The high court has heard issues of national security surround the decision to rescind the immigration visas of a number of foreign nationals.
But the court heard that the individuals involved - who had all been resident in the island for several years - have not been informed of the reasons why.
Doleance claims have been issued by Zhijun Sun, Lingyan Liu, and Wei Wang and his wife and three children, seeking a review of the Treasury Minster’s decision to curtail their immigration status.
At a directions hearing on Thursday, the high court heard that the visas had been revoked under immigration rules relating to national security and the claimants’ continued presence in the Isle of Man and UK being deemed not conducive to the public good.
Advocate Hannah Quinn, on behalf of Treasury Minister Dr Alex Allinson, said: ‘The reasons why remain confidential.’
She said Treasury would be seeking to have the doleance claims dealt with by way of public interest immunity - a process which allows government to withhold information from disclosure if it is considered to harm the public interest.
But advocate Winston Taylor, representing the claimants, insisted this would be ‘vehemently opposed’ as it was ‘completely contrary to English jurisprudence and the European Court of Human Rights.’
Mr Wang, a national of St Kitts and Nevis, told Isle of Man Today after the hearing: ‘I’ve not done anything bad.’
His wife Minjun, a Chinese national added: ‘We just want to know the facts and the reasons why. They’ve not told us anything. We feel it’s unfair.’
Mr Taylor said his clients were ‘completely in the dark - and so am I.’
Pioneering fintech company Blackfridge, which traded as Poundtoken and was based at the Engine House in Castletown, had its financial services licence temporarily suspended by the island’s regulator in January this year.
Zhijun Sun, formerly known as Alan Sun, was appointed chief executive officer of Blackfridge in February 2022.
Mr Wang said they were notified in May that their visas had been cancelled. Their three children, who all attend school here, have had their visas revoked under the same provision of the immigration rules.
The court heard that while the Wangs are still in the island on immigration bail, the other parties are not.
Mr Sun had leave to extend his visa refused and he was required to leave the Isle of Man. He’d had business to attend to in St Lucia but was not being allowed back, the court heard.
Ms Liu had been out of the country at the time her immigration status was rescinded and is currently in Cambodia. Miss Quinn said she would be committing a criminal offence if she attempted to re-enter the UK or Isle of Man. Mr Taylor said Ms Liu had been ‘left in limbo’.
Deemster Andrew Corlett pointed out that the public interest immunity process in England had a closed procedure involving special advocates but that the Isle of Man ‘doesn’t have anything of that sort’.
He suggested the claimants could be given a gist of the basis of the Treasury’s decision ‘rather than go into great detail because there may be national security issues but there needs to be some reason given.’
Miss Quinn said her client would, in conjunction with Isle of Man Constabulary, attempt to find a way of giving a reason without prejudicing information but she added: ‘That information really is going to be very limited.’
She said Treasury would have no objection to the Wang family staying in the island until the conclusion of the court proceedings.
Deemster Corlett made a direction seeking the Treasury Minister to give further consideration for the provision of reasons.
The case will return to court on September 10.