Grenada: Former Ambassador removed as CBI marketing agent

ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, CMC – Grenada’s former Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Oleg Frier, has been removed from the list of international marketing agents licensed to conduct business on behalf of the island’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.

“The Grenada Citizenship by Investment Committee advises that Oleg Firer is not a licensed Marketing Agent, nor a registered sub-agent of the Grenada Citizenship by Investment Programme,” said a notice on the updated website of the CBI program.

“He is therefore not authorized to market, promote or disseminate information on the program, nor act on behalf of, or engage with current or potential applicants, or their authorized representatives,” said the Notice dated March 28.

According to the CBI website, there are 59 international marketing agents for the CBI program. It is not known when he became a marketing agent.

However, on April 6, 2017, Firer presented copies of his credentials to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Ryabkov. It became Grenada’s first Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation. On October 3, 2017, Firer presented his credentials to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

On February 22, 2022, he was refused entry into Grenada and had his diplomatic passport confiscated by Immigration authorities. His lawyer, Cajeton Hood, said that no reason was given to him by immigration officials.

Grenada changed Government on June 23, 2022, and immediately, the new Government, led by lawyer Dickon Mitchell recalled all diplomats appointed by the former administration of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell.

As of April 1 this year, the island stopped accepting applications to the programs from Russia and Belarus.

These two countries joined North Korea, Iran, and Palestine as states that are banned from participating in Grenada’s CBI program worldwide.

Grenada agreed to stop accepting the application as part of its decision to comply with a request from the United States following the February 25 historic US-Caribbean Roundtable on Citizenship by Investment held in St. Kitts, Nevis.

At that meeting, the participating countries approved six principles for going forward, including suspending applications from Russia and Belarus to the CBI program and not processing applications from persons whose applications have been denied in another CBI jurisdiction by proactively sharing information on denials.