Wehner Accuses Gov’t of Helping Undermine A&B’s Passport

Opposition Senator Jonathan Wehner has accused the government of helping to damage the international reputation of Antigua and Barbuda’s passport, arguing that the country cannot portray itself solely as a victim of pressure from foreign governments over its Citizenship by Investment Programme.

“We are not victims, Madam President; we are co-conspirators in the assassination of the reputation of the passport of Antigua and Barbuda,” Wehner declared during debate on the Citizenship by Investment Amendment Bill 2026 in the Senate.

The opposition senator said the government must accept responsibility for decisions that, in his view, weakened accountability and raised questions about the effectiveness of the programme’s due-diligence system.

“We must be able to take responsibility. That’s part of leadership. Admit where you went wrong. Come clean to the people,” he said.

Wehner acknowledged that the amendment contains positive measures, including stronger auditing requirements, corrective action where weaknesses are identified and provisions allowing the new regional regulatory authority to initiate special audits.

He argued, however, that the reforms were being introduced too late, after years of warnings and growing international scrutiny.

“Too late is the cry. The bell has rung. The end is nigh,” he said.

At the centre of Wehner’s contribution was his claim that the Citizenship by Investment Unit has not produced audited financial statements for more than 10 years, despite the programme generating substantial revenue.

He said the absence of audited statements made it impossible to identify material weaknesses or non-compliance through the audit process.

“There has been no audit report for over 10 years,” Wehner told the Senate, contrasting the situation with the reporting requirements imposed on private businesses by local regulators.

Wehner also accused the government of removing important safeguards from the original CIP legislation, including an audit requirement and more extensive disclosure provisions in the programme’s six-month reports.

He argued that the amendments now before Parliament were effectively restoring some of the accountability mechanisms previously removed from the law.

The senator proposed that the Unit should be required to publish not only its audit report but also its written response to any concerns raised by auditors.

Both documents, he said, should be submitted to the responsible minister and formally tabled in Parliament.

“I don’t think we can go too far as it relates to transparency and accountability, especially given the current circumstances with our Citizenship by Investment Programme,” Wehner said.

The amendment provides for annual financial and operational audits of the programme, with reports to be published on the Unit’s website within 30 days in a format accessible to the public.

It also requires the Unit to take corrective action where an audit identifies material weaknesses or non-compliance.

The Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority would also be able to order a special audit where serious irregularities recur over multiple audit cycles or where credible information suggests systemic governance failures or corruption.

Wehner argued that Antigua and Barbuda’s programme already met the threshold for such an examination, although no completed audit findings supporting that assertion were presented during his contribution.

He also questioned the programme’s record of due diligence, referring to the diplomatic passport issued to Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab and CIP applications connected to Nigerian airline executive Allen Onyema and members of his family.

Wehner said those cases raised questions about repeated claims that Antigua and Barbuda operated one of the world’s strongest due-diligence systems.

Government senators defended the legislation as part of a wider effort by citizenship-by-investment states in the Eastern Caribbean to harmonise their programmes, rather than a last-minute response to international pressure.

They said discussions on establishing the regional regulator began between 2023 and 2024 and that Antigua and Barbuda had been among the countries pushing for common standards.

The reforms would establish regular auditing, harmonised residency requirements and common minimum investment prices across participating countries.

Applicants rejected or disqualified in one jurisdiction would also be prevented from simply applying through another participating state.

Wehner, however, maintained that the administration had been repeatedly warned by international partners about transparency, residency and due-diligence concerns and had failed to act with sufficient urgency.

He said the new safeguards were necessary but should not be presented as evidence that the government had been proactive.

“The words don’t match the actions,” Wehner said, arguing that Antigua and Barbuda must confront its own decisions if it hopes to restore confidence in its citizenship programme and passport.