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SKN TIMES | EXCLUSIVE | BUDGET DEBATE BOMBSHELL

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DR. SHAWN RICHARDS RIPS ADMINISTRATION TO SHREDS IN PARLIAMENTARY EXPLOSION

Basseterre — A political firestorm erupted in the National Assembly as Dr. Hon. Shawn Richards, MP and former Deputy Prime Minister, delivered a blistering, no-holds-barred assault on the Drew administration, accusing the government of signing a secret, massively inflated contract to rebuild the Basseterre High School (BHS) while tens of millions of dollars have allegedly already been spent — with absolutely nothing to show on the ground.

Speaking during the 2026 Budget Debate, Dr. Richards declared that the Basseterre High School project has become a symbol of opacity, fiscal recklessness, and contempt for public accountability.

“I heard construction has started, so I went up there to see it,” Richards told Parliament.
“Not even a courtesy facility for workers. This is what I saw.”

THE QUESTIONS THAT SHOOK PARLIAMENT

Dr. Richards then unleashed a rapid-fire series of explosive questions that sent shockwaves across the chamber:

• Who is the contractor awarded the BHS project?
• Is it Pre-Conco Saint Kitts Limited or Pre-Conco Limited — a firm linked to Barbados?
• Has this company already received EC$27 million with nothing built?
• Has a staggering US$10 million been paid as “mobilization fees”?
• Has a contract been issued for US$100.35 million — or even EC$271 million — to build one secondary school?

And then came the bombshell.

$35 MILLION VS. $271 MILLION — WHICH IS THE TRUTH?

According to Dr. Richards, Volume Two of the government’s own Budget Estimates lists the total cost of Basseterre High School at just EC$35 million.

So why, he asked, are figures of EC$100 million… EC$271 million now circulating?

“Why is the Budget saying 35 million dollars,” Richards demanded,
“if a contract has allegedly been issued for 271 million dollars to build Basseterre High School?”

He challenged any member of the House to deny the payments or the contract figures being raised.

“I dare anybody in here to tell me differently.”

A GOVERNMENT UNDER SIEGE

The opposition MP directly confronted the Minister of Education, accusing the administration of stonewalling and refusing to provide clear answers on one of the most important public infrastructure projects in the Federation.

The allegations — framed as parliamentary questions but backed by specific figures — paint a disturbing picture:

• Massive upfront payments
• No visible construction
• Wildly conflicting cost figures
• No transparency on contractor selection
• No public disclosure of contract terms

A NATIONAL TRUST CRISIS

At a time when the country is grappling with a $304 million deficit, soaring debt, and public anxiety over governance, the Basseterre High School controversy threatens to become one of the most damaging accountability crises of the Drew administration.

The public is now demanding answers:

• Where is the money?
• Where is the contract?
• Where is the school?

Until those questions are answered clearly and publicly, the Basseterre High School saga will remain — as Dr. Shawn Richards made painfully clear — a glaring monument to unanswered questions, fiscal alarm, and a government running from scrutiny.

SKN Times will continue to follow this developing story.