– Advertisement –
MSR Media denies claims, strikes back
A high-stakes political and legal drama has erupted between the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and MSR Media, with Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew accusing individuals associated with the film production company of attempting to extort tens of millions of US dollars from the government to suppress a video allegedly aimed at discrediting the country’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme.
On the May 13 edition of The Roundtable, Prime Minister Drew claimed that persons linked to MSR Media, in collaboration with local individuals, approached him with a demand of between US$40 million and US$100 million to prevent the release of the video.
“People came to my office asking for 40 to 100 million dollars for that video not to be released,” said Prime Minister Drew. “I told them no. That is extortion. That is blackmail, and [that video] is going to be filled with lies.”
Dr. Drew said he refused to entertain any such demand, vowing that no public funds would be used in what he described as an attempt to undermine the country’s credibility or the integrity of its CBI programme.
“You’re not going to get one cent out of me,” he declared, noting that he has instructed the Attorney General to pursue all appropriate legal avenues. A respected international law firm has been retained to handle the matter.
“This is a serious, serious matter. This is extortion of a state, of a country,” the prime minister stated. “No one has the right to walk into the Prime Minister’s Office to blackmail or extort because you want to bring out a nasty, malicious video to attack our country.”
According to Dr. Drew, MSR Media is behind the video, and he further alleged that the company had enlisted Kittitian citizens to participate in the purported scheme.
“This is something that I will fight and fight to the end, because the precedent must not be set in Saint Kitts and Nevis that people can walk into the Prime Minister’s Office [and make such demands],” he said.
The prime minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of a previously strained relationship with MSR Media, a UK-based production company led by filmmaker Philippe Martinez, which had been involved in film production activities in the Federation.
Before diving into the alleged extortion, Dr. Drew highlighted that his administration inherited several problematic CBI issues involving Russian applicants, Caribbean Galaxy, and the MSR Media agreement, all predating his term in office.
He read a message purportedly sent to him by an individual who had seen the unreleased documentary:
“Somebody went to the screening. A Kittitian. ‘It is well put together and very compelling. Several of our citizens, including yourself, is featured in it. I recommend that you try to see it for yourself before it goes into the public domain’… ‘It is very damaging. As you are aware, I am only a phone call away. Time is running out. The ball is in your court.’”
Dr. Drew contends that the situation constitutes a deliberate attempt to financially pressure the government. “This nasty video that MSR want to release on Saint Kitts and Nevis…by someone of bad character, will not be able to extort this country, nor his emissaries will not be able to extort this country,” he said, referring to Martinez.
Dr. Drew maintained during The Roundtable that his administration would not be coerced or intimidated.
“This is something that I will fight and fight to the end because the precedent must not be set in St. Kitts and Nevis that people can walk into the Prime Minister’s Office… This will not be allowed to stand.”
The developments follow the formal withdrawal of MSR Media’s Judicial Review claim against the government in March 2025. That claim, filed in May 2024, was to be heard by Resident Judge Her Ladyship Justice Tamara Gill. It marked the end of the second legal challenge mounted by the company.
The first was a RICO lawsuit filed in a U.S. Federal Court in Tampa, which was voluntarily dismissed in December 2024 due to legal immunities and the cost of litigation.
Despite the legal cases being dropped, the Prime Minister’s latest statements underscore that tensions remain high.
MSR Media Responds: “Ridiculous and False”
Meanwhile, Philippe Martínez, CEO of MSR Media, has categorically denied the allegations made by Prime Minister Drew, calling them “ridiculous” and part of a broader attempt to deflect attention from the Prime Minister’s own role in controversial CBI matters.
Martínez, speaking in a podcast hosted by Jefroy Morrishaw released shortly after the prime minister’s remarks, said:
“Well listen, if you recall in 2024 I made a podcast on my channel and I exposed the fact that Prime Minister Drew, Terrance Michael Drew, has processed many of the jail applications that we told him from day one not to process them.”
He said that following his public criticisms in 2024, “magically appeared a deep fake AI recording of me,” which he claims was shared by the Prime Minister’s advisor, Austin Edinborough.
Martínez dismissed the Prime Minister’s extortion claims, stating, “The very idea that MSR would extort people — we do everything by lawsuit, by legal means.”
Martínez also revealed that he has pressed charges in the U.S. against Prime Minister Drew and Edinborough, adding that he has been in contact with the U.S. Department of Justice and federal agents. He indicated that MSR Media is preparing to file a new RICO case in the U.S. involving evidence of “hundreds of millions of dollars” in transactions related to CBI programmes across the region, including in St. Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, and St. Lucia.
“We provided the contract and everything to the government and to the U.S. authority,” Martinez said, insisting that all allegations made in the documentary are supported by evidence, and that the documentary will be released “at the appropriate time.”
Martínez further claimed, “I believe that once [the DPP] sees the Bank of America transactions, he will be very busy. We’ll point him to the juicy parts.”
Martínez also challenged the Prime Minister to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine the documentary and related evidence. He questioned the transparency of current government operations and pointed to “scams” allegedly carried out under both past and current administrations.
As of now, MSR Media has not released the documentary. However, Martinez insists the release is being held to avoid interfering with ongoing developments and investigations.
– Advertisement –