St.Kitts-Nevis PM Dr. Timothy Harris Calls On Former PM Douglas To Give Account Of Number Of CBI Passports Sold Under Previous Administration As Total Number Sold Remains Unknown
Basseterre, St.Kitts (November 6th 2015):-
St.Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris is calling on his predecessor Ex Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas to give an account of the number of CBI Passports sold during his tenure as Prime Minister between 1995 and 2015. Prime Minister Harris made the call during his most recent monthly Press Conference as he lamented the fact that despite ongoing audits and investigations his government remains uncertain of how many CBI Passports have been sold overall and in particular over the last years of the Denzil Douglas regime.
In responding to the media question regarding the number of CBI Passports that have been sold over the years PM Harris said “In terms of how many passports(that have been sold) etc. , that is a work in progress……….. That has been one of the most difficult aspects of the Citizenship By Investment program and you would recall for the last number of years, say from 2006 until now, never once were we able to get that from the last administration…The country is still in the dark.”
Dr. Harris however pointed out that the reform of the CBI was still able to take place despite not having the benefit of access to properly accounted for information regarding the entire programme.
“We have amassed some figures and we are subjecting them to review…… that is why it is important that the reform be concluded,” Dr. Harris stated .
The Unity government’s reform of the CBI program entails , a “look back” according to Dr. Hariss. This “Look Back” is still ongoing Dr Harris stated, where all applications processed over the past several years under the previous government would be reviewed.
“We are going to be able when that exercise is completed to get a sum total of the picture,” said PM Harris.
Prime Minister Harris has been giving regular updates regarding the number of CBI Passports sold by his administration in addition to providing progress reports regarding the reformation of the programme.
Truth be told, it was under the previous administration that the environmental tax for refurbished imported vehicles from Japan was increased 100% in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. Let’s we forgot.