OVERLOADED HUMAN TRAFFICKING VESSEL HEADING FOR U.S. CAPSIZES, WITH LARGE LOSS OF LIFE; PART OF ANTIGUA CBI SCHEME

A grossly overloaded boat seeking to smuggle African nationals from Cameroon into the United States, with an Antiguan crew, sunk while en route, with a yet undetermined but significant loss of life. The passengers, who were seeking to illegally enter American territory in the US Virgin Islands, were lost when the vessel, the La Belle Michelle. sunk off the coast of St. Kitts. Fourteen survivors were taken on board a yacht that answered the mayday call; at least thirteen are known lost at sea.

Observers of the large number of African nationals who traveled to Antigua on a number of Antigua Airways flights last year feared that a pipeline for human smuggling of illegal immigrants in the United States was being established, and planned from Nigeria, by the virtual airline's co-owner, with the assistance of the Government of Antigua & Barbuda, which made investment in the airline part of the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passport program, thereby giving Antiguan passports to the Nigerian investors. There are allegations that the investors never received their shares of stock; the airline appears to be defunct without any assets.

Indications that Antigua's CBI passport program has sold citizenships to Nigerian government leaders and PEPs know to be involved in corruption have resurfaced in the aftermath of the failure of Antigua Airways. Antigua's Prime Minister, GASTON BROWNE, who has been closely linked to the CBI passport scheme, has promised to conduct a full investigation. The vessel, which was seriously overloaded, capsized in rough seas.