Tommy Descartes, the unsuccessful United Workers Party (UWP) candidate for Castries South, has publicly refuted what he characterizes as widely circulated misinformation regarding his encounter with law enforcement during the December 1 general elections. At a Thursday press briefing, Descartes categorically dismissed viral online reports of his alleged arrest for vote-buying as entirely fabricated.
The politician specifically addressed claims that police had discovered $30,000 in his possession during the incident. Descartes clarified that the funds in question were never his property nor were they found on his person. According to his account, police approached his campaign finance manager who was seated in a private vehicle containing cash reserves intended for compensating election day personnel.
Descartes explained that these funds were designated for approximately 50 individuals who had provided various services including polling agents, transportation staff, catering personnel, and data clerks. His intervention, he stated, was merely to inquire about the situation unfolding with his staff member.
‘The officers never located any monetary amounts on my person, nor was I ever in possession of these campaign funds,’ Descartes emphasized during his statement.
The politician detailed how officers transported him and two associates to a police station under the pretext of counting the cash. Despite this, no formal statements were recorded from them, and the currency counting occurred without their observation, lasting approximately one hour.
Descartes expressed particular concern about the unauthorized online dissemination of photographs featuring identification cards belonging to him and his team members. He questioned how a fake social media profile obtained images of their IDs on a police desk and condemned this action as a severe breach of privacy and professional standards within the St. Lucia Police Force.
While affirming his respect for law enforcement’s role, Descartes raised critical questions about potential targeting of his campaign team, the justification for their transportation to the station absent any criminal charges, and discrepancies between official police communications to media and actual events.
‘These inquiries stem not from hostility but from dedication to fairness, transparency, and safeguarding our democratic institutions,’ Descartes asserted. ‘We fully support police executing their duties appropriately.’
He concluded with a commitment to continue advocating for governmental accountability and judicial integrity, vowing to ‘persist in speaking truth to power’ and fighting for a St. Lucia where democratic principles are genuinely honored and protected.