Read this The Guardian story about a Russian oligarch black-listed from entering the EU who managed to travel freely and repeatedly throughout Europe using a St Kitts and Nevis passport he allegedly purchased.

The gentleman concerned, Andrei Pavlov, denies this, as he would. As does the Nevisian premier whose law firm received Pavlov’s inquiry for a passport from the Caribbean islands.

An EU wide blacklist would have made Malta’s scheme an nonviable option. But that is why Henley and Partners – that operates the scheme in both countries – provides its clients with a portfolio of options.

St Kitts and Nevis has a visa-waiver program with Europe so it’s still a back-door key to get into Europe without too many questions.

The Guardian’s report reminds of another honorary Nevisian (or Kittitian) who used an acquired passport from the Leeward Islands to cover his original nationality while working in Europe. That would be Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejad who covered up his Iranian origins with a passport – passports, rather – provided by the ever present Henley and Partners.

But look at how chilling this is. The Nevisian premier Mark Brantley reacts to the criticism of his country’s scheme. “In February of 2015 there was an election here [in Nevis], a new government came into office, and that new government has entirely reformed the sector to the point where we have the most stringent due diligence requirements in the world.”

Where have you heard words to this effect before? Ah yes. Every time Joseph Muscat has had to respond to criticism about our own passports scheme he assured his audience “we have the most stringent due diligence requirements in the world”.

The pen of the common script-writer – or is that puppet master? — is unmistakable.

Consider this statement from 2016 when Henley and Partners wrote to American TV network CBS to complain they reported unfairly, as they saw it, about the Nevisian passport scheme. “In particular St Kitts and Nevis has made significant progress in strengthening and further improving its program. It is a fact that it has now one of the best run CBI programs in the world, with very tight due diligence and strict procedures in place that match or even exceed international best practices,” says Christian Kalin.

That must have been very significant progress because before that, St Kitts gave passports to Ali Sadr in spite of years dodging sanctions and laundering money for Iran.

This is a dangerous game.