WHO ARE THESE VISITORS ARRIVING IN DOMINICA ON A MALTESE BIZJET?

 

One of my sources in Dominica notified me this week of the unexpected arrival at Douglas-Charles Airport of what appears to be an entourage including  Saudi prince on a Bombardier Global 7500, owned by the Maltese business jet company, VistaJet. The visit was deemed unusual because, unlike the 2022 visit of Ahmed Al Khateeb, the Saudi Minister of Tourism, and other officials, there was neither advance publicity, nor was a press conference called during the limited period that these individuals were in Dominica. The agenda that day was reportedly confined to a meeting with Dominica's Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, referred to by many in the global compliance community as the Joseph Muscat of the Caribbean, due to his alleged corruption. It does not appear to be a trip with a diplomatic theme.

A Challenger 7500

The curious aspect of this visit, and the probable reason that he and his team arrived without warning at 1400 local time, on May 24th, according to another source is that he first landed in Barbados, with the reported reason of obtaining a private meeting with Prime Minister, Mia Mottley. According to the source, whatever his business reason for the trip, he was referred to Roosevelt Skerrit, hence his late arrival in Dominica, and lack of proper advance notice protocol.

Although details are not available, both Malta and Dominica operate Citizenship by Investment (CBI) passport sales programs, offer tax haven advantages on corporate tax rates, and quietly sold diplomatic passports to foreign nationals not engaged in diplomacy; Barbados does not have a CBI program. When additional information on this matter becomes available, we shall update our readers accordingly.