By Robert A. Emmanuel
The latest financial report from the Citizenship
by Investment Unit (CIU) for the period January to June 2023 revealed that the
government spent EC $405,000 on purchasing palm trees.
The purchase of palm trees was part of the urban beautification programme, under Lands and Urban Renewal Minister Maria Browne who announced the operation back in February.
During the past two months, several palm trees were planted by workers of the National Housing
Development and Urban Renewal Company Limited, lining the edges of Friars Hill Road—from Premier Beverages to West Indies Oil Company Limited.
Although the report did not identify the species of palm tree, sources say this type of palm could grow up to 50 feet and regularly shed their boughs as they continue to grow.
Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to run the electrical wires underground to prevent the palm trees from disrupting electricity in the area.
The CIU report also revealed that on three separate occasions, money was spent on business hubs in the country for at least US $100,000.
On February 2, 2023, National Housing was the recipient of a cheque of EC $270,000 for the construction of business hubs—its location was not clarified in the report—then on March 8, EC $300,000 was spent on the development of the City West business hub and on March 21, the government paid another $300,000 on a business hub in City East.
Additionally, the report noted that the government paid $500,000 each to the Accountant General in May 30 and 31 for payment to Caricement Antigua Ltd—a cement importing company in the Crabbes area.
St John’s Development Corporation received budgetary support equalling $550,000 over the six-month period, a significant decrease from the $2 million they received last year—which included purchasing a new $289,583 elevator for the Heritage Hotel in 2022.
Meanwhile, 71 percent of the total new applicants applied under the National Development Fund (NDF) compared to 78 percent of the total for the same period last year.
The NDF investment option requires a one-time, minimum contribution of US$100,000 per application payment.
The primary applicant may include spouse, dependent children and dependent parents over 55 years of age within the application with no additional NDF contribution required, although government and due diligence fees will be payable per each individual, as outlined on the CIU website.
According to the report, Nigerian nationals made up the largest group of applicants to the Citizen by Investment Programme this year, with 21 percent of applications received, including one citizenship application for 8 individuals worth US $125,000.