Caribbean CBIs

St. Lucia Citizenship by Investment

Reaching for a Higher Standard

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St. Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program came later than others in the region. Initially, it operated at a deficit as the program was established. In April 2022, Prime Minister Philip Pierre hailed CBI receipts of $38M USD during his annual Budget Address.

In the face of European and US objections to the way the programs risk being used to avoid taxation, launder money or even support terrorism, St. Lucia’s former Prime Minister is urging all CBI programs to be merged under the control of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Agents, politicians and the former head of St Lucia’s CBI Program say there is a need to improve public awareness and transparency. They contend that ordinary citizens need to understand how CBI funds benefit them in helping to offset disasters, manage debt and brace for unexpected economic shocks.

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COVID-19

The Caribbean’s Pandemic Pyramids and Ponzis

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Even as Caribbean authorities wrestle with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators have been scrambling to formulate appropriate responses to an accompanying growth in unlawful pyramid and Ponzi schemes marketed as financial solutions to the impact of restrictive pandemic measures.

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COVID-19

How The Family of Guyana’s Patient Zero Was Ravaged By COVID-19, Paranoia and Crime

The Tragedy Involving the Baboolall Family Highlights How The Corona Virus Has Disproportionately Affected Guyanese in New York—And At Home

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Not long after Ratna Baboolal, a 52-year-old mother of four, died from Covid-19 on March 11, authorities discovered that she had spread the virus to eight relatives, including her 59-year-old husband Ramnauth Baboolall, her two sons, two sisters, one niece, her son-in-law and one of her granddaughters.

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