St. Kitts and Nevis to launch CIDD unit by July 31

Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: With a vision to strengthen the Citizenship by Investment Programme and protect the country’s reputation internationally, the administration of St. Kitts and Nevis is all set to operationalise Continuing International Due Diligence (CIDD) by 31st July 2024.

Ian Queeley, the former Commissioner of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and current Ambassador for the Eastern Caribbean States to the Kingdom of Morocco will head the CIDD. The announcement was made on Friday during the sitting of the National Assembly.

During the second reading and debate on the Citizenship by Investment Unit Bill, 2024, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew stated that this mechanism will play a significant role in protecting the reputation of St. Kitts and Nevis on a global platform. He noted that the CIDD unit will also seek to implement policies to address all the issues and risks associated with the citizens of the island nation in order to prioritize their security.

He further asserted that CIDD will ensure that citizens who are holding passports issued by St. Kitts and Nevis who are residing and working internationally follow all the rules and regulations of the countries in which they live and visit. Along with that, it will also alert the Ministry of National Security of St. Kitts and Nevis citizens who are being investigated for committing or charged with any sort of crimes internationally.

He also remarked that CIDD unit will report to international law enforcement, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing agencies when citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis are arrested or charged with financial or other international crimes. It will also be responsible for retrieving passports issued by St. Kitts and Nevis which have been cancelled by the Ministry itself. All these provisions will be implemented under the Passport and Travel Document Act Principle 5 of the US-Caribbean roundtable on CBI.

Notably, the CIDD unit will be headquartered in Europe and will be responsible for conducting due diligence on economic citizens all over the world.