BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – AS allegations of financial wrongdoing continue to rise surrounding the Prime Minister, the opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) party has requested US authorities investigate a US bank account of LEX Consulting LLC.
“What the people want to know is ….where is the money coming from? And that is why, today, we have written to the American government asking that they launch an immediate investigation into the Lex Consulting Company and its relations with the Prime Minister [Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas].
“We have written the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), as well as the FBI, to investigate. We want these US agencies to examine if there has been any wrong doing, if there has been any inappropriate use of state funds and if these funds found in the company owned by the family of Douglas are funds generated from sources and activities that are legitimate,” PAM Leader Lindsay Grant told the media in a January 20 press conference.
The PAM official also made a call for Minister of Finance Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris to notify the Financial Action Task Force to investigate the US account of the company held at the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank.
Allegations surrounding Prime Minister Douglas were first made by Grant at a January 12 public meeting on Central Street, where he revealed documents that allegedly link PM Douglas to US bank accounts. The accounts, which Grant claims have seen over US $71 million passing through over a 15 year period, are registered to the New York-based business Lex Consulting LLC, which is owned by the mother of PM Douglas’ children, Kate Alex Woodley.
Grant also revealed a bank record of a US account that shows the name “Dr. Denzil Douglas” as a customer. The client has the same date of birth as PM Douglas and the client’s address and contact number, according to the documents shown, are the same as those of Lex Consulting LLC.
PM Douglas, in an interview on January 19 with VON Radio, maintained that Lex Consulting LLC did work for the Labour Party for the last two elections.
Cheques revealed by Grant, however, show LEX Consulting making a payment to the Labour Office Committee in the amount $40 000, as well as a payment of $95 000 to Dr. Denzil Douglas. Payments were made as recent as January 13, 2010.
"Well, if Lex Consulting LLC according to Dr. Douglas does consulting work for the Labour Party, how is it that the Labour Party is not paying LLC, but rather LLC is paying Dr. Douglas?" Grant questioned.
Grant told the press that he expects for the investigation to begin soon and the authorities would be able to draw their own conclusions.
