By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE St.Kitts (Thursday 24th May 2018)- Newly-appointed Chairman of the opposition St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) Dr. Terrance Drew is calling on Dr. Harris to face the media since he is innocent.

Speaking on the Party-sponsored ‘Issues’ Programme aired yesterday afternoon (Wednesday), he expressed the view that Dr. Harris is “treating this issue very lightly.”

Dr. Drew, who criticised the way in which PM Harris has addressed the matter, said he (Harris) needs to “give a formal explanation and response to such a serious charge.”

According to him: “The other thing that he needs to do is to come out before the public and stand before the press. If you are so innocent stand before the press and allow yourself to be questioned. He has to come before the country to be questioned. If he doesn’t do these things, our country will continue to have the dark cloud that is hanging over it presently. Instead of doing that, he took government money and he went down to tabernacle-his home constituency- to hide from the people and stand behind a mike and challenged anyone who questioned him.”

“This cannot be the action of a prime minister who is transparent who has integrity and who believes in good governance. Remember the platform that they ran on good governance, integrity in public life, freedom of information and so forth and we have seen this government practiced none of them,” Dr. Drew added.

He is further of the opinion that PM Harris “must do what the Minister in Antigua did! He must resign!”

The Minister of Investment and Trade of Antigua and Barbuda, Asot Michael, who was mentioned (as the then Minister of Energy) in the bribery scandal resigned last week (15th May)-two days after such allegations surfaced.

By: Drizel Hanley

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Wednesday 23rd May 2018)- As the investigation into the murder of Sergeant Dwight Davis continues, police have arrested and charged a juvenile teenager with the capital offense.

The young man was in custody some three (3) days before being formally arrested and charged on Saturday 19th May, in the presence of a probation officer.

He was later remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison on Tuesday, 22nd May.

It is understood that the juvenile hails from St. Paul’s and is 17-years old.
The 37-year-old veteran sergeant Davis was found shot to death on May 3rd in Dieppe Bay.
The sergeant, a resident of St. Paul’s, was attached to the Sandy Point Police Station where he served as a Supervisor.

He was buried with full military honors on Thursday 17th May in St. Paul’s.

Information from the Police states, “The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force would like to thank all the persons who have assisted so far with advancing the case. However, if there is anyone who still has information that can further help with the investigation, you are urged to call any Police Station, or the Violent Crimes Unit at 467-1887, 467-1888, or 662-3468.”

By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Monday 21st May 2018) – Having been elected for the 30th time in a row as leader of the St.Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, 65-year-old Dr. Denzil Douglas-opposition leader and immediate past Prime Minister-while speaking at this week’s public session of party’s 86th annual national conference touched on his age factor, succession plan and the future of the political organisation.

“I am very, very pleased that the party is moving forward and that is why today I am proud that we are transitioning from the present leadership to the new leadership. There is succession planning that is at work. I am not getting any younger I told my delegates yesterday [in the business session of the conference] even though I look so very young, they tell me,” he remarked on Sunday 20th May at the St.Kitts Marriott Hotel in Frigate Bay during the live broadcast event.

Dr. Douglas continued: “My legacy of transitioning this great party, my legacy of grooming future leaders and setting the country on a new trajectory of innovative growth, of wealth creation for the masses and prosperity and economic well-being and social prosperity and peace for years to come is the thrust of my legacy as leader of this great part.”

He thanked all colleagues, comrades and friends of Labour at home and abroad “for the hope, for the faith and confidence that you continue to place to our executive and in me as the leader of this venerable party.”

The other individuals of the10-member team (4 females and 6 males) are as follows: Deputy Leader-Marcella Liburd (Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two); National Party Chairman-Dr. Terrance Drew; National Vice Chairman- Meshach Alford; National Secretary- Diana Williams-Humphrey; Assistant Secretary Karen Crossman; National Party Treasurer- Shavon Douglas and Elected Members- Dr. Marcus Natta, Javon Liburd and Thamesha Fyfield.

Notably, 64-year-old Liburd, the Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two (Central Basseterre), has made history in becoming the first female to occupy her new position.

Furthermore, the other females namely Williams-Humphrey, Crossman and Fyfield were returned to their respective positions.

