Nearly a decade has passed since a document emerged suggesting that Ralph Gonsalves, the current leader of the ULP and Prime Minister, possessed an HSBC Swiss account containing 19 million US dollars, a claim that was promptly denied. As the nation prepares for another election, Vincentians are now anticipating the results of an investigation conducted by Interpol, RSS, DPP, and local law enforcement.
The following statement was issued on Sunday, December 16, 2015.
The Prime Minister of St Vincent & the Grenadines, Ralph E. Gonsalves, has instructed the Office of the Attorney General to immediately contact the Government of the United States of America under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty to investigate a fraudulent bank document with an alleged bank account domiciled to an address in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
He has further instructed the Commissioner of Police to open a criminal investigation into the fraudulent document locally, which includes any regional or international operatives currently working in St Vincent & the Grenadines, as well as to immediately contact INTERPOL, the Regional Security System and the Joint Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre of IMPACS to assist in the investigation. He has also instructed the Commissioner of Police to alert the Director of Public Prosecution of these investigations.
As of 18 April, the citizens of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines anticipate the outcomes of these investigations, regarding which they hold significant concern.
The Prime Minister in 2015 asserted that the individuals responsible for concocting the scandal that implicated him in the 19 million US dollar account at an HSBC bank originated from St Vincent, Grenada, and Europe.
At that time, he also asserted that the NDP would reject paternity and maternity concerning the document; however, they are likely to encounter challenges in doing so.