Opposition leader calls for St Kitts and Nevis PM to resign

The leader of the opposition in St Kitts and Nevis is calling on the federation’s Prime Minister Timothy Harris to resign.

Denzil Douglas said that only by stepping down would the nation be able to "move beyond the quagmire into which he has placed it".

He has also accused the prime minister of having "something to hide".

His statement comes after accusations were levelled at the PM over a Chinese national that obtained a St Kitts and Nevis passport in 2013.

As WIC News reported earlier this week, the man is now on Interpol's most wanted list – though the prime minister has said that no formal request has been made for extradition.

Denzil Douglas, who led the country between 1995 and 2015, said: "Prime Minister Harris and members of his government have stated that no formal request has been made by the government of China.

"In my capacity as leader of the St Kitts and Nevis parliamentary opposition, however, I have been reliably informed, through diplomatic channels, that there have indeed been several such requests to the government of St Kitts and Nevis in this regard.

"Indeed, I have been further informed that a senior Caribbean head of government has been urging Prime Minister Harris to cooperate with the government of China and Interpol since his repeated rebuffs of these two powerful forces will have dire consequences for St Kitts and Nevis, in general, while severely tarnishing the reputation of the Citizenship by Investment programmes throughout the region, in particular."

The prime minister's spokesman declined to comment when approached by WIC News, though they did say that there was "no evidential basis" for any of Douglas' claims.

Earlier this week details emerged 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.

The Saint Kitts-Nevis Labour Party leader insists that no issues arose when his government granted the passport, and that instead action is needed by Prime Minister Timothy Harris’ Team Unity coalition government.

'International scandal'

In a number of statements, Douglas has referenced sources inside China that has told him that members of the government in St Kitts and Nevis has been receiving money to shield Ren Biao – the man allegedly at the centre of this argument.

WIC News has been unable to confirm these reports.

Douglas said: “If this is true, this exposes us all to severe and multi-faceted consequences which St. Kitts and Nevis is in no position to withstand.

"Prime Minister Harris has not heeded the urgings of his fellow Caribbean heads of government to cooperate with the government of China and with Interpol.

"He has stoutly refused to provide a full public accounting of this matter, to revoke the passport of Ren Biao and to do all that is necessary to stem this international scandal. It is apparent that the Prime Minister has something to hide"