CBI fraud scandal erupts across Caribbean, MSR Media alleges $10B scheme
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 13, 2025) — In a scathing exposé, Washington-based MSR Media has accused high-ranking officials in Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia of enabling a multi-billion-dollar CBI fraud operation. The scheme allegedly involved illegally discounted citizenship sales and the concealment of offshore financial transactions. According to MSR, the abuse of Caribbean citizenship-by-investment programs has deprived governments of critical national revenue while enriching political insiders and agents.
According to MSR Media’s May 13 press release, the illicit scheme was orchestrated through a partnership between officials and Chinese developer Caribbean Galaxy, which was granted rights to sell up to 22,000 passports tied to a prison infrastructure project in St. Kitts. The project, valued at just US$30 million, was allegedly used to generate an estimated US$962 million in revenue, with little oversight or accountability.
Caribbean officials accused of enabling large-scale investment scheme abuse
MSR Media asserts that citizenships were sold for as little as US$100,000—far below the legal US$175,000 minimum—allowing proceeds to be funneled into offshore accounts. These transactions, the company argues, violated both national laws and international financial regulations, amounting to bank fraud, wire fraud, and potential money laundering via both U.S. and Caribbean financial institutions.
Local lawyers and agents allegedly profited significantly from processing these underpriced applications, while national treasuries lost out on hundreds of millions in legal revenues. “That is how the people of the Caribbean were defrauded,” MSR stated.
Prime Ministers and CBI leaders under scrutiny
MSR Media’s accusations target current Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, former Prime Ministers Timothy Harris and Denzil Douglas, former CBI Unit head Les Khan, and Attorney General Garth Wilkin. The company claims Khan admitted in a secretly recorded conversation that Chinese developer Ying Jin might be a “Chinese agent” and that politicians had received cash from her company.
Despite internal warnings, MSR says Prime Minister Drew maintained ties with Jin, even inviting her to the United Nations General Assembly. The company also accuses Drew of signing Certificates of Registration for fraudulent applicants as recently as 2024. Two such certificates have been provided to the U.S. Department of Justice as part of MSR’s evidence package.
Allen Chastanet commended for reviewing evidence
MSR Media commended Saint Lucia’s Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet, for traveling to Washington, D.C., to review documentation related to a similar investment scheme in Saint Lucia tied to Caribbean Galaxy. According to the release, Chastanet received some of the evidence to support ongoing legal scrutiny in his home country. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was also praised for speaking out about reckless CBI program management and foreign influence.
U.S. whistleblower filings and subpoenas expose deeper financial trails
MSR’s legal team filed a whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), detailing alleged misconduct in both Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia. The 32-page submission reportedly outlines how illegal passport sales were processed below market value and funneled through offshore channels.
In 2025, MSR Media obtained U.S. dollar transaction records from Bank of America via court subpoena in a defamation case. The data linked accounts associated with Caribbean Galaxy, CS Global, Carib Trust, and senior political figures across the region. According to MSR, the records validated long-standing concerns about cross-border investment program abuse and revealed numerous hidden offshore assets.
MSR prepares sweeping U.S. legal action under RICO Act
MSR Media intends to file a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) case this summer in the U.S., targeting local agents, escrow handlers, regional banks, and another Chinese developer operating in a separate Caribbean CBI jurisdiction.
The company also reported a criminal complaint against a St. Kitts government advisor for allegedly circulating an AI-generated audio meant to discredit MSR CEO Philippe Martinez. MSR Media says this was a calculated distraction from the core issue—top officials knowingly approving illegal CBI applications.
MSR Media’s revelations add to mounting scrutiny over the region’s CBI programs. In Saint Lucia, former legal claims involving Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire were voluntarily withdrawn, with all supporting evidence handed over to the U.S. State Department. The case now falls under American jurisdiction. Full background on the Hilaire CIP scandal and DOJ handover.
Call for transparency and legal accountability
MSR Media has invited the Director of Public Prosecutions in Saint Kitts and Nevis to review the full cache of evidence—including contracts, bank records, and registration documents—at its legal office in Washington, D.C.
“We believe it would be helpful for the DPP to see evidence identifying the local and foreign mercenaries who defrauded the treasury and the citizens of Saint Kitts and Nevis,” the company stated.
The ongoing fallout from this citizenship scandal is likely to expand as U.S. authorities analyze the data now in their possession. As investigations continue, MSR Media insists the Caribbean is only beginning to reckon with the full scope of the crisis.
For continued coverage on this developing story and related investigations, follow Unitedpac St Lucia News.
