St Kitts and Nevis PM: Former leader 'informed by Interpol about Chinese national'

Prime Minister Timothy Harris has accused the former leader of St Kitts and Nevis of failing to deal with an Interpol alert against a man who was given citizenship.

His government has once again been thrust into a bad situation inherited from the former Denzil Douglas-led administration, he said, adding that his Team Unity administration will – as it always does – conform to the rule of law.

The prime minister was speaking specifically on the matter surrounding a Chinese national, who is on Interpol’s wanted list and was granted citizenship under the country’s Citizenship by Investment programme. Appearing on Sugar City 90.3 FM’s The People’s Voice show, Harris not only attacked his predecessors government – who was in power when the controversial citizenship was granted – accused the now opposition leader of being aware of the Interpol alert and taking no action.

He said “In the report, which was submitted in July of 2014 by the Interpol authorities in Washington DC, they gave the Denzil Douglas administration the name of the Chinese that was coming, the date of birth; they told the Denzil Douglas administration that the parties were traveling on British Airways Flight 2157 from London, Gatwick [Airport] to St. Kitts with a layover in Antigua. The flight was due to arrive at 15:30. This information [was relayed] to the Denzil Douglas administration for them to take necessary action and to advise Interpol [of said action].”

[caption id="attachment_1002" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Former prime minister and opposition leader Denzil Douglas.[/caption] “If the gentleman and the lady were here as citizens of St Kitts and Nevis and Douglas had this notice, this warning… from Interpol, Douglas ought to be ashamed of himself to now be talking about these same persons. For if there was anyone who had harboured them, it would have been the Denzil Douglas administration.”

Until today the prime minister has offered little in response to the accusations aimed at him.

Over the weekend Denzil Douglas called for Harris to step down. WIC News has reached out to Denzil Douglas and his representatives for comment.