Gonsalves Unfazed by HDC Probe
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves says he is unconcerned about an HDC probe into property purchases linked to his daughter and lashes out at regional political tensions with Trinidad and Tobago's Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Gonsalves accused some United National Congress (UNC) financiers of interfering in his country’s election campaign but reiterated his confidence in victory and his desire to maintain good relations with regional leaders.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has dismissed concerns arising from a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) probe into a series of property purchases connected to his family, saying the allegations will not derail his campaign or his relationships with other regional leaders. The probe, reported by Virgin Islands News Online and based on remarks published in the Sunday Express, is seeking to establish how Gonsalves’ daughter obtained what authorities describe as a “favourable rent-to-own arrangement two days after the general election.” Investigators are also looking into whether fraudulent declarations were made and attempting to verify the source of funds used for three separate acquisitions.
Gonsalves, speaking by phone, said he was surprised that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago had publicly taken a critical stance. He described her as his “dear sister Kamla” and expressed confusion over what he called outside input into her comments: “I thought she wasn’t part of the campaign...
But obviously she has decided to appoint herself as the director and traducer-in-chief of comrade Ralph, which is really surprising because she and I have had good personal relations.” The dispute follows earlier exchanges over US military operations in the Caribbean Sea, in which Gonsalves said Persad-Bissessar was “misguided” on the issue.
Tensions intensified after Gonsalves accused some UNC financiers of working with the opposition in St Vincent and the Grenadines to influence the outcome of the general election, scheduled for Thursday. Gonsalves was blunt about his views of those backers, calling them “greedy and nasty,” and said some had organised UNC activists to be “on the ground” in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
He added that he believed Persad-Bissessar was likely unaware of those organisers’ actions and reiterated his respect for her, saying he would seek to continue cooperative relations if re-elected. “Dirty water can’t tarnish gold,” he said, stressing his confidence in victory despite the allegations and the probe.
For residents of the British Virgin Islands and the wider region, the controversy underscores how internal investigations, election campaigning and inter‑governmental disagreements can quickly cross borders and influence political relationships across the Caribbean. Reporting on the HDC investigation and the political fallout is ongoing, and the probe’s findings will be closely watched for their legal and political implications.
Primary source: VINO