HENGSHENG CBI SCANDAL IN GRENADA THREATENS THE PROGRAMS OF ALL FIVE CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT CARIBBEAN STATES

Reports this week of efforts to arrest a senior executive at the Chinese-owned CBI passport consultancy HENGSHENG SINGAPORE PTE. have resulted in his flight to China, the arrest within China of a second senior HS officer on money laundering charges, and related news that indicates the company, which sustained a $400,000 judgement against it in the UAE, forcing it to operate under another name, will soon be shuttered, with its staff scattering to avoid arrest on a variety of charges. HS is the principal CBI vendor of Grenada economic passports. 

 What this scandal will do to an already beleaguered Caribbean economic citizenship industry cannot be underestimated. The CIP program in Antigua and Barbuda, which has an upcoming national election on April 30, and which resulted in the enactment of extremely onerous U.S. visa conditions on Antiguan citizens, could now result in even more restrictions, which could threaten the local economy. Antigua is closely linked to the Peoples' Republic of China, like Grenada, and both could suffer additional American actions, which are seen in the Caribbean as punitive in nature, but which all relate back to CIP corruption, and the China connection. 

 We cannot say what the extent of additional American restrictions will be, as the direct result of the HS scandal, Antigua, St. Kitts and St. Lucia, all of whom have a major China factor in their CIP programs, could shortly become the subject of additional restrictions as an additional manifestation of America's 2026 foreign policy towards China in the Caribbean.

ANTIGUA'S ATTORNEY GENERAL BLOCKED VICTIMS OF MALPRACTICE FROM BRINGING CLAIMS AGAINST DOCTOR CONNECTED TO LABOUR PARTY

Antigua "medical tourism" physician, Doctor JOSEPH "JOEY" JOHN, whom we have recently revealed is part of a dodgy Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party scheme to install him as the country's Governor-General, a position which some legal experts note confers immunity from criminal prosecution under British law, is also being illegally protected from his many victims by the Antiguan Attorney General, STEADROY BENJAMIN. John''s partner, SANJA ILLIC, recently pled guilty in the United States, to concealing death at John's Antigua clinic.

The AG has blocked civil suits for medical malpractice, for a doctor that also allegedly conducted experimental cancer treatments. Benjamin's action is not based on any proper legal grounds, but because the doctor is associated with sitting Antigua Prime Minister GASTON BROWNE's Labour Party, of which Steadroy is also a longtime member. We find Steadroy also involved in a number of other questionable matters, the totality of which many Antiguans feel render him unfit to continue to serve in the country's Parliament: (1) He has a criminal conviction for passport fraud. (2) He totally ignored efforts by the trust that owns the luxury yacht ALFA NERO to settle the matter, while assisting in what is allefged to be an illegal sale of the vessel by the Government of Antigua. (3) As the Deputy Prime Minister, in the absence of GASTON BROWNE, he ordered police to fire rubber bullets at children and elderly citizens engaged in peaceful protests. (4) He is allegedly involved in corruption efforts surrounding the proposed new prison project.

With a snap election, called by PM Browne, coming up on April 30, Antiguans are anticipating his probable indictment in the United States, should he lose his Parliamentary seat.

WHICH CARIBBEAN LEADERS LOST THEIR AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC VISA PRIVILEGES THIS WEEK?

 

Saint Lucia Minister for Investment ERNEST HILAIRE

Legal experts who cover the Caribbean have been digesting this week's news that twenty six Caribbean government leaders have has their diplomatic visas to enter the United States terminated with prejudice, and they are seeking to determine which individuals are included in that American decision. Multiple media outlets, including those from outside the United States, has broken that story, giving the information a presumption of accuracy and correctness.

Antigua Prime Minister GASTON BROWNE

We know that, as a matter of policy the U.S. Department of State does not release the names of those who they choose to cancel their diplomatic visa privileges, but considering that it is known the reasons believed to be behind this U.S. action include their participation in corrupt Citizenship by Investment (CBI/CIP) economic passport sales programs, especially those which involve Chinese corporate entities or influence, which impacts American national security.

St. Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister TERRANCE DRE

Therefore, based upon our 40+ years of experience in the coverage of the economic citizenship industry, as well as personal involvement with the first CBI program, in Saint Kitts & Nevis in 1983, we have made an educated guess, regarding who are the most likely candidates for American visa termination, based upon their known connection to CBI corruption, fraud and money laundering.We admit that while this is only an estimate, it was taken from the allegations of criminal activity implicating those leaders during the past decade or more. 

Dominica Prime Minister ROOSEVELT SKERRIT

We shall be monitoring the travel schedules of the individuals who appear here, to determine whether their visits to the United States have now come to a halt, to confirm our conclusions. Stay tuned.

Grenada PM DICKON MITCHEL

LABOUR GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA PLANS TO IMMUNIZE ONE OF ITS OWN, WHO FACES EXTENSIVE LITIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES FOR NEGLIGENCE IN MEDICAL TOURISM

Doctor Joseph "Joey" John

A scheme, by the sitting Labour Party of ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, to place one of its own, local physician DOCTOR JOSEPH JOHN, in office after the upcoming national elections, as GOVERNOR-GENERAL, has become public knowledge. Johns, who is engaged in dodgy Medical Tourism in Antigua, is reportedly the subject of extensive civil litigation in courts in the United States, alleging professional negligence. His experimental cancer treatment program has come under attack by the medical establishment, and resulted in claims by his patients in American courts.

The obvious aim of the Labour plan is to immunize Doctor John, who as Governor-General will become immune under Antiguan law for any criminal charges, which are believed to be pending and threatened against him at this time. Should the Labour Party, which has been under attack for corruption and money laundering, Doctor John would most likely face criminal prosecution; he is a known Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party member. His controversial Antiguan knighthood, in the face of fraud allegations, has also drawn critics.

Doctor John was appointed AMBASSADOR AT LARGE and Advisor to Antigua Prime Minister GASTON BROWNE a decade ago, as part of Browne's policy of doling out diplomatic passports to members of the Labour Party who do not discharge actual responsibilities as working diplomats, but who then can engage in international travel without have their baggage and documents examined by customs officers. Exactly what governmental advisor benefits a private physician can deliver to the Government of Antigua has always been a question, as have a large number of diplomatic passports given to private businessmen in Antigua, and the facilitation of corruption has long been suspected as the true reason for this widespread practice.

REPORTS CLAIM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS TO RESCIND THE DIPLOMATIC VISAS, AND ALL TRAVEL PRIVILEGES, FOR 26 SENIOR CARIBBEAN GOVERNMENT LEADERS.

Antigua PM GASTON BROWNE

This information, which came after details appeared recently claiming that Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister GASTON BROWNE has had all his visa privileges to enter the United States revoked, was seen multiple times on social media. The grounds were said to be that the individuals named threatened the security and prosperity of the United States. Reuters has confirmed this story.

In what must be considered an extension of the current American visa restriction policy, a denial of the ability of those named to "own or control critical assets" was mentioned. Whether this means that sanctions will be imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), or some other American regulatory or law enforcement action, we cannot say.

The report included specific information regarding individuals who hold office in Antigua; it stated that a half dozen Antiguan officials, as well as a senior local businessman are included on the list of names of those whose visas will be terminated. We shall make every effort to verify the names, but wish to point out that the United States, as a matter of policy does not confirm single cases where it has revoked visa privileges of foreign leaders.

