Tabor says advisory board for CIP is ‘a sham’

The Public Relations Officer of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Senator Damani Tabor, said that the UPP does not believe that the government’s plan to appoint an advisory board is adequate for restoring the integrity of the Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP).
 Further, Tabor posited that the proposed advisory board is pointless and would have no real effect on the operations of the CIP other than giving advice.
“[Appointing an advisory board] is just a sham to mislead the public,” Tabor said on OBSERVER AM on Friday. “This board has no power to protect the integrity of the programme. An advisory board is a paper tiger; it’s a proxy for Cabinet; it’s a waste of time and does not solve the international concerns.”
He added: “This will do nothing to reverse the scrutiny that is cast upon CIP, this will do nothing to assist with restoring visa-free access to Canada, and it’s another misstep.”
The UPP spokesman believes that having a
normal, statutory board would be a better option than the advisory board which, he said, “cannot make any decisions.” According to him, as opposed to a statutory board, an advisory board does not have the ultimate say.  
“It is advisory and therefore they cannot intercept any action that is clearly improper or illegal or threatens the integrity of the programme; it is purely advisory,” Tabor added.
He explained that the advisory board “fails to respond to the concerns” which have prompted the formation of an external body for the CIP.
 According to Tabor this decision would not have any valuable impact on the international community as it still fails to prove the “level of independence they wanted,” and does not provide “an extra layer of protection against misfeasance and mischief.”
Tabor explained that in addition to the appointing of a statutory board rather than the advisory board, the UPP feels that “there should be a moratorium on the programme, and it should be subjected to external audits and other processes to optimise and improve the programme.”
He explained that there is a need to stop the programme and then audit all aspects as he does not feel that the programme can be improved while in operation and believes that the CIP needs a proper analysis.
Tabor’s comments were in response to the  recent Cabinet decision to appoint an advisory board for the CIP in order to restore the integrity of the programme as well as to pacify the international community.
As of June 27, 2017, Canada revoked visa-free access to Antiguan & Barbudan passport holders, citing concerns over the nation’s Citizenship by Investment Programme.