In the most recent comparison of a year’s gap in regard to what the executive’s leadership shift has been like this time around, notably in 2017 former Parliamentarian for Constituency One Dr. Asim Martin was re-elected Deputy National Leader along with Marcella Liburd (National Chairman), Diana Williams (National Secretary) and Karen Crossman (National Assistant Secretary) while former Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Eight Cedric Liburd was voted as the new National Vice Chairman.
This media house understands that the age brackets for the other members of the 2018 executive body are 20s, 30s and 40s.

By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Monday 21st May 2018)-Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris is challenging critics accusing him of being involved in the Peter Virdee bribery scandal to bring evidence to the court of law because he is “innocent” and as such he is not going to resign from office.

Speaking before an audience last night ( Sunday) at his Open Forum held at the Edgar T. Morris Primary School in his home community of Tabernacle (located within his constituency), Dr. Harris, in rejecting calls by the SKNLP to resign, exclaimed that he will not do so.

44-year-old billionaire businessman Peter Virdee is accused of bribing Caribbean officials as gathered from legally recorded telephone conversations by German authorities.
As gathered from media reports in the UK, the matter came about in a London high court judgement earlier this month after a court matter involving Virdee and his business associate Dieter Trutschler who are accused of tax fraud.

PM Harris claimed that nobody can bribe him.

“Nobody can bribe me! Nobody can bribe me! I born poor. I understand hard life …In understand poverty. You think champagne can get me to change me mind?! That is why ah don’t drink it! You think wine could impact my judgement on behalf of the people?! I hardly drink it!…Watch and shoe and vanities, dem could impact my mind and my judgement on behalf of my people?! Never! Craziness! That is craziness! And that is out of order! Out of order! Out of order!”

Referring to telephone conversation documents used in court as having been taken “unlawfully” by the authorities according to “the people”, Dr. Harris described the bribery scandal allegations as “hearsay” and challenged those who claim otherwise in this matter being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in Germany.

“I innocent. If you have evidence to the contrary bring it to the court of law. That’s all,” he remarked.

“I wanted to make it very clear we came here to report that I am not resigning tonight! A not resigning tomorrow, ah not resigning next week! A not resigning next year so long as God give me wellness and soundness of body and mind. We will go as we promised ten years of service for Dr. Timothy Harris as the Federation’s Prime Minister. That is what we committed to the people,” said PM Harris at this week’s meeting.

Additionally, he pledged to continue looking after the affairs of the country saying: “Don’t be bothered by this. You understand? This will pass for this is a hearsay and I am not going to get myself in that …when people say go on the radio and make a big statement. No matter what you say Douglas would continue the lie. I will continue to focus on you.”
“Some of them with their confused minds over the couple of days, dey say dey want Timothy to answer. Answer to what? Answer to what?! Is my name being called in something and if dem a talk chalala, wha cause me got inna dat?!What cause me got inna dat?! Dem up a England, dem a talk chalala and hearsay and dem say. Me dung ah St.Kitts working hard for the people, wha cause me ah sing chalala for? What am I to say? People ah talk and people ah say what they like; I am not there with them,” he told also.

In supporting his argument, however, he pointed to a timeframe of travel to London this year which conflicts the period given in court records surrounding the allegations.

The SKNLP is claiming to have pinned 2016 travel locations of PM Harris which allegedly links him (Dr. Harris) to the controversial matter as have been publicised by Party Leader and immediate former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.

Dr. Harris indirectly referred to the time period of last month (April) this year when he visited the United Kingdom’s capital.

“When I was in London, ah met with the Queen, a sat at de Queen table for dinner, a met wid de Princess, a met wid de Prince; me nuh been ah hide . A met wid de Prime Minister at number 10 Downing Street and a met with her for dinner and it was their security taking me around and around… Nobody ask me no question when a was dere inna dey reach. Dey wine me and dey dine me like a distinguished prime minister that I am…”

He continued: “Now I come home and people a chat chalala. A not getting myself in that! So those who have made demselves a poppy show on de radio ‘Timothy must say something’. How ah going say something and a not dere wid dem! How ah going say when ah don’t know what is de truth from de lie for what people ah say! How am I going to say when at paragraph 86 of the judgement, the judges say that they can’t adjudicate with respect the reliability of the transcript. They won’t getting into that because it was a motion…The substantive matter not yet heard. The people were saying the police captured document unlawfully and they went to get the judge to review so the judge look at the transcript and the judge said at paragraph 86 nothing they say in the judgment is a final adjudication of the precise meaning of the transcript. De Judges say they ain’t getting into what the transcripts means but down here some people who want to be in things want to bring me in and to say that me involved in bribery.”

