The government of Commonwealth of Dominica on Sunday (August 30) storngly rejected media reports that India's most wanted terrorist and 1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim is a citizen of Commonwealth of Dominica and he holds a Dominican passport.
The Dominican government released an official statement saying that Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar "is not, nor has he ever been, a citizen of the Commonwealth of Dominica".
"Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is not, nor has he ever been, a citizen of the Commonwealth of Dominica, neither through the Citizenship by Investment Programme nor any other means. As such, any publication by any media or by any person purporting otherwise is strictly false," noted the statement.
"The Citizenship by Investment Unit applies a multi-tiered system of due diligence, involving both internal and external checks by reputable, top-tier, international due diligence firms based in the United States and the United Kingdom. These external firms perform thorough checks, including on-the-ground research, to produce exhaustive due diligence reports.In this way, Dominica maintains a firm commitment to professional ethics and ensuring the safety of Dominican citizens," added the statement.
The Dominican government also said that it is focused on protecting the integrity of the country and uphold the security of its international partners.
The Dominican government released the statement after reports surfaced that Dawood Ibrahim holds several passports bearing different names and addresses in Pakistan, India, Pakistan, Dubai, and Commonwealth of Dominica.
"Of late, Dawood Ibrahim has reportedly acquired Commonwealth of Dominica Passport, issued under its Economic Citizenship Programme (ECP), against certain amount of foreign currency, for which citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica are sold," the Indian dossier had said.
