Alexandre Cazes' wife 'should lose Antigua-Barbuda citizenship'

Dwyer Astaphan and Richard Fredrick were guests on the Big Issues programme on OBSERVER radio yesterday discussing the Citizen by Investment Programme (CIP).

“If his citizenship would have been revoked if he was alive, then that of his wife ought to have been revoked and that of any other person who acquired citizenship by virtue of him,” Fredrick argued.

Fredrick explained that the very fact that her citizenship came as a result of her connection to her husband is enough for her citizenship to be revoked.

Pointing to a maxim in law referred to as ‘fruit of the poisonous tree,’ he said that because the United States would have begun an investigation into Cazes, the wife would have, no doubt, been a target of the investigation as well.

Astaphan added that if, in St Kitts and Nevis, an applicant provided false information and is a subject of criminal investigation, has a criminal record, is a potential national security risk or is involved in any activity that may bring the name of the country into disrepute, then that application should be rejected.

He further added that if it is discovered, subsequent to the granting of citizenship, that the applicant lied on their application, their citizenship can be revoked. Astaphan pointed out that Antigua and Barbuda has similar regulations and therefore Cazes’ wife’s citizenship can and should be revoked.

“The Antiguan government can and should revoke the passport of Mr Cazes’ widow and that of anyone else who came in on his coat tail,” Astaphan said.

Cazes and his wife became citizens through the CIP in February 2016 by purchasing a US$400,000 villa in Nonsuch Bay.

It later emerged that Cazes was allegedly behind the largest criminal marketplace on the internet.

Original source: Antigua Observer