Barbados Government to Restrict Access to Diplomatic Passports

The Barbados Government will be taking steps to tighten the categories of people who can access and hold diplomatic passports.

This was disclosed by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley yesterday during her address to the nation.

“The other matter of some contention relates to the use of diplomatic passport by someone who has been charged.

“This matter of diplomatic passport, regrettably, was changed in 2017 and it has been brought to my attention that the broadening of the categories of those who can assume and hold diplomatic passports was done by the previous government in 2017,” Mottley said.

The issue drew public attention last week when the daughter of Member of Parliament Neil Rowe, was charged with a crime while being the holder of a diplomatic passport.

The diplomatic passport of Tonneil Neshan Rashida Rowe, 21, was seized by the court as part of her bail condition on drug smuggling and money laundering charges.

Mottley made it clear that with regard to the family of those conducting business on behalf of Barbados, her administration intended to limit access to diplomatic passports to the physically and mentally dependent as well as minors.

“I have asked the Minister of Home Affairs under whose jurisdiction the matter of diplomatic passport falls, to bring the changes to Cabinet to tighten it where it properly should be.

“My sister, if she were to live with me, should not be able to get a diplomatic passport as a big hardback woman and therefore, we need to be able to ensure that only those adults who are dependent physically and mentally will be able to do so and of course those who are minors,” she stressed. (CLM)