Only PM Harris can issue a Diplomatic Passport, not CIU or Canadian Bank Note, Dr. Douglas reiterates

Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 6, 2018 – Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas is insisting that Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris must tell the nation whether he had issued a St. Kitts and Nevis Diplomatic Passport to UK property tycoon Peter Virdee.

Speaking during his weekly radio programme “Ask the Leader” on Tuesday night Dr. Douglas said Prime Minister Harris “must stop dance around the issue” and not mislead the country by telling them what others have said to him.

Dr. Douglas said the issuance of a Diplomatic Passport is the sole prerogative of the Prime Minister and to ask other entities if Virdee was issued with a Diplomatic Passport is an affront and a mockery of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

He said the Dr. Harris’ asking Canadian Bank Note to ascertain if a Diplomatic Passport was in possession of Virdee makes no sense especially if the system was sanitized.

“They (Canadian Bank Note) have said to Dr. Harris there is nothing in their records to show Peter Virdee actually has a Diplomatic Passport of St. Kitts and Nevis. Then we are told by Dr. Harris that he also asked the Head of the Citizenship by Investment Unit to carry out a search of the records of those persons who are economic citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis,” but Dr. Douglas quickly pointed out that Virdee was never accused of being an Economic Citizen and that exercise must be a futile exercise.

“Diplomatic Passports of St. Kitts and Nevis could only be issued by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis himself, not the Canadian Bank Note company or the Citizenship by Investment Unit but by and only by Dr. Harris himself,” Dr. Douglas reiterated.

He said the people of St. Kitts and Nevis continue to call on Dr. Harris “to come clean and make a clear, honest and unambiguous statement to clear his name and that of St. Kitts and Nevis in the London Peter Virdee Scandal.

Dr. Harris has refused to tell the nation whether he met Peter Virdee in person, had conversations with Virdee by telephone, begged Virdee for a nice watch and a pair of shoes, had dinner with Virdee, attended an after dinner party with Virdee and discussed campaign financing for the next elections.
Transcripts from surveillance recordings made by German police were handed over to the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK, which triggered their own criminal investigation into allegations of bribery by Virdee in which the names of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris and other Caribbean politicians are mentioned in the recorded converations.

The National Crime Agency in the UK alleges Virdee and his partner conspired to bribe corrupt Caribbean politicians.

Photo 1 – Dr. Denzil L. Douglas

Photo 2 – Dr. Timothy Harris

Photo 3 – Mr. Peter Virdee