WILL OFAC DESIGNATE THE OPERATORS OF DOMINICA'S ILLEGAL DIPLOMATIC PASSPORT SCHEME ?

I have been searching for a legal solution to the problem. The "unofficial" diplomatic passport sales program of the Commonwealth of Dominica is clearly out of control. A look at the foreign nationals who are known to have purchase diplomatic credentials from Dominican government officials reveals a rogues' gallery of financial criminals, sanctions evaders, and other suspects, none of whom you would want dating your worst enemy, let alone gaining inspection-free entry into many of the world's airports and other ports of entry.

Since the corrupt senior Dominican government officials, and the "sales agents" who earn obscenely high commissions for steering wealthy (but dodgy) foreigners to that prized diplomatic passport, will not kill their golden goose, the program, and the rule of law seems to have gone on vacation in Roseau,, what can be done ?

This is not Grenada, or Panama; don't expect a US Marine Expeditionary Force to land, subdue the SSU, imprison the Prime Minister, and his cabinet, and establish a provisional government, but the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) can certainly wield economic power. It is as simple as imposing a designation for WMD, or Iran sanctions, for the actions of the program facilitated Iran sanctions evasion activities. if pressed, we may find other unrelated criminal conduct, on the part of the other diplomatic passport holders, to justify other OFAC designations.

If such an action occurred tomorrow, I am afraid that the Prime Minister would be barred from traveling to New York, to stay at his residence there, and could not visit his wife and child, who arrived there recently, and some of those now obscenely wealthy cabinet members would not be able to throw money around in Miami, but it may be the only way to insure that no more counterfeit diplomats obtain the tools to commit crimes, evade international sanctions, smuggle everything and anything, and appear to be emissaries of a sovereign government, when they are only common criminals. If the Dominican Government will not stop the diplomatic passport program, sanction the government that runs it.