CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING CHOKSI’S CITIZENSHIP BEGS FOR A REVIEW OF THE DUE-DILIGENCE PROCESS, LOVELL SAYS

Political Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Harold Lovell says the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) needs to be reviewed.

While some nationals are philosophically opposed to it, others are rethinking the program on account of the Mehul Choksi matter. 

Choksi, who obtained citizenship in 2017 through the CIP, is now embroiled in legal battles to avoid extradition to his home country, India, to face fraud charges.

Accordingly, Lovell says that the manner in which due diligence is undertaken must be revisited.

Lovell says the people of this country deserve better than to have the name of Antigua and Barbuda brought into disrepute, as is now the case.

The UPP Political Leader says he does not blame the employees of the Citizenship by Investment Unit for this situation. He says it is the politicians who always seem set on interfering and preventing the technicians from doing their jobs.

UPP Political Leader Harold Lovell.  Back in 2018 when the Choksi story broke, the UPP had faulted the due-diligence exercise carried out on him.  However, Information Minister Melford Nicholas says that, at the time, there was nothing about Choksi that had been flagged by the Indian authorities

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