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BRANTLEY DENIES CONFLICT OF INTEREST CLAIMS OVER SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE PROJECT

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis (Times Caribbean Investigates) — The battle over Nevis’ proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project has intensified, with Premier Mark Brantley pushing back hard against mounting suggestions of a conflict of interest involving his wife’s real estate company, 17˚ North Realtors.

At his most recent press conference, Brantley was confronted by SKN Newsline’s Andre Huey, who asked about public concerns surrounding his wife’s role in the private land sales linked to the project. The Premier’s defense was firm — but his words have only fueled further debate about the blurred lines between public duty and private gain.

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THE PREMIER’S DEFENSE

Brantley did not shy away from addressing the matter directly:

“My wife was hired by this proposed investor. I think the name is South Nevis Limited. And my wife, I should point out, has been a licensed realtor for 20 years. So she was conducting her real estate business even before I got into politics. She was hired by these people. And why was she hired by them? Because, as I said, there were over 200 landowners in the area.”

He elaborated that Sharon Brantley and her team were engaged in the painstaking work of identifying landowners, contacting heirs in cases where owners had passed away, and negotiating voluntary sales.

“That is what she and a big team of people, people here, people overseas, have been working on… Some have said yes, like Dr. Janice Daniel-Hodge. Some have said no. That is their right.”

The Premier then turned to the central allegation:

“Now they have raised this thing and said, oh, your wife, because it’s your Premier’s wife, there’s a conflict. And I’m saying, but my wife is not engaged in any government activity. There’s no government land that is in selling that she is involved with. And certainly she has a right, like any realtor on the island, to ask people to buy or sell property. That’s her job. That’s what she does.”

Brantley further questioned whether the public was now setting an impossible new standard:

“Are we saying that anybody associated with a public official cannot have any private business?”

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THE CRITICS STRIKE BACK

But the opposition Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) is not convinced. Dr. Patricia Bartlett, speaking on radio recently, argued that Brantley’s defense misses the larger ethical point:

“They’re happening a little too frequently for us. This is not the first time an investor has had too easy access to the Premier, and the realtor is always involved in some way… At one point, she was involved in an insurance-related matter as well. These kinds of convergences are not a good look.”

Bartlett warned that under governance codes, public officials are expected to avoid even the appearance of divided loyalties:

“When we get to the code of conduct, at least being able to examine that, we would see that they have specific guidelines teaching public servants how to navigate around these issues. Because when the activities of the Premier and the realtor converge, it places the integrity of public office in jeopardy.”

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THE WIDER CONTEXT: LAND, POWER, AND PATRIMONY

The SEZ controversy is unfolding against the backdrop of the Special Sustainability Zones Authorisation Act 2025, passed in August. The legislation allows for large-scale sustainable development zones but has triggered alarm across Nevis.

The NRP argues that the law strips Nevisians of protection over their patrimony, opening the door for compulsory acquisition of land under the guise of “public good.” NRP Leader Dr. Janice Daniel-Hodge has warned that as much as six square miles of southern Nevis could fall under SEZ designation, threatening family-owned lands and community heritage.

For the Brantley administration, the SEZ represents a chance to attract significant foreign direct investment, new infrastructure, and jobs. For the opposition, it represents a dangerous ceding of Nevisian sovereignty — compounded by the uncomfortable overlap between the Premier’s public role and his wife’s private business interests.

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ANALYSIS: THE APPEARANCE OF BIAS

Ethics experts emphasize that Brantley may well be correct that no laws have been broken. His wife is a licensed realtor, and the lands involved are privately owned, not government-owned. Yet the core of the controversy lies in public perception:

• Can Nevisians reasonably trust the impartiality of Cabinet decisions when the Premier’s spouse is financially engaged with the very investors seeking government approvals?
• Should Brantley have recused himself from deliberations to preserve public confidence in clean governance?
• Does his tone of dismissal — “Do you accept them or you don’t accept them?” — signal accountability, or arrogance?

In politics, perception is often as powerful as fact. And right now, the perception is of a troubling convergence between family business and state power.

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WHAT NEXT FOR NEVIS?

The Brantley government insists SEZs are essential to Nevis’ economic future. The NRP insists they represent a betrayal of heritage. At the center stands the Premier himself, defending his household against conflict-of-interest accusations that refuse to die down.

Until Brantley takes steps such as recusal, full disclosure, or supporting stronger conflict-of-interest safeguards, the SEZ debate will remain tainted by suspicion. The people of Nevis — fiercely protective of their land, identity, and patrimony — are unlikely to be easily convinced otherwise.

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Times Caribbean Investigates will continue to probe the SEZ controversy as the clash between development, ethics, and patrimony deepens.