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Basseterre, St. Kitts – Advisor to Prime Minister Drew, Mr. Austin Edinborough, has criticized the issuance of a press release on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs letterhead in response to the RICO lawsuit filed against Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Denzil Douglas. Edinborough deemed the action inappropriate, asserting that Dr. Douglas had no right or authority to issue such a statement using official government resources.

Edinborough emphasized that the lawsuit is a personal legal matter for Dr. Douglas and has no direct connection to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He expressed his disapproval during an interview on Freedom FM, stating, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not sued, and so the observation that the person made is correct. If that is giving persons the impression that Dr. Douglas was sued in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs, that is unfortunate. He was not.”

Highlighting the inappropriateness of the call for Prime Minister Drew to defend Dr. Douglas, Edinborough clarified that the lawsuit targets Dr. Douglas individually, not the government or the ministry. He noted that most of the events cited in the lawsuit occurred when Dr. Douglas was the leader of the opposition under the administration of Dr. Timothy Harris, and not as a member of the current administration.

“The Prime Minister said, and I agree with him, that everyone is entitled to natural justice. People talking about defending his minister as if Dr. Douglas was charged or named for actions as a minister is not accurate. The period referred to in the lawsuit was primarily when Dr. Douglas was the leader of the opposition,” Edinborough explained.

In conclusion, Edinborough reiterated the importance of separating personal legal issues from official government business. He urged that the response to the lawsuit be managed appropriately and not involve government resources, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the current administration are not parties to the case.