St Kitts PM in Letter to Underpaying CBI Citizen: Pay the Difference or Lose Citizenship

Saint Kitts & Nevis’ Ministry of National Security (MNS), in a letter seen by IMI, has sent notice to an applicant who obtained citizenship by investment (CBI) through a well-known consultancy firm, informing him that he is at risk of losing his citizenship.

The letter states that the investor, who applied through the Public Good Infrastructure Project, invested “less than the acknowledged and lawful investment sum” despite stating that he was aware of the legal amount in his application.

The MNS then highlighted that it could “deprive” him of his citizenship if it concludes the applicant obtained it through “false representation, fraud, or willful concealment of material facts.”

The government then sets out an ultimatum: Prove you have paid the full amount, pay what you owe, or lose your citizenship.

If the investor wishes to prove he paid the lawful amount, adds the letter, he must back it up with documented evidence such as bank statements, cheques, wire transfers, or otherwise before December 31, 2024, states the letter.

In the case the investor did not meet the minimum investment amount, he has until the end of this month to pay the remainder.

The government will construe a failure to respond and take action by the deadline “as acceptance of the allegation that you invested less than the acknowledged and lawful investment sum.”

The Minister of National Security, Terrance Drew, who also serves as the Prime Minister, may then issue an order to revoke the investor’s, his dependents’, and his co-applicants’ citizenships.

If the investor wishes to “dispute the grounds for revocation,” he can request a hearing before a Commission of Inquiry but must indicate his wish to do so before the end of this month.

This letter builds upon PM Drew’s statements earlier this year when he emphasized that he was “prepared to take the necessary statutory steps under the Citizenship Act to protect our Federation’s good name and revoke citizenships obtained by fraud.”