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– from a concerned citizen

As a proud and distraught diaspora citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, I find myself compelled to speak out about the gathering storm clouds that threaten to engulf our beloved island nation. The unfolding scandal is now global. Many are following this RICO lawsuit filed by Phillipe Martinez. To me? It’s putting dirty laundry out for the world to believe there is corruption, cronyism, and political intrigue going on in my beloved country. It strikes the heart of our democracy and the future we hope to build for our children. I’m very troubled!

Who is this Martinez?! By all accounts, he has no business wielding the massive influence he now enjoys. Filmmaker Phillipe Martinez has a checkered past and no expertise in CBI or hotel management. Still, this colonial Frenchman has somehow managed to rise to a place of power in our country, all while cloaking himself in the mantle as ‘our economic savior’. I don’t believe he is acting alone! Not for one single second! He serves his own greed and the interests of others in high places. This is my firm belief.

As the layers of this mess are peeled back, a picture is coming into clear focus. We now know that Martinez’s businesses were lavished with over $1 million in subsidies and sweetheart deals by the Nevis Island Administration under Premier Mark Brantley, all before Martinez ever filed his RICO suit. Even more upsetting, we have learned that Brantley’s law firm serves as the registered agent for Martinez’s ‘new’ companies, even as Matinez was busy attacking the government all the while Brantley’s law firm now serves Martinez. We also know that during this time, Brantley acted in our federal cabinet and was Nevis’s premier. He had privileged information and access to make things happen for Martinez. 

On the St. Kitts side, Prime Minister Drew has proven himself to be Martinez’s most ardent enabler, green-lighting his ascent to the top of our CBI program and smoothing the way for his acquisition of OTI under circumstances that can only be described as deeply suspicious! All this for a convicted felon? This just can’t be right!

The stench of a quid pro quo hangs heavy over these revelations, and the list of individuals targeted by Martinez’s lawsuit only reinforces these fears. By some strange coincidence, the defendants are all the chief political rivals of Drew and Brantley, including our former Prime Ministers Denzil Douglas and Timothy Harris. One cannot escape the conclusion that this lawsuit is beginning to look like an attempt to kneecap Brantley and Drew’s political opposition under the guise of “fighting corruption”.

Equally infuriating are the reports that our highest officials, including our Attorney General Garth Wilkin, were sharing privileged information that seems to aid Martinez’s lawsuit? This just can’t be right! 

I fear that we are bearing witness to a monstrous betrayal of the public trust, a scheme by those in power to line their pockets and crush their political enemies while paying lip service to the ideals of good governance and transparency. If these suspicions prove true, it will represent a wound to the very soul of our Federation, one that may take generations to heal.

We, the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, demand answers. We demand to know the true nature of the relationship between Martinez, Brantley, and Drew. We must understand how a man like Martinez, with a felony conviction, has been able to rise to such heights of influence without a question asked! We are to believe that a C-grade filmmaker possesses such sophistication and resources to single-handedly bring down opponents to Drew and Brantley? Come on! No single felony convicted man would be so confident without the cover of top-level allies. There is coincidence, and there is the common sense God gave us. This defies all logic!

This is not a game. The future of our nation, economy, and way of life hangs in the balance. Suppose the RICO lawsuit proves to be nothing more than a shabby pretext for a power grab. In that case, the damage to our international reputation and standing will be incalculable.

As a citizen, I implore our leaders to remember the sacred trust that we have placed in them. I call upon our free press to pursue this story with the dogged determination it deserves, to shine a light into every dark corner and expose the truth, however uncomfortable it may be. And I urge my fellow citizens to raise their voices, to demand accountability and transparency from those who would presume to lead us.

The road ahead can’t be easy. It’s my personal opinion that the powerful are playing a high stakes, dangerous game. But we cannot. Let us band together, stand as one, and show the world that the people of St. Kitts and Nevis will not tolerate shady political plots at the expense of our Federation’s reputation.