Harris attacks previous PM over St Kitts-Nevis passport scandal

The prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis has defended himself and his government over allegations of corruption related to citizenship given to an internationally wanted man.

Timothy Harris, who discussed the subject on a national radio show earlier today, has so far been reluctant to issue a statement on the matter.

But now he has laid the blame firmly at the feet of former prime minister Denzil Douglas, who he accused of committing a "serious and dangerous act” in citizenship to a Chinese national in 2013. A row erupted last week after claims in the Caribbean media that Chinese diplomatic officials believe the government of St Kitts and Nevis is protecting a Chinese national who is on Interpol’s wanted persons list.

The man at the centre of the accusations became a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis as part of the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme while Douglas was prime minister.

[caption id="attachment_1079" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Denzil Douglas, leader of the opposition former prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis.[/caption]

At the weekend opposition leader Denzil Douglas – who led the country from 1995 to 2015 – called for Harris to resign.

In his first public statements on the topic, the prime minister did not mince his words.

"This is another act of destruction, of deception and dishonesty on behalf of the Denzil Douglas administration. Right thinking persons will not be fooled. The difficulties that we are dealing with now are part of the bad inheritance of the Denzil Douglas regime," he said.

"That government, headed by Denzil Douglas, had become a pariah in the eyes of the international community. It is therefore strange that he who had brought the country into disrepute, he who ensured that the country’s government was sullied time after time would now want to come and to hypocritically profess to have concern about the country."

The very Chinese [nationals] who are at the heart of the discussions now, are persons to whom the Denzil Douglas administration provided their citizenship. Therefore, these persons were never, I repeat never, facilitated by the Team Unity administration."

Tit-for-tat?

Since the scandal broke, Douglas and his team have released a number of statements alleging wrongdoing by Harris.

At the weekend WIC News reported that Douglas claimed he was told by Chinese sources that members of the government in St Kitts and Nevis has been receiving money to shield the wanted man.

And the prime minister has now raised his own accusations, stating that "there appears to have been other motivations" for the previous government to give a passport to a Chinese national.

Harris stated that, in 2014, the Denzil Douglas administration was adequately informed by Interpol of the Chinese national’s pending arrival in St. Kitts and Nevis, and this gave the former prime minister ample notice to take the necessary action.

WIC News is yet to see evidence to back up any claims.