Monday, March 18, 2024
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HomeCBI ProgramsCaribbeanBotched sale of Caribbean diplomatic passport

Botched sale of Caribbean diplomatic passport

ST GEORGES, Grenada – This story starts as many stories before, about a European businessman, who was apparently told that he would be provided with a diplomatic passport from a Caribbean country in exchange for a sum of money to be turned over to Grenada’s former-ruling New National Party (NNP) of defeated prime minister, Dr Keith Mitchell three days before the June 23 general elections.

At the centre of a seemingly massive corruption scheme involving an illegal sale of a Grenada diplomatic passport to a questionable individual that involves cash exchange are former ministers of the NNP.

Despite the presumable payment of the significant amount of money, the individual did not receive his promised diplomatic passport. The investor himself must also be questioned, as to why he would transact to obtain a diplomatic passport.

At the time when CINVEST Holdings Ltd realized that the individual was in direct contact with ministers rather than seeking to obtain Citizenship by Investment (CIP), Kemal Nicholson, partner in CINVEST commented: “CINVEST refunded consulting fees it collected from such individual and terminated its services with the individual.”

According to prime minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell: “The defeated NNP regime informed the Polish citizen that in order to  get the passport, he had to pay US$290,000 to the State of Grenada.”

The prime minister said that US$150,000 was actually paid, “to the State of Grenada and there is a Treasury receipt for it” and that another US$140,000 “was paid to the New National Party, South St George office in June 2022, right before the election.”

“So since the cabinet conclusion said it was US$290,000 to the State of Grenada, the last time I checked, the Constitution does not establish the New National Party South St George office as part of the State of Grenada,” the prime minister continued. “So my free advice now, is that the New National Party South, St George office (New National Party) for that matter, should kindly hand over to the State of Grenada, the US$140,000 that magically found its way into its bank account.”

Prime minister Mitchell revealed that the Polish national has been asking back for his money as reports in the international media indicate that the diplomatic passport was not handed over to the individual by the defeated regime.

“The State of Grenada has no intention of paying back any money to anybody, but I also want to point out and give some free advice to the South St George branch of the New National Party, that you might have to pay back the man his money. But that is free advice – you could take it or leave it,” he said.

The new Grenadian leader accused the regime of his predecessor of quite clearly engaging in what he called “trading in diplomacy” and to be more precise “training in a diplomatic passport”.

“This administration has put a stop to this – we will not do it – and it is wrong. It is as simple as that,” prime minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell told Grenadians.

We are investigating a number of other diplomatic appointees that are using their diplomatic positions to promote citizenship by investment in contravention of international convention.

A number of Chinese individuals have been brought to our attention that are acting in a flagrant breach of the convention.

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