CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC—The chief executive officer of the Citizenship by Investment Unit here, Mc Claude Emmanuel, denied Monday accusing the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister Responsible for the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, of involvement in an alleged CBI scam.
In a statement, Emmanuel said he had been named in a civil lawsuit filed in the United States by MSR Media International and Philippe Martinez against former and present government officials in St. Kitts-Nevis and CBI actors who operated in that twin-island Federation, who are presently constructing a hotel in St. Lucia.
Emmanuel said in an interview broadcast on DBS Television here last week that Martinez said that in a conversation with him, “I inferred that the Minister with Responsibility for the CIP Programme, Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire, was involved in an alleged CIP scam.”
But Emmanuel, in presenting what he described as “the reason and nature of my meeting” with Martinez and the position of the CIP Unit of St. Lucia, said he has “been highly concerned and perplexed by the inclusion of my name, as a co-defendant, in the lawsuit brought by Philippe Martinez under the RICO legislation in the United States of America.
“On the invitation of Mr. Martinez, through his local representative, I agreed to meet with him and his lawyers to gain an understanding and reasons for my inclusion in the civil suit being filed and to avert any possibility of reputational damage to the St. Lucia CIP Unit. At the meeting with Mr Martinez, no evidence was presented to me to substantiate the allegation of any scam in the St. Lucia CIP Programme”.
Emmanuel said, “I made it very clear to Mr. Martinez that I was not aware of …Hilaire or any St. Lucian official being involved in any scam or illegal activities related to the operation of the CBI Programme.”
He further explained that the issuance of real estate shares went through all proper legal processes, and the related funds were adequately accounted for in the Escrow account set up for that purpose.
“In my meeting with Mr. Martinez, I did not expressly or otherwise suggest that… Hilaire or any St. Lucian official may be a source of concern in his alleged scam in Saint Lucia’s CBI Programme.
“I wish to reiterate that the Unit has always followed the law and policies set for the Programme. I am committed to ensuring that the Unit is run by the laws of St. Lucia and the best international practices. As a result, I shall fervently defend myself and the integrity of the CIP Unit against this claim,” Emmanuel said.
Last week, St. Kitts-Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew issued a statement indicating that he is not a “party” to the lawsuit filed in the United States Federal Court regarding the “underselling” of the CBI program.
“Let me make it abundantly clear that no such lawsuit has been filed against me in my personal or professional capacity, nor have I been named in any such lawsuit in the US,” Prime Minister Drew said.
Under the CBI, foreign investors are granted citizenship of the twin-island Federation in return for making substantial investments in the country’s development.
Underselling occurs within the Programme when CBI developers seek to discount the statutory minimum investment sum required by an applicant for citizenship.
Caribbean Galaxy Real Estate Corporation, which was named in the lawsuit, has also vowed to defend its reputation for allegedly acting improperly and illegally in the CBI programs in St. Kitts-Nevis and St. Lucia.
“Caribbean Galaxy has always followed the law in St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia, and all its business dealings follow industry practices.
“Caribbean Galaxy will continue to defend itself against these allegations just as it has in the defamation and legal action instituted against Philippe Martinez and his co-conspirators in St. Kitts in November 2023,” it added.
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