In a significant legal ruling with political ramifications, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court has mandated Allen Chastanet, Leader of the United Workers Party, to compensate Parliamentary Representative Richard Frederick with $60,000 in damages plus 3% pre-judgment interest. The judgment stems from a defamatory Facebook video published on May 2, 2023, in which Chastanet made serious allegations regarding Frederick’s involvement in a land sale transaction at Bananes.
The court found that Chastanet’s statements, which accused Frederick of corruption, dishonesty, misleading Parliament, and abusing his office, lacked substantiated evidence. Judicial review of the case revealed that the opposition leader’s claims were based on assumptions rather than verifiable facts, ultimately causing significant harm to Frederick’s personal and professional reputation.
Adding to the financial penalty, the court issued a permanent injunction prohibiting Chastanet from repeating similar defamatory allegations against Frederick concerning the land sale incident. This legal protection aims to prevent further damage to the parliamentarian’s standing.
The case attracted substantial public attention given both figures’ prominent political roles—Frederick as former Housing Minister and Chastanet as Opposition Leader. Despite the court’s decisive ruling, Chastanet issued a press statement expressing respect for the decision while simultaneously indicating potential grounds for appeal, noting he had thus far only received the judge’s oral summary.