NEW CONTROVERSY IN MALTA OVER A BAN ON FOREIGN LETTERS IN NAMES REMINDS US OF THE TRICKS MONEY LAUNDERERS USE TO HIDE IN PLAIN SIGHT

Media in the Republic of Malta has recently been covering the issue surrounding the government's intention to ban the public registration of foreign characters in names. BAN ON FOREIGN LETTERS IN NAMES TRIGGERS LEGAL THREAT https://lnkd.in/eSvmcst5 We are reminded of our prior coverage of the problem, in connection with Citizenship by Investment (CIP/CBI) passports: MOST INDIVIDUALS OBTAINING CBI PASSPORTS COME FROM COUNTRIES USING NON-LATIN ALPHABETS REQUIRING FACIAL RECOGNITION SOFTWARE IDENTITY CONFIRMATION. https://lnkd.in/eiqJF23s

We note for compliance officers at international banks that money launderers often choose to substitute a single non-latin letter, accent, or other departure from their original legal name, to confuse and confound database searches, resulting in a negative result for a high-risk individual . They also make such small alterations in corporate names, to confuse compliance officers into thinking that they are dealing with a well-known, legitimate entity, when the opposite is true.

Always pay attention to details when examining an individual or corporate name; does it include diacritical marks not normal to Western European script or typeface? are there one or more letters that are different than the standard Latin alphabet? Laundryman have been known to substitute a single Cyrillic ( Russian) letter, to foil name searching.

Read both of the above articles for important information, please.

CARIBBEAN CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT (CIP/CBI) PROGRAMS MUST HAVE REMOTE ADMINISTRATION TO ESCAPE THEIR LEGACY OF CORRUPTION, FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING

The severe visa restrictions that the United States has placed upon ANTIGUA and BARBUDA and the COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA, created due to the unacceptable situation surrounding those states' extensive Economic Citizenship/Citizenship by Investment programs, will not be rescinded so long as the rampant corruption, fraud and money laundering that has infected them since they were organized continues to plague their operation. Just today, we learned that government agencies are being offered bribes by prospective clients, to disregard the information in due diligence reports, and issue the passports to unqualified and high-risk applicants.

Antiguans who are asking when, or even if, the American visa restrictions will be lifted need to understand, as do all the other Eastern Caribbean CBI states, SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS, SAINT LUCIA, DOMINICA and GRENADA, that the US, UK and the EU aren't going to allow the current programs, which they deem unacceptable, for a wide variety of valid reasons, which we have painfully documented, to continue to enjoy their previous privileges for much longer. New European screening programs ( ESTA, ETA, etc.) will serve to block CBI passport holders, whether visa-free travel legally exists or not.

The solution is top-to-bottom reform, and to have the programs administered remotely, with oversight, rather than allow them to continue to wallow in their current unsupervised corruption, which has spawned global financial crime by bad actors with CBI passports. It is the only way to truly conduct effective, and corruption-free due diligence, screening and AML/CFT at the banking best practices level. And we mean administration in a Western country, far from the culture of corruption that has been a feature of life in the English-speaking Caribbean since independence, not moving the programs to an unregulated venue like Dubai, where high-risk applicants can still worm their way into being accepted, as we have seen of late with SAO TOME's remotely-administered program; US or UK-based locations, where strict supervision by regulators can actually occur. Sao Tome''s remote administration is accepting Russian and Iranian applicants, two high-risk, sanctioned jurisdictions; That should not be happening. Remote must be in a controlled environment.

Therefore, without an effective, properly administered CBI program, remotely operated and completely controlled from abroad, and not susceptible to local pressures and opportunities for bribes and kickbacks by greedy governbment officials and staff members, Caribbean CBI faces an existential moment, and the current United States government, no stranger to abrupt and lethal action, will steamroller over the jurisdictions that don't reform through professional. remote operation. Let's see whose Caribbean programs are still acquiring clients in 2028, if they fail to make this move to remote.

