Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves strongly pushed back against recent allegations of administrative malfeasance leveled by Foreign Affairs Minister Fitzgerald Bramble, dismissing the claims as untruthful and a political distraction.
The controversy centers on statements Bramble made in Parliament, where he asserted that computers at a consulate were wiped clean of data and raised questions regarding a trust fund managed by the High Commissioner in London.
Responding to the claim that computers at the New York consulate were wiped of all data, Gonsalves flatly stated that he would not accept Bramble’s word as truthful. He mounted a strong defence of Consul General Rondy “Luta” McIntosh, asserting that McIntosh is an honourable man who would never do anything to undermine good governance.
During Gonsalves’s radio program, a caller highlighted the absurdity of the claim, noting that wiping official government hardware would require strict protocols, including sign-offs from the head of the mission, IT personnel, security officers, and the host country’s permanent secretary.
Gonsalves agreed with this assessment, expressing confidence that McIntosh would be able to fully and adequately answer the allegations at the appropriate time. If any personal data was removed, Gonsalves suggested, it would not have affected the official mission-related records, which should still be intact.
Gonsalves also dismantled Bramble’s assertions regarding a London-based trust fund. He clarified that the fund in question consists of money deposited by a private benefactor specifically into a trust, rather than directly to the diplomatic mission itself.
Pointing to the strict legal rules that govern trusts established in the UK, Gonsalves argued that a simple change in government does not give political officials the power to demand that trustees hand over their roles or the funds. “If that trust is to be altered, it is the donor who will have to alter the trust,” Gonsalves explained.
He fiercely defended the former High Commissioner to London, Cenio Lewis, describing him as an “upright, decent, and honest man” and an “extraordinary patriot” who has served St. Vincent and the Grenadines with distinction, often raising funds to help citizens with school and sports programs.
Gonsalves accused Bramble of “offending the truth,” whether by commission or omission.
Both Gonsalves and his callers characterized these parliamentary allegations as calculated distractions designed by an “inept” government. According to Gonsalves, these claims are merely an attempt to shift public focus away from pressing domestic failures, such as skyrocketing living costs, impending International Monetary Fund (IMF) austerity programs, and the administration’s controversial economic policies.