BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH Chinese national Ren Biao making headlines locally, regionally and internationally over allegations of him being harboured by the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, questions remain about those persons who were also on Interpol’s Most Wanted List from China and Russia with citizenship from the Federation.
Last year, as was reported by this media house, News America Now had published an article indicating that seven individuals with ties to St. Kitts and Nevis - either through birth or economic citizenship - were on Interpol’s Wanted List.
Qunqun Zheng, Ren Biao, Chad Zachary Hower, Hongxia Wang, Hanren Xia, Alenander Rodionov and Dexter Lewis were all mentioned in the report, which was confirmed by this media house when checks were made of that list.
But currently Biao is the only one being flagged after reports stated that Chinese officials claimed he had swindled over US$100M from a Chinese-state firm and that a call he allegedly made to family members in that country for US$190,000 to help to continue paying for his protection in the Federation was intercepted.
SKNVibes had contacted Attorney-General Hon. Vincent Byron Jr. on the issue and asked if the passports of the other persons on Interpol’s Wanted List, with the exception of Dexter Lewis who is a national of St. Kitts and Nevis, were deactivated.
In response, the AG said, “I cannot speak to that.”
He however disclosed that he is aware of several other persons whose passports were deactivated, including a Guyanese.
“…One individual from Guyana is currently in prison because of an offence that was committed here. So, they are incarcerated awaiting trial [and] with the others I can’t say what the problem is. Basically, it is a good point you make, but it is not everyone that is on a red notice is automatically arrested. Conditions do not always warrant that.”
The Justice Minister stressed that a person would only be processed if there is a case against him or her.
The Government is currently in the process of investigating the circumstances under which Biao was issued his passport in and the request for his extradition to China.
The Government of National Unity has been heavily criticised by the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party for the way the issue is playing out, as the Chinese Government is calling for Biao extradition.
However, in an interview with WINN FM’s Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, Clive Bacchus, AG Byron held the inflexible position that the Chinese Government did not approach the Federal Government on the matter, but noted that the Team Unity Administration had had informal approaches on it.
“St. Kitts and Nevis does not have diplomatic relations with the Republic of China and, therefore, the Chinese have not approached the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis on any matter. We have had informal approaches on this matter concerning someone who is a native of China, Chinese background, but who are currently St. Kitts and Nevis citizens. And as a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, they are due the same rights as any other citizen guaranteed by our Constitution.”
He had pointed out that if there is an allegation against any citizen of the Federation, one would hope that the State and the people would understand that such an allegation must be presented to that individual and they would have the opportunity and the right to due process.
Ren Biao was granted citizenship under the Federation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme in 2013 and is currently residing in St. Kitts with his wife and school-aged son.
Responding to the Labour Party’s criticisms, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris had accusing the former Dr. Denzil Douglas-led Administration of failing to address the issue while in Office.
He intimated that the issue is another act of distraction, deception and dishonesty of the former Administration and that right-thinking people would not be fooled.
Dr. Harris had stated that it was the Labour Administration that provided citizenship to Biao and his family and not the Government of National Unity.
“...These persons were never facilitated by the Team Unity Administration. And you must ask yourself, did the Dr. Denzil Douglas Administration know what they were doing when they accorded citizenship to these Chinese persons. Did they do their good work on behalf of the people, or there were other motivations?
“I will say in my view there appears to have been other motivations. And the clamour which they are attempting to raise to distract from their fallout march, the smallest march on record. And after Labour Day their story is not about the failed march, their story is about two Chinese, they say, who are here and who they claim the government should handover.
“So, we must ask them, why didn’t you hand them over? And, in the first place, if you had not given them their citizenship they would not be here to become the subject of a conversation. They gave them their passports; but not only that, the Denzil Douglas Administration was careful enough to give them passports without the country of origin field.”
Dr. Harris had claimed that in 2014 Interpol had informed the Labour Administration that Biao was a wanted man and provided them with details of his flight to the Federation; a claim that former Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas vehemently denied.
“In the report, which was submitted in July of 2014 by the Interpol authorities from Washington, DC, they gave the Denzil Douglas Administration the name of the Chinese that was coming, the date of birth. They told the Denzil Douglas Administration that the parties were travelling on British Airways Flight 2157 from London, Gatwick to St. Kitts, with a layover in Antigua. The flight is due to arrive at 15:30. This information is being relayed to the Denzil Douglas Administration for them to take necessary action and to advise Interpol.
“Well, if the gentlemen and the lady are here as citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis and Douglas had this notice, this warning, this flash, flash report from Interpol, Douglas ought to be ashamed of himself to now to be coming talking about these same persons. For if there was anyone who had harboured them, it would have been the Denzil Douglas Administration, because in light of the notice and if he had meant well, these persons perhaps would have never passed the airport.”
The matter remains under investigation.
