Inside Dominica IV: Government or enemy of people?

Following the arrest of Francesco Corallo in Italy, shocking information is continuing to reach our news desks detailing how the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit and his government, along with some ‘master crook’ sycophants and collaborators are continuing to betray the entire nation of the most beautiful tiny Island in the Caribbean. Only during 2010, proposals for investment in Dominica by two large investors were turned down by the Skerrit regime, as the investors declined to offer ‘secret kickbacks’ as well did not agree to give Roosevelt Skerrit, ‘hidden shares’ in the projects. Very unfortunately, Roosevelt Skerrit regime are not only continuing to misappropriate huge sums of money from the national exchequer of the country, it also is trying to visibly extort the foreign investors, who get attracted to Dominica with investment plans, considering country’s huge potentials of turning into one of the Top-10 tourist destinations in the world. On the other hand, Dominica’s opposition party led by Ron Green are also greatly failing to uphold people’s aspiration by continuously boycotting the parliament for years. Experts feel, it was sacred responsibility of Mr. Ron Green and the parliament members of the opposition to attend parliament sessions thus bringing several solid information on the huge corruption of the current regime as well as tell the people of Dominica, as to how they had been continuously robbed off by the ongoing Kleptocracy of Roosevelt Skerrit and his gang. Some experts say, under the current situation in Dominica, where the party in power is visibly continuing various actions, which goes against national interest, the opposition on the other hand has also failed to voice in favor of the nation – there is solid scope of emergence of third force in the country, which would become the best choice of the popular masses in Dominica.

Only months back, Francesco Corallo, the multi-billionaire casino tycoon was designated as Dominica’s ambassador to Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO]. When Francesco Corallo was arrested by the Italian financial police [Guardia di Financa], he sought ‘diplomatic immune’ being a ‘diplomat’ appointed by the government of Dominica. But subsequently, Italian foreign ministry in a statement said, “Corallo’ request of diplomatic immunity on the grounds that a person who held important economic activities in the host country could not be considered a diplomat.”

Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO] office in Rome categorically stated that it did not know Corallo. “This man is not an FAO goodwill ambassador.” The FAO later issued an official statement saying that Francesco Corallo “is not ‘the Permanent Representative of the Commonwealth of Dominica at the FAO.”

Milan prosecutors immediately announced their intention to proceed with the investigation of Ponzellini Massimo, president of Banca Popolare di Milano who is at the center of the 148 million euros funding to Atlantis/Bet Plus, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and owned by Dominica’s ambassador Francesco Corallo. He [Corallo] has been referred to in the Italian press “as the son of Gaetano, who was sentenced for organized crimes in Italy, and linked to the Nitto Santapoala family.

This is not the first time that Dominica’s string of dubious ambassadors has had difficulty using diplomatic cover to escape prosecution. In 2009, Swiss authorities renounced the diplomatic immunity of Dominica’s ambassador to Switzerland Roman Laschin a Russian national after he was criminally charged in that country. Similarly, the US government brushed aside the diplomatic pleas of ambassador Rudolph King after he was arrested on fraud charges. And, in 2007, the United States embassy denied a visa to Barbadian national Leroy Paris after questioning why a non-Dominican was named as goodwill ambassador.

Meanwhile, Italian police has started questioning Francesco Corallo and his telephone and internet communications are under strict surveillance. Francesco Corallo told one of the interrogators that he offered a small portion of shares in his casino business as well as “some cash” to Roosevelt Skerrit in exchange of obtaining a diplomatic passport from Dominica. A source in Italy told Weekly Blitz that, in recent months, large volume of counterfeit Euros and United States Dollar bills were traced to be paid to the winning gamblers at some of the casinos including those owned by Francesco Corallo. It is anticipated that, Roosevelt Skerrit might have his hand in letting Iranian racket, which are continuing to produce counterfeit US dollars and Euros in circulating the same through various casinos in Italy.

Since assuming in the office of the Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit is continuing to sell passports and diplomatic passports of Dominica to various individuals. Especially the illegal trades of selling diplomatic passports are continuing with the active participation of some of the Roosevelt Skerrit cronies, including Anthony Astaphan, a man born from Syrian-Lebanese parentage. Anthony gets a stake of the amount collected from people for issuing a diplomatic passport of Dominica. Such illegal practice is greatly damaging the reputation of the country at large.

Political Pundist predict a huge mass-upsurge in Dominica against the government especially after the recent arrest of casino tycoon Francesco Corallo and revelation of the fact about Roosevelt Skerrit providing diplomatic passport to this man, which clearly is aimed at providing ‘diplomatic immune’ to any sort of illegal activity.