Benjamin told OBSERVER media” We have done our own research and we are satisfied that we are quite correct and he is wrong.”

On Monday, Political Leader Harold Lovell told the Upper House, during the Budget Debate, that the government failed to follow the law which requires a Board be set up to oversee the operations of the economic citizen programme, and therefore the sale of the Antigua & Barbuda passports was done illegally.

He also declared that the party intends to challenge the matter.

Benjamin said Lovell would have “an herculean task. He has his advice; we have our advice, and we are satisfied nothing illegal was done.”

The attorney general accused the opposition leader of not considering the welfare of Antigua &Barbuda and that he should “stop trying to spread and gain political points.”

He charged Lovell with “trying to destroy the economy,” by “undermining government’s programmes.

“We are satisfied that nothing was done illegal and we shall deal with any matter that Lovell may bring before the court of law,” the AG declared.

Benjamin acknowledged that a Board should have been instituted, but said such a Board was “merely an advisory Board, to advise the minister and the Cabinet and recommendations made by the body could be rejected”.

He said the CIP law was enacted in 2013 and between that period the CIP Unit was the body that supervised the processing of applications.