CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Sept 22, CMC – The main opposition United Workers Party (UWP) has called for an independent investigation into the operations of the St. Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) and has submitted to Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre draft terms of reference (ToR) to guide and direct the proposed independent investigation.
In a statement, the UWP said that since July 2, this year there have been social media posts suggesting illegal activities at the SSDF and that there has been “no public comment on the matter by the Chairman or Executive Director of the SSDF”.
The party said that Prime Minister Pierre, who has responsibility for the SSDF “has not announced any formal independent investigation into this matter.
“The SSDF is a critical institution mandated by law to provide support to the poor and vulnerable in the country and receives funding from the government of St. Lucia, friendly governments and other development partners.
“At his point, the credibility of the SSDF is at stake and restoring that credibility demands that a comprehensive investigation be undertaken guided by the principles of transparency, accountability and due process,” the opposition party said.
The UWP said that as part of its contribution to restoring the integrity and credibility of the SSDF, it has developed and submitted for the consideration of the government a draft TOR “to guide and direct an independent investigation.
“The UWP believes that only a transparent approach to the conduct of the investigation will reassure the public mind that the investigation fair and not a farce or sham. “
In August, Prime Minister Pierre said that the Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet was intent on damaging “the good name of the country” when he sent correspondence to several regional and international organisations questioning the transparency, governance, and financial management, including the audit independence of the SSDF.
“So it’s very sad, for political reasons, to damage the good name of the country, that the Leader of the Opposition go in public view and put a signature on what he knows very well is untrue,” Pierre told reporters at the weekly news conference.
“He knows very well what he did not do when he was Minister of Finance. The last statements, 2017, 2018, were done in March 2023, and the Leader of the Opposition was Minister of Finance from 2016 to 2021,”Pierre said, adding the last of the statements were given in March 2023.
Chastanet had in a July 28 letter to Prime Minister Pierre and copied extensively to several organisations including the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank,(CDB), foreign embassies and representatives of civil society organisations, warned of the future engagement of international benefactors, and their commitment to the development of St. Lucia.
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