In the wake of the November general election that brought the New Democratic Party to power, St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ foreign affairs chief has launched a thorough public investigation into two unusual administrative irregularities at key overseas diplomatic missions.
Foreign Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble first outlined the troubling findings to lawmakers during a Tuesday parliamentary session, then expanded on the details during an appearance on Hot97 FM the following day, emphasizing his commitment to full transparency and public accountability for the new administration.
Shortly after taking up his appointment as Consul General to New York in March, Roland “Patel” Matthews reported a shocking discovery to Bramble: every piece of data stored on the consulate’s primary computer system had been completely erased. According to Bramble, no records of previous consular operations, administrative work, or diplomatic activities were left on the device when Matthews arrived. Access to the consulate’s computer system is restricted to the sitting Consul General via personal password protection, similar to how the foreign minister controls access to his own ministerial devices, Bramble explained.
Matthews succeeded Rondy “Luta” McIntosh, a nominee of the previous Unity Labour Party administration who took up the post in August 2022. Bramble confirmed that he has not yet spoken directly to McIntosh about the data wipe, but made clear that the former consul general will be questioned as part of the probe. The foreign minister declined to speculate on whether criminal charges will be filed against any individual, noting he is not a legal official and the investigation remains in its early stages. At present, the government is assembling a team of competent experts including specialized IT professionals to conduct a forensic review of the system and map out a full timeline of events.
Beyond the New York consulate data issue, Bramble also revealed that the country’s new High Commissioner in London has been blocked from taking control of a charitable trust fund created to support children across the nation. The fund, which receives ongoing financial support from European benefactors, is formally managed through the London High Commission and requires two authorized signatories for all transactions: one being the sitting High Commissioner, and a second who was an advisor to the previous Unity Labour Party government.
Bramble voiced public confusion over why the former government advisor was added as a co-signatory to the charitable account in the first place. Now, when current High Commissioner Brereton Horne and the new administration attempt to update the signatory list and bring the fund fully under official diplomatic control, they have faced stiff resistance from both the former High Commissioner and the ex-government advisor. Bramble said the deliberate obstruction creates the unsettling impression that the outgoing officials view the charitable fund as personal property, rather than a public resource for vulnerable children. “These things must stop,” he declared.
Bramble framed the decision to publicly disclose both incidents as a core fulfillment of the new Godwin Friday government’s campaign promise of open governance and accountability to voters. “The people voted me to work for them,” he said. “As long as I am there, I am going to do what I have to do to make sure that I serve the people.” He added that he welcomes fair, objective criticism of the administration’s work, noting that no government is perfect and there is always room to improve. Uncovering administrative irregularities inherited from the previous government, he argued, is a necessary first step to building meaningful progress for the nation moving forward.