BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 04 2017 – The main opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), has called on the Timothy Harris administration to provide “truthful” answers to a regional media report that a Chinese national who is wanted by the International Police (INTERPOL) has found a safe haven here.
On Wednesday, the government issued a statement denying the media report noting however that the Chinese citizen “referred to in the report … was granted St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship some four years ago in September 2013.
But the SKNLP chairman Marcella Liburd said while the party will be issuing an official statement on the matter, the government’s “hastily official response … is inadequate.”
She said that the main point of the media report was the “payment of some US$190,000 for protection of a wanted man. That matter was not addressed at all in the government statement. Something is amiss”.
The Opposition legislator said that the Federation “also needs to know who are the authorities in St. Kitts and Nevis protecting the Chinese national and who the protection money is being paid to.
“This is a serious and damaging charge which has remained unanswered in the government’s official response,” said Liburd, a career lawyer.
She said that although St. Kitts and Nevis has no diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China, the federation is a member of Interpol.
“When did Interpol inform this Government of this matter and what have they done with the information received,” she asked, suggesting that Prime Minister Harris and others would have had the information for some time “and the people must demand information on such a serious matter that can damage the reputation of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
Liburd, a former deputy speaker and speaker of the National Assembly said she can state with confidence that the “Prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell, whose country has diplomatic ties with China, “for some time now has been in touch with Prime Minister Timothy Harris about this matter.”
“We have been told that (they) Prime Minister Harris has been promising and promising Prime Minister Mitchell and has done nothing with respect to it. He (Harris) has remained uncooperative,” said Liburd.
“We call on Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Timothy Harris and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mark Brantley to address the nation or hold a press conference,” said Liburd.
In the statement, the government said St. Kitts and Nevis has no extradition arrangement with China and it is aware of the information regarding the unnamed Chines national “and the relevant agencies are carrying out investigations with a view to ascertaining whether there has been any breach of the laws of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will comply with its obligations as a responsible member of the international community,” the statement added.
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