Economic Citizenship’s Criminal Attraction

By

Ricardo Swire

A quick legit passport, through an Economic Citizenship Program (ECP) or Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), can set an interested person back six figures.

The cheapest is provided in the Caribbean nation of Dominica. As a British Commonwealth member Dominica’s passport comes with visa free travel to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. Dominica’s ECP applicants for “Single Citizenship” pay US$100,000. A candidate and spouse or “Family Option” remits US$175,000.

If an aspirant’s family comprises two children, under eighteen years of age, he/she invest US$200,000. Interested individuals contract licensed Dominican passport agents. A US Federal Bureau of Investigations’ (FBI) fingerprint check is conducted as part of the antecedent and the applicant’s payment received. The ECP practiced on Caribbean islands mirror America’s EB-5 or Immigrant Investor Program (IIP). In the USA an outlay of US$500,000 qualifies the immigrant as an approved US entity. After a nine month process “Conditional Permanent Residency” is usually granted.

For more than twenty years Dominica’s ECP applicants traveled to Roseau for official interviews, passports and citizenship issued, foreign applicants being made full citizens of Dominica and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). On January 15, 2017 Iran’s international police section chief reported the detention of a forty-three year old male national, extradited from Dominica via Havana and Moscow to Tehran. The suspect held a legitimate Dominican diplomatic passport, issued through the island’s ECP. He was identified as one of two conspirators in a US$2.8 billion oil corruption scam that sidestepped international sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program.

The fugitive Iranian-Dominica diplomatic passport holder was integral in establishment of “My Dominica Trade House” (MDTH). Previously he eluded law enforcement’s interception in Malaysia by utilizing one of several official passports. In June 2015 Dominica’s Prime Minister publicly declared that neither the Malaysia headquartered website nor “My Dominica Trade House Company” had official Dominican government agreements. Roseau’s top politician denied the website and host acted as agents of Dominica’s ECP. In 2016 MDTH’s website was refreshed rather than discontinued.

The Iranian’s application falsely stated he financed several Dominican hospital and medical clinic investments. According to its website My Dominica Trade House is a company based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with three companies in Dominica. The Caribbean island’s corporate entities provide limousine taxi services, aqua prawn farming facility and energy solution, completely based on green energy. The MDTH organization also operates a spring water bottle plant. Its business and consultancy management-company assist citizenship/passport applications for various countries including Dominica. The island is promoted with a turnaround time of three months delivery, the fastest worldwide.

November 2016 records reflected ninety percent of Dominica’s capital projects funded directly from and through the CBI Program. Yet the Caribbean island’s Constitution does not provide for different categories of citizenship. Dominica has a standout record of compromised internal security, demonstrated by appointed foreign diplomats arrested for money laundering, bribery and thievery. The Macau based businessman, whose illegal activity featured in 1997 on ABC News, one such appointee. In 1999 Canada sanctioned Dominica and restricted visas after sixty-six Chinese nationals, bearing Dominican passports, were intercepted at Edmonton International Airport.

Ricardo Swire

Ricardo Swire is the Principal Consultant at R-L-H Security Consultants & Business Support Services and writes on a number of important issues.