Dominica opposition leader urges Caricom oversight of island’s economic citizenship scheme

Dominica’s Opposition Leader Lennox Linton yesterday called for Caricom to intervene and set up a regulatory commission for the island’s contentious Citizenship By Investment (CBI) programme, while warning that it currently poses a risk of exposing both his country and the region to transnational crimes.

Linton’s appeal follows recent protests by his United Workers Party (UWP) for the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and his administration, which he has accused of mismanagement and corruption, including in the administration of the CBI.

Linton has called for an investigation of the programme, under which it has been alleged that Dominica’s diplomatic passports have been sold.

A protest held last week to put pressure on the island’s government was followed by violence and vandalism, which President David Granger, as new Caricom Chairman, said the community was distressed about.

Speaking yesterday at a press conference at Herdmanston Lodge, Linton said he decided to travel to Guyana, which is hosting the ongoing Heads of Government summit, in hopes of getting the attention of President Granger. “We are hoping to have an engagement with Mr. Granger before we leave but of course this is an engagement that has to continue. We expect that we will speak to some of the leaders, all of the heads that have attended the conference and we have a couple of scheduled engagements over the next 24 hours,” he said.

He noted that the main objective was to have a discussion with Granger to be able to lay over his concerns, while adding that all he is asking for is that Caricom do its own investigation and then act purposefully in the interest of the Caribbean Community, based on its findings.

Linton said the establishment of the Caricom regulatory commission was needed to protect the integrity of Caricom citizenship and to secure Caricom’s commitment to global security arrangements for prevention of money laundering, terrorism and other crimes against humanity.

“The procedure advertised for getting economic citizenship in Dominica has been breached to selectively sidestep due diligence on applicants and/or grant citizenship without any evidence of payment of money into the government’s citizenship account,” he said, while adding that the questionable vetting for citizenship puts the country at risk to transnational crimes.

Linton accused the Skerrit administration of selling diplomatic passports and diplomatic immunity “under the table… to a band of international rogues and vagabonds.”

He said many have been arrested for