VIDEO: Astaphan Says CIP Critics Ignore Reforms Agreed With U.S., UK and EU

Senior Counsel Anthony Astaphan says long-standing collaboration with the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union has already addressed concerns now being raised about Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).

Speaking on Pointe FM’s Browne and Browne Show, Astaphan said regional governments and citizenship by investment units in Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica have worked closely with international partners since about 2020.

“I know for a fact… that since 20— there’s been close collaboration with the prime ministers and the heads of the citizenship by investment unit in the five countries,” Astaphan said .

He said that collaboration included senior U.S. Treasury officials and culminated in agreement on a set of reforms aimed at protecting the integrity of the programmes.

“In 2023… they agreed, including the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury of the United States… to the six core principles in order to enhance the integrity and to protect the citizenship by investment program,” Astaphan said.

Astaphan said the discussions continued through multiple meetings involving U.S., UK and European Commission officials, including one co-hosted by the U.S. Treasury.

“This led to an 81-page agreement to establish the Citizenship and Investment Regulatory Authority, with significant substantive changes,” he said.

He listed the reforms as including “due diligence,” “residency,” and “prohibitions against changing your name.”

“Like I can’t go and get citizenship as Tony Estefan… Significant changes, all of which were enacted into law by the five states in the same month, September 2021,” Astaphan said, adding that “Antigua and Barbuda was the first to go to Parliament to make the changes.”

Astaphan pushed back against recent proclamations suggesting security risks tied to residency requirements or name changes, saying those issues were already addressed in legislation developed with international involvement.

“These provisions are in the 2025 legislation, with the knowledge of the American Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, because he was at the meeting — he co-chaired the meeting,” he said.

Astaphan argued that criticism of the programme reflects a lack of understanding of that history.

“So anyone — especially politicians and opposition who are criticizing — [are] completely ignorant of the history of collaboration with the Americans,” he said, adding they “missed the Parliament sitting… and were not aware that the legislation passed in the House to protect the integrity of the CIP program.”

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]