BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 15TH 2010 (CUOPM) – Senator the Hon. Ricky Skerritt, Minister of State for Tourism, has described the leader of the People’s Action Movement, Lindsay Grant, as a disgrace to his party.
“Just a few days ago I was simply asking for Grant to resign over his confession to committing such a gross error of judgment by attending that shady meeting. Instead of Grant humbling himself and asking his party supporters for forgiveness, he showed his well known arrogance by launching a personal attack on me,” Sen. Skerritt said at a political campaign rally in Taylor’s Village Thursday night.
“Up to that point I had actually felt a little sorry for Grant. But now, hearing that there is actual video evidence of Grant seriously negotiating and agreeing to a bribe… well, his PAM party colleagues and supporters must be furious with him for disgracing them so blatantly!” said Skerritt.
Since Skerritt first called for Grant’s resignation Monday night, fresh evidence has come to light regarding the whole question of Lindsay Grant’s bribery talks last Sunday morning.
Grant had already confessed that bribery talks had taken place - but he had then tried to convince his supporters and the media that he was simply ‘playing along’ with a ‘set up.’
The video evidence is alleged to show that Grant did indeed seriously negotiate a bribe and did agree to a future sale of 200 acres of prime Kittitian real estate for US $20,000 – something that Grant had also publicly denied.
“So, let me get this straight. Grant sat with a stranger in an early morning meeting, which he claimed he knew was about bribery? He negotiated a bribe for US$1.7 million. He agreed to sell Government land cheaply in exchange for campaign funds? Then he lied to his supporters in Sandy Point on Sunday night about what happened!” Senator Skerritt laughed, “And this man wants to be Prime Minister?! It looks to me like he has created a major scandal for himself which is likely to bring about his own demise as PAM party leader?!”
This new revelation of video evidence comes as a serious blow to PAM as they try and fight a campaign on the theme of ‘Corruption’.
According to Senator Skerritt: “Grant can’t seriously continue to lead the PAM platform, and accuse other people of being corrupt, while this video evidence is in existence? What is the man thinking? Even his own friends and political colleagues must now be embarrassed. The man is a disgrace. There can be no question that, if the video evidence is as damning as alleged, Lindsay Grant’s career in politics is about to end.”
It will be interesting to see whether Grant can ever recover from this extraordinary humiliation which his poor judgment and questionable ethics have caused. This evidence of corruption and incompetence is likely to taint him for years to come.
