Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle has questioned the government’s management of Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) revenues, claiming that despite billions of dollars passing through Antigua and Barbuda, citizens have seen little tangible benefit.
Speaking on Observer Radio, Pringle said, “Too much funds would have passed through this country for us and the government for us still to be in this position.”
Referring to the CIP, he stated, “Over a billion dollars would have passed through CIP. Look around Antigua and Barbuda and tell me where can you see anything that we would have benefited significantly from.”
Pringle also challenged recent government claims that proceeds from the controversial Alfa Nero yacht sale were used responsibly.
“They would have used the funds from Alfa, according to them, to pay a loan at the CDB,” he said, referring to the Caribbean Development Bank. “Things are so well in this country that it took the Alfa Nero funds to pay down debts or bring them up to date when these debts would have been amortized over a period of time.”
He criticized the government’s financial planning, noting that debt payments should have been properly budgeted for rather than relying on extraordinary sales.
“The monies should have been allocated to service these debts when it was budgeted for,” Pringle said.
Pringle warned that the lack of visible public improvements, despite significant revenue inflows, reflected poorly on the government’s priorities.
“Just point to something substantial,” he challenged. “We don’t have anything to show that the people of Antigua and Barbuda can say, ‘Hey, we would have benefited because of the CIP.’”
Pringle said citizens must hold the government accountable for how public funds are managed and demand greater transparency in how national revenues are used.