ANTIGUA MUST REFORM ITS CORRUPT CITIZENSHIP BY INVESTMENT (CIP) PROGRAM THIS YEAR BEFORE THE UNITED STATES WILL REMOVE THE CURRENT VISA RESTRICTIONS PLACED UPON ITS CITIZENS

Although the current government of ANTIGUA and BARBUDA has gone to great lengths to assure its people that the major restrictions imposed by the United States on visa entry are only temporary, in truth and in fact they are the direct result of the country's mismanaged and corrupt Citizenship by Investment (CIP) program, and those restrictions will not be lifted until and unless a major reform is instituted. The United States, )and for that matter, the European Union) has zero confidence in the current Labour government in place in Antigua to ever clean up CIP; only with a new government in place is there any reasonable expectation of a successful negotiation, resulting in a lifting of the current status, will occur. The money laundering and fraud which has been characteristic of the present program must become a thing of the past.

Furthermore, given the level of corruption in the agency operating the CIP, mismanagement, lack of control over agents abroad, and utter failure of due diligence, there will need to be administration of at least part of the tasks involved by external, independent operators, to insure that the bribes and kickbacks which have fatally infected Antigua's CIP no longer plague the program.

If Antiguans sincerely want to regain the ability to freely travel to the United States, free from the financial burdens of obtaining an expensive bond, and without the severe conditions that America has now imposed, then it is up to them to use the power of their votes to usher in a new government, not tainted by corruption as is the current one, so that they can move forward to favorably resolve their present visa situation.

HERE IS THE US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LIST OF INDIVIDUALS PARDONED SINCE JANUARY 20, 2025

If you are conducting a due diligence inquiry on someone whose white collar conviction appears to have been erased by the present administration, you can find the record here, on the DOJ Pardon website list, for 1/20/25-present.

https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-grants-president-donald-j-trump-2025-present

LITIGATION BY UNHAPPY PILATUS BANK CUSTOMER REMINDS US THAT NEITHER MALTA NOR THE UNITED STATES OBTAINED JUSTICE FOR A MONEY LAUNDERING PRIVATE BANK OWNED BY IRANIANS

Negarin and Ali Sayed

We see that a Kiwi billionaire, unhappy that his deposits in Malta's now-shuttered PILATUS BANK have been frozen for the past eight years, with no relief in sight, has brought a suit to recover his funds. This brings back painful memories of an Iranian-owned Maltese private bank, whose owner and CEO used their Caribbean Citizenship by Investment passports ( from Saint Kitts and Dominica) to facilitate a major EU money laundering enterprise, with a convenient low-key UK branch, and that neither Malta's corrupt leadership, nor the US Department of Justice, delivered justice for the victims.

Moreover, the American criminal case against the bank's owner, ALISADR HASHEMINEJAD, was dismissed under circumstances that raised suspicions that he struck a deal with US law enforcement or its intelligence agencies to allow him to walk free, and continue to live in the United States, with his extended family? This notwithstanding that his father, Mohammad Sadr Hasheminejad, considered by many to be the Iranian Bill Gates, is a major supporter of the regime. Alisadr's sister, NEGARIN NEJAD who is reportedly a US citizen, also acquired a Saint Kitts Passport, pictured here. He attended her wedding last year. She was an unindicted co-conspirator in the SDNY criminal case against her brother. What really happened here? I am reminded of the other major Iranian case in Federal Court in New York, against REZA ZARRAB a/k/a RISA SARRAF, which reportedly ended with a confidential deal with the Central Intelligence Agency, and Zarrab now living very well in South Florida.

What about all those Pilatus Bank customers, whose deposits have been frozen since 2018? In this case, justice delayed is most certainly denied.

FOR FURTHER READING:

ENTIRE FAMILY OF INDICTED IRANIAN PILATUS BANK OWNER HAS ST KITTS CBI PASSPORTS, LIVE IN USA

https://rijock.blogspot.com/2020/02/entire-family-of-indicted-iranian.html

WILL THE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF MALTA'S PILATUS BANK NOW BE CHARGED ?

https://rijock.blogspot.com/2020/03/will-officers-and-directors-of-maltas.html

COMPLIANCE OFFICERS PLEASE NOTE: AI INQUIRIES USED TO CREATE INFORMATION THAT YOU SEND TO YOUR LEGAL COUNSEL ARE NOT PROTECTED BY ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE

If you are not reading the reports on recent case law, regarding the use of artificial intelligence to create material you send to your attorney to aid in your defense, or for any other purpose connected with your work, please note that most of the decisions have held that your AI research is NOT protected by attorney-client privilege, and it is not considered part of the Work Product privilege either. To make matters worse, the courts have generally ruled that there is "No Expectation of Privacy" when using AI, so that defense will not work for you either.

