THE ROLE OF THE UNITED STATES IN REINING IN THE EAST CARIBBEAN CBI PROGRAMS IS INCREASING

The reported role of the United States in the swift termination of EMMANUEL NANTHAN, as head of Dominica's corrupt Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passport sales program may indicate that the America, tiring of seeing the abuse of the scheme by transnational white collar criminals, money launderers and fraudsters, is taking a more direct approach to demonstrate that it wants the program cleaned up, or even abolished.

While the five East Caribbean CBI states may be assuring themselves that the presence of a low-level American diplomat recently in St. Kitts, meeting with their representatives, confirms North American support for upgrading CBI due diligence platforms, pending legislation blocking visa-free entry into the US for ANY jurisdiction that sell its passports under an economic citizenship program speaks volumes about America's true attitude towards CBI passports.

The unknown status of possible sealed US criminal indictments of many senior EC officials who run the five CBI programs continues to haunt potential defendants in the region, especially since rumors have persisted, and become even stronger since the pending money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges against disgraced former BVI Premier ANDREW FAHIE spawned fears that Fahie intends to incriminate other EC leaders to mitigate his ultimate sentence in Miami Federal Court.

Another question persists: will East Caribbean CBI passport programs disappear altogether, to save what is left of endangered correspondent banking relationships, now being quietly Derisked out of existence? The gravy train of CBI income may be coming to an abrupt end, even against the wishes of the region's leaders, who have grown dependent upon its cash flow.