CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia Citizenship by Funding Board (CIB) has welcomed the voluntary dismissal of a lawsuit filed in the USA, reiterating that “this lawsuit had no benefit from the outset.”
In an announcement, the CB mentioned that in what it considers to be a “failed try and threaten, embarrass, and extort the CIB, it has taken observe of “the latest voluntary dismissal of a lawsuit filed in U.S. Federal Courtroom towards Mc Claude Emmanuel,” the chief government officer of the Citizenship by Funding Unit.
The lawsuit was introduced by Philippe Martinez, a developer primarily based in St. Kitts-Nevis, and the CIB mentioned that he has “no enterprise ties to St. Lucia” and accused the Unit of misconduct. “The St. Lucia CIB has characterised the authorized motion as baseless and an effort to tarnish the repute of the Unit’s management and its community of key companions, together with banks, licensed brokers, and promoters.
“This lawsuit had no benefit from the outset. It was a frivolous try and undermine the credibility of the Citizenship by Funding Programme and its administration,” in response to the CIB assertion.
It mentioned the lawsuit’s withdrawal “additional underscores the dearth of credibility surrounding his claims. It also needs to be famous that last-minute makes an attempt for a monetary settlement have been additionally rejected”.
Below the Citizenship by Funding Programme (CBI), St. Lucia grants citizenship to overseas buyers in return for his or her substantial funding within the island’s socio-economic growth.
Aside from St. Lucia, the CBI program exists in Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts-Nevis, Antigua, and Barbuda.
Martinez and MSR Media voluntarily withdrew the lawsuit final Thursday, and Tourism and Funding Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire, who was an individual of curiosity within the matter, advised reporters that the withdrawal got here as no shock.
“I’m not stunned that Martinez took the plan of action to withdraw his claims, which have been all fabricated, baseless, and malicious,” mentioned Hilaire, reiterating that Martinez’s allegations have been false and that the CIP Unit operates above board.
The scope of the lawsuit concerned high authorities and CIP officers in St. Kitts-Nevis and St. Lucia. Martinez had threatened on quite a few events to show the federal government’s unlawful dealings.
Nevertheless, within the federal court docket discover of discontinuance, the MSR Media and Martinez attorneys famous that “Below Federal Guidelines of Civil Process…Plaintiffs MSR Media SKN Ltd., MSR Resorts & Co. Ltd., MSR Media Worldwide LLC, and Philippe Martinez hereby give discover that the above-captioned motion is voluntarily dismissed with out prejudice”.
The doc additionally famous that “not one of the Defendants has filed a solution or movement for abstract judgment.”
The CIB mentioned the controversy comes because the island positions its CBI program “as a frontrunner within the international trade, with a repute for rigorous due diligence processes.”
It mentioned that this system, bolstered by partnerships with different CBI applications within the Organisation of Japanese Caribbean States (OECS) and collaboration with worldwide stakeholders such because the European Union, the USA State Division, and different related regulatory authorities, has been lauded for its dedication to transparency and good governance.
“The St. Lucia Citizenship by Funding Board needs to reiterate that it takes the enterprise of the State very critically and ensures the operations of the Unit and, by extension, this system stays above board and inside the regulatory necessities,” the assertion added.
