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In a powerful and inspiring address at the 11th PLP-People’s Convention, PLP Leader and St. Kitts and Nevis’ third Prime Minister, Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris, tackled the pressing issue of attacks on the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program by Phillipe Martinez and his MSR entities through their RICO lawsuit filed in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Harris also discussed the program’s decline under the Labour Party and its resurgence under his Team Unity administration.

Dr. Harris began by addressing recent criticisms and allegations made against the CBI program by the current administration. “I heard that he went to Parliament and he said many things about the CBI program. I only talk about something because most of what he said was nonsense and propaganda,” he declared. Dr. Harris emphasized the dire state of the CBI program when his administration took office in 2015, likening it to being in an “intensive care unit, battered and bruised.”

In May 2014, the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an advisory expressing a lack of trust in the then Labour government, which led to cautionary measures against financial dealings with institutions in St. Kitts and Nevis. By November 2014, the country had lost its visa-free access, marking a significant setback for the CBI program. Dr. Harris highlighted the efforts and time invested by his administration to revive and resuscitate the program.

“Today, under another Labour administration, the CBI lies in an intensive care unit, damaged and scandalized by Drew’s own incompetence, bad-mindedness, and insecurities,” Dr. Harris stated. He reaffirmed his commitment to serving the country faithfully and honestly during his tenure, pointing out that all CBI funds under his administration were properly accounted for and channeled through the Treasury.

Dr. Harris did not shy away from criticizing Prime Minister Dr. Hon. Terrance Drew, accusing him of lying about the statistics related to the CBI program and misrepresenting the program’s history and success. He questioned Drew’s reluctance to report on his own administration’s period and decisions regarding the CBI.

He also addressed the controversial figure of Phillipe Martinez, whom he labeled as a fraudster with a criminal background. Martinez, according to Dr. Harris, has been made the face of the current CBI program despite his dubious past, including arrests and time spent in jail in France and detention centers in the USA. Dr. Harris condemned the high-ranking officials in the government, including the Attorney General, for their involvement with Martinez.

“It makes no sense that our Attorney General, the chief legal advisor to the government, is entangled with a man like Martinez. Mark Brantley’s firm registered Martinez’s companies, and he went on radio to chat nonsense,” Dr. Harris stated, pointing to conflicts of interest and questionable integrity among government officials.

Dr. Harris concluded his address by challenging the current administration to disclose the truth about their dealings and decisions regarding the CBI program. “You either believe Martinez and disbelieve your foreign minister, Denzil Douglas. This administration must come clean and show transparency to the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” he asserted.

The 11th PLP-People’s Convention featured Dr. Harris’s passionate and direct confrontation of the issues plaguing the CBI program, calling for honesty, integrity, and proper governance to restore faith in one of the nation’s most critical economic pillars.