Therefore, when preparing material for your counsel, in connection with any matter which constitutes preparation for litigation, think twice before accessing that chatbot, before you send your material to your lawyer; just saying. Let your lawyer or law firm do the damn AI search, and do not try to create a privilege by stating in your transmittal to your counsel that you conducted the research under their supervision and direction, for I have no confidence that this ploy will succeed either. Therefore, stay away for AI, in my humble opinion, when it comes to creating material which has any chance of being transmitted to your lawyer, for any purpose, lest you find out, to your dismay, that your private litigation strategy can be accessed and read by opposing counsel. be very careful here; your love affair with AI may come back to bite you in the back.

WANTED IN THE U.S. FOR MONEY LAUNDERING, WILL THIS NIGERIAN LAWYER AND AIRLINE OWNER ENGAGE IN CORRUPT ACTIVITY AGAIN IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION IN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA?

Antigua's Prime Minister and the Fugitive from Justice

Meet ALLEN ONYEMA, the Nigerian attorney who owns local airline AIR PEACE and 70% of LIAT AIR; he is a wanted fugitive in the United States, in a $20m Federal case, charging money laundering, bank fraud, obstruction of Justice, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. UNITED STATES vs. ALLEN ONYEMA, Case No.: 1:19-cr-00464 (ND GA).

Onyema, who is also a close friend of Antigua's Prime Minister, GASTON BROWNE (Antigua owns the balance of Liat Air stock), is alleged to have delivered, via Air Peace flights to Antigua, a significant amount of illegal campaign contributions to Browne's ruling Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP), in advance of the last national election, held in that country on 2023, and these illicit funds were reportedly used to pay voters to vote only for Labour candidates, to pay cash bribes to a number of potential candidates for office, so that they would change their party affiliation, and to cover massive political campaign expenses, which included distributing handouts to people so that they would refrain from voting. All these illegal acts, which constitute voter fraud, we conducted by Browne's Labour Party officers.The fear this week, among election observers in the Caribbean, is that Onyema has already sent bundles of cash to Labour, having arrived in Antigua on Air Peace airliners during their infrequent flights from Nigeria, and that the Labour Party will seek to spoil the will of the people of Antigua through voter fraud.

MEHUL CHOKSI, ANTIGUA'S POSTER BOY FOR CIP CORRUPTION, MOVES EVER CLOSER TO JUSTICE WITH APPEALS COURT NOW ADVISING BELGIAN GOVERNMENT TO EXTRADITE THE $2bn FRAUDSTER TO INDIA

Resignation 1 by ALEX CEPPI www.alexcepppi.com

Time is running out for MEHUL CHOKSI, the Indian diamond dealer who defrauded PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK out of the equivalent of more than two billion dollars, then was protected by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, who sold him a Citizenship by Investment (CIP) passport while under criminal investigation, and thereafter allowed him to artfully delay extradition for several years in the country's corrupt court system, through judicial rulings in his favor alleged to have been secured through the payment of significant bribes.

