they are sold for? With that amount of money, poverty should be eradicated in St. Kitts.
DNO your intention is clear. Make Dominica look bad even if it only refers to St. Kitts.
It doesn’t need DNO to make us look bad. Have you forgotten the case of Canada ? We used to be able to go there without visa. They warned our Govt. about irregularities with our passports but no, we didn’t listen and now you need a visa to visit there. Are you one of those that prefer to keep our dirty things hidden so we can never clean up and do better?
Thanks God for Dr. Thompson, he loves his country and always gives the best of advice. That’s why Tony’s talk of taking him to court was just talk. Tony knew their can of worms would have come out.
@The real world, are you serious? It was Thompson Fontaine who was proclaiming the St. Kitts economic citizenship program and how it was making more money than the Dominica program. For your information Fontaine has been sued.
Stupid Stupid Stupid. Be prepared to attack some of the worse criminals. The Chinese will take over Dominica just like it was almost over thrown years ago.
@ Europe, the island is already sold to the Chinese, just a pity that you are not residing on Dominica
I won’t be long when we on the island will be answering to them, all the so call gift that Skerrit is getting from them, all the behind the scene deals etc, Dominica is already sold to them, them amount of money this island is loaning from china, there is no way my children children children will be able to pay back, needless to say where the passport sale money etc is going
Mr PM we need to know where the money is going , Skerrit where all that money gone, selling dominica to china, Russia, morocco, and all the other Asian countries, Skerrit we want to know where the money gone/is going
Dominicans this is very serious, the now president of dominica then caused havoc in Dominica , with freedom party, saying pj was planning to sell Dominica, what took place because of his action is history, today his is the president of Dominica seating in the state house, knowing what his former young freedom member youths are doing to the island, which he is enjoying and is saying zippo
Mr PM, as the saying goes, what happening in the darkness will one day reveal in the dark, only time will tell
This is turning out to be a real hardship for genuine Dominicans, who do not have dual nationality, do not travel on diplomatic passports or as representatives of government or NGO’s under the auspices of the U.N.. Since 15 May it is obligatory for OECS citizens of Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Grenada to apply for a visa in person and submit their finger prints and biometric data at the nearest Embassy of the E.U. country they wish to visit in order to obtain the necessary vis. This applies to all E.U. countries with the exception of the U.K. (max. stay 6 months) and the Rep. of Ireland (max. stay 90 days). To get a visa for Germany or the Netherlands for instance, one would have to travel to Trinidad. It gets even more difficult, if not impossible for countries like Italy or Spain, who have their Embassies in the Dominican Republic, to which Dominican citizens do not have visa-free access in the first place. One can only interpret this as a lack of confidence in our due diligence process and suspicion about the authenticity of our documentation, in particular birth certificates and the true identity of citizens furbished with a passport under the economic citizenship programme. It may well turn out that in our quest for easy money we have compromised the integrity of our citizenship, diminishing its value greatly in the process. We now face competition, in the OECS alone from St. Kitts, Antigua and Grenada, whilst St. Lucia is deliberating whether to introduce their own scheme too. So much for integration of the OECS, where we are fighting one another, with unharmonised schemes to attract customers for our citizenships. All these islands boost easier access than Dominica, leaving us hindmost and only able to compete on price. In other words, we have to be (relatively) cheap, and it is degrading!! It are the real Dominicans, who are increasingly marooned on our little island because of this shortsighted grab for wealth that only benefits a few.
Years ago D/ca survived without selling passports. They will survive not selling them.
I would not even criticise the scheme if the DLP would publicly account for the income and if it would benefit Dominica. For years now we have been kept in the dark and I have to assume that the proceeds have disappeared in the politicians and lawyers pockets. If I am wrong, prove me wrong and let the citizens know how much money has been collected so far and for what purpose it was used.
That is really serious!!!!!! But is Monelle’s letter, they want to see and speculate about. DLP backyard so dirty. Simply the Truth.
You need to consider the speed with which politicians who did not own a decent suit before being elected to office, now own multi-million pound homes and can afford to vacation and shop in some of the most expensive countries in the world!
I would suggest that you map the DLPs ministers’ super fast rise from near poverty to millionaire status!
Do you think that it is feasible to achieve millionaire status on a ministerial salary in such a short period of time?
Read or follow the budget that is presented each and every year by DLP or UWP and you will see how monies collected are allocated including economic citizenship money.
That is not correct.
And you are gullible enough to believe these figures. Fool!
Citizenship of any country is something that should be earned, not sold so freely to the highest bidder. At the very least why cant our governments impose a residency requirement, before giving these people citizenships?
ask yourself seriously who will come to live to your country? high-net worth individuals? rich retirees? businessman and their families? Don’t be naive..Dominica doesn’t have even normal hospital, no any decent restaurant…2 normal hotels on entire island and urinating beggars shouting: white boyeeee
only who can live here are crazy and hardcore down shifters ….all other groups will choose more developed places if the Caribbean at all…
The citizeneship program generates revenue and its only positive product which Dominica can offer. How your Government spends the funds is the question you need to address the government but program itself is brilliant and really blessing for such place like Dominica!
If the other countries place a ban or strict visas on our passports how brilliant the idea would be?
I’m not crazy nor a down shifter. I like Dominica and the people.
Some of us like the laid back life and don’t care about casinos, restaurants and sugar sand beaches.
These governments need to stop this economic citizenship program immediately. All they are seeing is the money behind it, they dont see the reprocussions that will happen as a result.