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By Kevon Browne
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS (WINN) – The legal case involving MSR Media and key figures in the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs in St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia has progressed after MSR Media’s Philippe Martinez made allegations about the CBI program in a recent interview with DBS TV, sparking legal action and international attention.
MSR Media has filed a RICO lawsuit in U.S. federal court against several Caribbean CBI stakeholders. The defendants include:
*Les Cahn, former head of the St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) and current CEO of Caribbean Galaxy
*McClaude Emmanuel, current CEO of CIU in St. Lucia
* Kim Young, owner of Caribbean Galaxy
* Denzil Douglas, former Prime Minister and current Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and Nevis
* Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis
*Faron Lawrence, Kittitian real estate developer
*Ernest Hillaire, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism of Saint Lucia
MSR Media claims to have evidence of kickbacks, fraud and money laundering related to the CBI project. The allegations also implicate some Chinese nationals who allegedly obtained Kititia citizenship through fraudulent means related to the prison project.
The scope of the lawsuit may include third parties suspected of aiding or neglecting illegal conduct, such as CBI escrow agents and sales agents. MSR Media claims that it will present more evidence in the US court, including financial data and transactions that benefited government officials.
Both St. Lucia and Caribbean Galaxy have denied Martinez’s allegations, with Caribbean Galaxy calling them “false accusations.”
Legal developments
Martinez announced that MSR Media had won a legal victory in a US court, receiving permission to subpoena bank transactions related to the CBI scheme from Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase. Martinez said the development gave the company access to all bank transactions related to the CBI scheme.
“MSR won last week (July 22-26) in the US courts the right to subpoena Galaxy (and) Harris’ CBI-related bank transactions, in addition to some politicians and companies that we believe were involved in the scheme. So it’s a huge victory, and that’s why a few months ago when they came with their propaganda agencies and their friends and said, ‘Oh my god, it’s all over’, and they tried to pretend that the RICO case was over, I relaxed because they certainly hadn’t read the judgment, which clearly stated that it was not the substance of the case, but a technicality. We resolved the technicality, and last week, we subpoenaed all three of these major US bands. MSR is in a very unique position to have access to all CBI-related transactions, so the truth will soon emerge.”
Martinez claimed that the subpoenaed records will reveal important information involving Caribbean Galaxy Real Estate Ltd. and Dr. Timothy Harris, the former Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis. He said the records will confirm fraudulent activities and misappropriation of funds related to CBI projects.
Judicial Review in St. Kitts
In another judicial review case in St. Kitts, Martinez highlighted evidence presented to the court that Caribbean Galaxy illegally sold citizenships at half the legal price. The judicial review in the St. Kitts High Court seeks an injunction forcing the prime minister to revoke all citizenships granted at discounted prices by the Galaxy prison project.
Although the government initially sought to dismiss the case, Martinez said, “The St. Kitts judge has decided to proceed to trial. Since then, we have presented … our evidence, and I am happy to report that we have provided the court and the government with 185 contracts that Galaxy sold at prices below the legal price.”
Martinez said the number of contracts sold illegally was much higher, about 5,500, but MSR Media currently has evidence on 185 contracts and has submitted them to the court.
Other concerns and future actions
Martinez also expressed concern about the conduct of a Chinese due diligence firm vetting applicants for the CBI program, which he accused Caribbean Galaxy Cruises Vice President Musang Lee, who owns the company, of being a “massive security breach.”
Martinez also criticized politicians including former Prime Minister Timothy Harris and current Prime Minister Drew, accusing them of participating in the plan but lack of action.
He said that as MSR disclosed more evidence, political pressure and legal consequences were imminent, saying: “It is very disrespectful to say the least to sue the country and demand compensation from the country when the victims have already suffered losses. Therefore, I encourage Mr. Douglas to control his emotions and words…especially in Congress, because if he continues to lie to me, I will submit certain evidence that he does not like in the US federal court as soon as possible to tell the truth about him. It is time for people to stop political tribalism, stop trying to manipulate mathematics, and understand that they are now facing a US federal RICO case.”
Martinez announced plans to add more defendants and present more evidence by the end of August. He said he believes these actions will reveal the alleged fraud and have significant legal and political consequences for those involved.
“I will present evidence to show the international community the extent of the fraud and money laundering in which these individuals were involved,” Martinez said.
Martinez said that by the end of August 2024, eight defendants from St. Lucia and two from St. Kitts and Nevis will be included in the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case.
The evidence provided by MSR Media has not been independently verified or assessed by the court and the judicial review is ongoing.
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