Grenadian Officials returns Chinese Businessman’s ‘gifts’ for citizenship

Dec 31, 2022 News

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Kaieteur News – Grenadian Officials attached to the Country’s ‘Citizenship by Investment’ Programme earlier this month return expensive gifts to a Chinese Businessman advising him that as stewards of public trust, they were unable to accept the luxury items.

Bo Xu, Chief Executive Officer of Hartman Hotel Development Ltd., thought it was a good idea to send EC$10,000 cash, a bottle of drink, and other items to the Chairman of the Grenada ‘Citizenship by Investment’ Programme Unit, Richard Duncan.

In a letter to the Businessman dated December 13, 2022, the Grenada ‘Citizenship by Investment’ Unit said it was in receipt of the gift which was delivered to the Chairman a week earlier.

It said that the package was opened in the presence of the Unit’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Karline Purcell, the Accounts Manager, and the Executive Assistant.

It was found however that the value of the items was incongruent with the Unit’s Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy and could not be accepted.

It continued that “as stewards of the public trust, we are sensitive to ensure adherence to the integrity in Public Life Regulations as well as the Prevention of Corruption Regulations, as it relates to gifting.”

The Agency before thanking the Businessman for his compliance and understanding in the matter, instructed that he have a member of his team collect the items before close of business following receipt of the correspondence.

Grenada describes itself as having one of the newest and most exciting ‘Caribbean Citizenship by Investment’ programmes on the market. It grants Grenada citizenship to successful applicants who financially invest in the country.

The country boasts its white sand beaches and pristine Caribbean waters, lifestyle, travel and economic advantages as benefits increasingly attracting Investors to invest for their citizenship.

The country said that in addition to healthy living, Grenada Citizenship provides low taxes and financial security, while a Grenada passport allows for increased travel mobility and visa-free access to over 100 countries and territories around Europe, Asia, and the world.

The Grenada Citizenship by Investment Programme offers two tracks to economic Grenada immigration: would-be applicants have the option of making a US $150,000 cash donation to the country’s National Transformation Fund (NTF) (the minimum Grenada citizenship cost) or investing US$220,000 in real estate on the island.

Grenada said its ‘Citizenship by Investment Programme’ is fast, confidential, and rigorously secure, while the application process entails strict due diligence, in addition to paying the cost and fees associated with Grenada citizenship, applicants are subject to an extensive background check, which they must pass complete in order to complete their Grenada immigration and obtain a Grenada passport.

As well as satisfying the security and financial requirements for Grenada citizenship, successful applicants for Grenada immigration, should also be healthy and in good legal standing. The citizenship benefits also allow generational citizenship, in that, a one-time Grenada citizenship cost is inclusive of a lifetime of security and freedom for the candidate and their decedents.

Around this time last year, Auditor General (AG), Deodat Sharma, had cause to highlight a troubling trend in the accounting system for Government, where the true value for gifts received was not being recorded.

In his 2020 audit report, Sharma said the Government had failed to record the true value of gift received for the year, an issue also highlighted in the Auditor General’s Report of 2018. The report said that   Section 34 of the Stores Regulations 1993 states that “all gifts received shall be subject to normal store-keeping and received stores accounting procedures…” He said although there was evidence of the receipts of numerous gifts during the year, there was no evidence of adherence to procedures.

The Integrity Commissions Code of Conduct in Public Life strictly forbids the acceptance of gifts by any Official in the execution of their duties, for favours and the likes. It says in addition to other restrictions that no person in public life shall accept for himself or any person, any money property, benefit or favour of any kind over and above that which he is lawfully entitled to receive for the performance of his duties.

The Official is not allowed to accept for himself or for anyone else “any gift, benefit or advantage from anyone, save personal gifts from a relative or friend, or personal gifts given otherwise than as a motive or reward for doing or forbearing to do anything in the performance of his official functions or causing any other person from doing or forbearing to do anything:”

Just recently, Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo found himself in an embarrassing mix with Chinese Businessman, Su Zhirong, who described himself as the VP’s ‘middleman’, collecting bribes and gifts on behave of the Government Official for the granting of expensive construction projects, resource contracts, and access to other valuable state assets.

There had been many accusations of corruption and bribery involving state assets over the years, but Su, who himself has huge mining, logging and other businesses here in Guyana,  in a revelation to foreign media, VICE News, had put into perspective information involving some questionable state projects.

Other Chinese Businessmen who confirmed that most of their business with Government Officials is done under the table, had also explained to the Undercover Reporters, an elaborate multi-country money laundering system as a means of getting large sums of money in and out of the country illegally. There has been no investigation relating to the allegations but Su has so far left the jurisdiction undetected.

Former Opposition Minister, David Patterson had also come in for stiff criticisms last year when he was accused of accepting gifts from State Agencies reportedly over $2.5M.

Patterson had eventually admitted to receiving gifts but claimed that there was no wrongdoing since he assumed that what he was receiving was within procurement guidelines.

He said that the practice of giving memorabilia and other gifts to Ministers is not new, and Ministers from both sides of the political divide have been presented with gifts and other memorabilia on numerous special occasions.

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