The case exposed the corrupt role of Prime Minister GASTON BROWNE's Labour government in directly facilitating the denial of justice, which has not gone unnoticed amongst potential foreign investors, who require that the Rule of Law be adhered to in jurisdictions where they consider investing. The Choksi scandal is but the latest example of how the current Labour government has used frequent changes in assigned judges, repeated appearance of new counsel, and the acceptance of frivolous and dilatory appeals to delay justice in extradition cases for as long as a decade, under circumstances that suggest corruption, malfeasance, and undue executive influence over assigned judiciary. The Court of Appeal in Belgium, which denied Choksi's legal efforts against extradition to his native India, to face the music, notified the Interior Ministry of Belgium on April 3, 2026 to process him for extradition, on six charges that include criminal conspiracy, forgery and embezzlement. There are now no legal impediments to his extradition, which is currently projected to occur sometime in May.

WILL THE UNITED STATES RAISE THE TRAVEL ADVISORY ON SAINT LUCIA TO A LEVEL WHICH WILL DISCOURAGE AMERICANS FROM VISITING THE COUNTRY?

The serious concerns that the US Department of State has reportedly had regarding the Eastern Caribbean country of SAINT LUCIA, after a national election seriously flawed by widespread vote buying, and alleged vote tabulation manipulation by government officials, on top of other major reasons, the result of which may manifest itself in a pronounced elevation of the official US DOS Travel Advisory to a level that would, in essence, soundly discourage Americans from leisure travel there. A rumor to that effect has been received.

We have seen punitive measures implemented of late, by the State Department, against other Eastern Caribbean states whose actions the United States Government has found to be contrary to its national security interests, and Saint Lucia's rogue Citizenship by Investment (CIP) has sold passports to a reported tens of thousands of Chinese national, all without being previously qualified through sufficient due diligence investigation in advance, which the U.S. considers a clear and present danger to its security. Additionally, the skyrocketing number of homicides taking place annually in Saint Lucia, attributed to gang violence, the presence of firearms shipped in the U.S, narcotics shipments transiting the island, and cooperation between elected politicians and gangs, all concern American officials, and could easily serve as the excuse for raising the Threat Advisor to Three, which is a recommendation not to travel there. Such an act would have a serious effect, not only on tourist arrivals, hotel stays and extended visits, but it could have the knock-on effect of causing scheduled travels by American flag airlines there, if business drops off significantly in rapid order. Given what has become of late the rather brusque way that the US has conducted international relations with the Eastern Caribbean states that issue economic citizenships & passports, Saint Lucians may indeed be in for a rough ride, and a shock to their tourism-centric economy. While we have no actual confirmation that this is in the cards, the risk that this will occur must be recognized.

ANTIGUA AT THE CROSSROADS

With a snap election having been called by its Prime Minister for the end of the month, Antigua and Barbuda has come to a fork in the road of future economic and political development: it can elect Opposition (UPP) candidates, who have promised to reverse the dependence on China, and strengthen ties with the United States, would result in increased tourism, agriculture and infrastructure construction, meaning more jobs, or it can elect to remain with the existing Labour Party, which means status quo on low standards of living for much of the population, and increased isolation from the US, due to CIP issues, and because of continued alignment with the Peoples' Republic of China.

Antiguans are painfully aware that their PM called the election because he fears serious political and legal clouds on the horizon for their country, due to inevitable additional American measures to rein in the CIP dangers, to uncover corruption problems that impact the United States financial system, as well as issues involving Browne personally. There are external business entities, American as well as expat Antiguan, that have hesitated to bring investment to the two island nation, due to concerns over corruption and threats of governmental interference, but who have promised to bring jobs and new commerce, provided they are comforted by the installation of a new, clean government, without Labour's extensive baggage. The United States also seeks a reformed Citizenship by Investment (CIP) passport sales program, without the specter of corruption, properly and professionally administered, focusing upon improving the lives of Antiguans. A new government could instill American and European confidence in such a program, and make progress in the restoration of the American visa access privileges that Antiguans previously enjoyed.

Clearly, Antiguans have a clear choice to make at election time; partnership with the United States, in mutually beneficial expanded tourism, increased construction and agriculture projects, bringing additional employment, or remaining within China's orbit, insuring future problems with America, and continuing economic doldrums that only benefit the privileged few. Choose well, Antigua & Barbuda.