SAINT LUCIA WELCOMES A NIGERIAN MONEY LAUNDERER ON AN OFFICIAL STATE VISIT: WHY DID THEY CLOSE THE AIRPORT FOR HIS ARRIVAL?

BOLA AHMAD TINUBU is the President of Nigeria; but in 1993, before he came into office, he cut a deal with the United States that resulted in the forfeiture of USD$460,000, amid allegations by American law enforcement that he controlled a bank account in Chicago which was used to launder heroin profits. The DEA has repeatedly objected to the release of any additional information about him, raising questions about his level of cooperation in the sordid world of money laundering for narcotics traffickers.

This man, who is now the president of what is one of the most corrupt countries in Africa, recently made what has been described in local Caribbean media as an official state visit to beleaguered Saint Lucia, reportedly organized by Deputy Prime Minister ERNEST HILAIRE, himself alleged to be the ringleader in a multi-billion dollar racketeering scheme of fraud, money laundering and corruption involving the Chinese company, CARIBBEAN GALAXY GROUP.

Tinubu's visit, which has curiously been totally ignored by global media,has raised serious questions regarding its true purpose, as, aside from the sale of Saint Lucia passports to dodgy Nigerians, the two countries essentially have no relationship, raising the presumption that the Nigerian president may be looking for a "safe" ( i.e. non-extradition) jurisdiction to relocate to after he leaves office.

Alternatively, whether Tinubu is contemplating placing some of his personal fortune out of the reach of Nigerian anti-corruption courts has come up in conversation. Was the fact that Saint Lucia's government ordered Hewanorra International Airport closed for his arrival a cover for the covert transfer of illicit wealth, and will there be other flights? We note that Saint Lucia's organized crime gangs are no stranger to cocaine trafficking.

The visit of such a high-profile, and controversial, African political figure, with a dark money laundering past is obviously not for the purposes of international cooperation; we will be closely following further developments in the new and unexplained role of an African leader in the Caribbean, as we do with any Politically Exposed Person traveling abroad who has disturbing baggage.