By Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kittts (Thursday 30th May 2024)- In response to the ongoing controversy surrounding a lawsuit filed in the US by MSR Media, Premier of Nevis Mark Brantley, a trained lawyer by profession, has spotlighted his and Nevis’ noninvolvement.
Speaking at his monthly press conference on , Brantley emphasized that there are no allegations against him or anyone in Nevis.
“I have seen the allegations and counter-allegations… I’ve seen the lawsuit. I’ve read some 102 pages… Took my time and I read it, and I am comforted that there is not one single allegation against me or anybody in Nevis.
Not one,” Brantley stated. He pointed out: “I thought it instructive that MSR [Media] who was brought to the Federation by us in the NIA [Nevis Island Administration] to make movies is now in this international battle, it looks like, with functionaries on the island of St.
Kitts, and nobody in Nevis whatsoever has been named in that lawsuit nor has there been any allegation about against Nevis in relation to that lawsuit.” He recalled that while Team Unity existed, MSR Media came in 2020, “and my idea at starting a movie industry was scuffed at…” The lawsuit filed by MSR Media in the Middle District of Florida Tampa division alleges fraudulent underselling of passports through the Citizenship by Investment programme. Collectively listed are ten defendants including local public officials and companies.
Brantley made it clear that while he supports using the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program to bolster the local economy, he distanced himself and Nevis from the unfolding legal drama. In speaking about the relationship between MSR Media St.
Kitts, he claimed: “Along the way MSR Media got into this whole Citizenship By Investment decided that they could use Citizenship by Investment in order to pay for films that are produced here. And I will go on record today to say that I support that.
I believe that the Citizenship by Investment program should be used to facilitate new strands to our economy,” Brantley explained. “… I saw what it could do in Nevis over COVID, and if we could develop a film industry that is supported by proceeds from the Citizenship by Investment program, I have no problem with that at all.” Brantley, however, recalled the limited nature of his and Nevis’ engagement with MSR Media relating to such, noting that he was not privy to any discussions or negotiations. “I then started to hear various accusations and counter-accusations, and that is where I extricated myself and Nevis from that because I was not privy to any of those negotiations or discussions that occurred at the high tables.
I tell people all the time, when the cabinet was convened, that some of us were out in the yard. We weren’t even allowed in the room.” Leader of the People’s Labour Party (PLP) and immediate former Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris (a
