Media entities funded by CBI Operatives?

PRIME MINISTER, Dr Ralph Gonsalves this week urged Vincentians to be wary of the New Democratic Party (NDP), claiming that he has intelligence that the opposition is aligned to entities whose sole interest is to sell Vincentian passports in a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme.

He alleged during a press conference at Cabinet Room on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, that apart from the NDP being aligned with foreign entities who are on a coordinated and dangerous campaign to undermine democracy in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), several media houses are also being used to attack the Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration. He did not name the media entities, but in an emotional address, Gonsalves urged voters to give the NDP one of the soundest beatings they have ever received at the polls in the next general election.

“I have warned this country about the dangers of selling our passports and selling our citizenship. I don’t want to go through all the arguments now, because you know them, if you’re listening to me, I said I’m opposed to selling the passports and the citizenship,” he stressed.

“In principle, I’m opposed on the grounds of practicality. I’m opposed on the grounds that it is not sustainable and that it is reckless to run your country’s finances on selling passport and citizenship.”

He pointed out that the United States of America (USA), Canada, and Britain have all signalled that CBI programmes have to end and have put things in place as a deterrent.

“You have to apply for visa now from certain of those countries, and the Europeans now have put it inside of their parliament … the European Union parliament has already addressed that question and is going through the parliamentary process. It’s just a matter of time. I saw it coming. It took a little longer… to give them some time to clean up,” Gonsalves added.

He said CBI money “is so sweet” that many countries are involved in it, and because SVG is not, that makes the Vincentian passport coveted.

He charged that as a result, companies involved in selling passports and citizenship have been financing the NDP and their election campaigns since 1998, but more particularly, since 2001.

“They are hyperactive now … they’re working. The traditional ones out of Europe are working now, with some from China …”.

Gonsalves alleged that the goal to get Vincentian passports on a CBI platform involves Chinese companies that want SVG to switch diplomatic relations from Taiwan to mainland China.

Click here to subscribe to read the full article in the E-paper!