THE United States government has again flagged Saint Lucia as a “major money laundering country”.
Local and international criminal organizations exploit trading firms, including banks, to filter and wash monies through the financial system.
The International Narcotics Control Strategy report issued annually by the US State Department has singled out Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP) out of concerns over political influence and ‘exposure to local corruption’.
The State Department has advised the government to step-up investigative capacity among law enforcement agencies to prosecute and cut-off loopholes across the local financial sector. (HTS)