MSR Case: St. Kitts to Move Ahead with Judicial Review, US Court Green-Lights Bank Subpoenas

In a recent interview on DBS Television, Philippe Martinez of MSR Media made several severe allegations regarding the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs in St Kitts & Nevis and St Lucia.

The story so far

MSR Media filed a RICO lawsuit in US federal court against several Caribbean CBI stakeholders, including:

• Les Kahn, former head of the St Kitts & Nevis CIU and current CEO of Caribbean Galaxy
• McClaude Emmanuel, current CEO of the St Lucia CIU
• Ying Jin, proprietor of Caribbean Galaxy
• Denzil Douglas, former St Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister and current Foreign Affairs Minister
• Timothy Harris, former St Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister
• Faron Lawrence, Kittitian real estate developer
• Caribbean Galaxy
• Lucia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Ernest Hilaire

MSR Media claims to possess evidence of kickbacks, fraud, and money laundering related to the CBI programs in St Kitts & Nevis and St Lucia. The company also alleges that certain Chinese nationals involved in money laundering obtained Kittitian citizenship using false identities through the prison project.

The lawsuit’s scope has since broadened. MSR Media has indicated that it could target third parties who knowingly participate in or allow these alleged illegal practices to continue, including CBI escrow agents and sales agents. The company claims to have obtained additional evidence, such as financial data and transactions benefiting government officials, which it plans to introduce in US courts.

St Lucia and Galaxy have distanced themselves from Martinez, the latter branding the filmmaker’s claims as “false accusations.”

Martinez claims court victories

Martinez says that his company, MSR Media, has achieved a significant legal victory in a US court, granting them the right to subpoena bank transactions related to the CBI programs from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan Chase.

He highlighted the importance of this development, claiming that MSR has “subpoenaed all those three major American banks, and MSR is in a very unique position to have access to all bank transactions related to the CBI. The truth is coming out very shortly.”

Martinez alleged that the subpoenaed records would expose a “massive scandal” involving Caribbean Galaxy Real Estate Ltd. and Dr. Timothy Harris, the former prime minister of St Kitts & Nevis.

He expressed confidence that these records will confirm fraudulent activities and misappropriation of funds related to the CBI programs. He claims that “based on what we have received already, some people are facing a massive scandal that they will have to pay the consequences for what they’ve done with the CBI money.”

Regarding a separate judicial review case in St Kitts, Martinez highlighted the substantial evidence MSR Media has provided to the court, which allegedly shows that Galaxy illegally sold citizenship at half the legal price. The judicial review in the Kittitian High Court seeks a mandamus that would oblige the Prime Minister “to revoke all citizenships granted to applicants under the Galaxy Jail who paid less than the legal price.”

Despite the government’s initial attempts to dismiss the case, Martinez attests that “the judge in St Kitts has made the decision that a trial will take place. We have provided to the court and to the government 185 contracts sold way under the legal price by Galaxy.”

He further claimed that the actual number of illegally sold contracts is much higher, around 5,500 and that MSR Media currently possesses evidence for 185 contracts, which his legal team has submitted to the court.

Martinez also raised concerns about a Chinese due diligence company involved in vetting applicants for the CBI program, alleging that Musang Lee, the vice president of Caribbean Galaxy, owns the company, claiming this to be “a massive security breach.”

Furthermore, Martinez criticized various politicians, including former Prime Minister Timothy Harris and current Prime Minister Drew, for their alleged roles in the scheme and lack of action.

He indicated that political pressure and legal consequences are imminent as MSR reveals more evidence, stating, “when I file the evidence of money laundering that I already have, then people will run. It’s time for people to stop with their political tribalism and understand that they’re now facing a US federal RICO case.”

Martinez announced plans to add more defendants to the RICO case and file additional evidence by the end of August. He expressed confidence that these actions would expose the alleged fraud and lead to significant legal and political fallout for those involved.

“I instructed my lawyer to file enough evidence to show the fraud and money laundering. The evidence will be there for the international community to see the level of fraud and money laundering these people are part of,” Martinez attested.

The evidence presented by MSR Media in the judicial review case has not been independently verified or evaluated by the court, and the case is still ongoing.