By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St.Kitts (Thursday 17th May 2018) – “Where is there anywhere in the transcripts that implicates myself or any member of the Labour administration? Is love they love my name so that is why they are calling my name all the time?”

So says the Opposition Leader and immediate former Prime Minister Dr. Denzil L. Douglas in dismissing rumours about him as he pointed to the timeline of information produced in documents used as evidence in a London high court which allegedly includes Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris being involved in a scandal involving billionaire businessman 44-year-old Peter Virdee.

He was at the time speaking on the Party-sponsored ‘Issues’ programme aired on Freedom FM yesterday (Wednesday).

Virdee is accused of bribing Caribbean officials as gathered from secretly recorded telephone conversations by authorities in Germany in a case being pursued by the National Crime Agency.

The UK Daily Mail media house revealed the news last Saturday (12th May) in an article bearing a sub-heading: ‘Property tycoon Peter Singh Virdee accused of bribing the politicians after secretly taped telephone calls emerged in High Court judgment issued last week’.

On Monday 14th May, the Opposition held an emergency press conference at the Koi Building locate at the Airport Road in calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris.

“Dr. Timothy Harris is mentioned in transcripts by office and by name, that is to say Prime Minister of St.Kitts and Nevis Dr. Timothy Harris. He is mentioned directly. He is mentioned unequivocally. There are no ifs, buts, no maybes Dr. Timothy Harris’ name was mentioned directly in these transcripts,” Dr. Douglas stated.

The Opposition Leader described the allegations as “serious” and “need to be responded to.”

“In any other civilized nation, the government would have to come clean and would have had to resign. In our country under Dr. Timothy Harris and his band of men who call themselves honest, the people are left in the dark and in the cold,” he noted.
While appearing on the ‘Issues’ programme on FreedomFM two days later in further addressing the issue, Dr. Douglas encouraged members of the public “not only to take my word for it but to read the decision for themselves.”

According to the Opposition Leader, Dr. Harris in his media released dated 13th May “is insisting on emphasing that the opening statement to the ruling references a period of time beginning in 2014 and uses this to completely disassociate his involvement and the involvement of any of his ministers from the damning actions described in the transcripts.”
He dismissed that he was in any discussion or negotiation with Virdee, information he highlighted at the Party’s press conference this week.

“I was at no time involved or engaged in any discussion or negotiation with Mr. Virdee regarding pursuing any project here in St.Kitts and Nevis. My last interaction with Virdee himself would have been many years ago as a follow-up to my travel to India back in 2012 but focusing on the fact that the transcript opens with the statement from 2014 onwards PVE [PV Energy Ltd.] was interested in entering into contract within the Caribbean states of Antigua and Barbuda and St.Kitts and Nevis is just a distraction being used by Harris to deflect blame for the damning evidence provided on the latter pages of the transcript.”

He continued: “Any reasonable observer who reads the above statement and the facts that follow would recognise that the judge was referring to a time in which solar energy project was begun in Antigua. The discussions with St.Kitts would have come later but because they were addressing both countries at once, the phraseology used established that the engagement began in 2014 with Antigua. As we can see from the transcripts, it is from the launch in Antigua that the minister then allegedly sought to broker and profit form a similar project being undertaken in St.Kitts and Nevis government not the opposition of St.Kitts and Nevis.”

Dr. Douglas said further: “The fact of the matter is no matter how much Dr. Harris tries distract, detract or deflect from his culpability in these allegations, the timeline established in the conversation intercepted on March 12th 2016 combined with the indisputable fact that his recorded trip to Dubai which included Marth 5th to March 12th 2016, places him and his delegation in London at the precise time indicate by Mr. Virdee in the transcript.”
Minister of Investment and Trade of Antigua and Barbuda Asot Michael whose name was mentioned in the scandal resigned on Tuesday 15th May.