Mutual Funds

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the great Grenada banking scandal reached new levels of farce this month.One bank is operating without a banking licence, another is capitalized by a painting and the First International Bank of Grenada was still open for business at the end of June. Open, that is, to accept deposits but not to pay interest to its depositors, many of whom have complained to the island's regulators that they have not received interest payments for several months.Even allowing for corruption and incompetence, the refusal of the Grenada government to close down FIBG has led to one of the most bizarre situations in the history of offshore banking.

Police in the Turks & Caicos Islands are to be asked to investigate a company that was allegedly used to defraud mainly Asian investors, according to a recent report in the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong."Peddlers of worthless shares in the Grand Financial Fund, Equity Mutual Trust and Mercantile Securities now appear to be working from the Turks and Caicos Islands," stated the newspaper in an article published on July 12, 1999.

The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has been asked to investigate a failed mutual fund that was run and promoted by the staff of Lines Overseas Management (Cayman) and administered by Alexandria Bancorp.A Canadian investor has made a written request for an inquiry on the grounds that a number of laws may have been broken during the operation and current liquidation of Star Capital Fund.