Carib Scope

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  • IMF cautions Caribbean states as Middle East war drives up energy costs

    IMF cautions Caribbean states as Middle East war drives up energy costs

    Six months into an expanding Middle East conflict that has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, small oil-importing Caribbean island nations are facing mounting economic pressure that is stretching already tight government budgets to breaking point. The conflict, which has escalated beyond the initial US-Iran confrontation, has cut ship traffic through the key route to just 10 percent of pre-war levels, sending global energy, shipping and commodity prices soaring and creating cascading economic risks for vulnerable regional economies.

    With the exception of Guyana, which has recently grown into a major regional oil exporter, nearly all Caribbean nations rely almost entirely on imported fossil fuels to power their economies. Governments across the region have already rolled out emergency support programs to shield households and businesses from spiking energy and transport costs, but these interventions come at a steep fiscal cost. For St. Kitts and Nevis specifically, the energy shock overlaps with an additional hit from declining revenues from its flagship Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, compounding the challenge for the federation’s policymakers.

    Against this fragile economic backdrop, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is calling on Caribbean governments to adopt a carefully balanced approach that protects vulnerable populations while safeguarding their limited remaining fiscal capacity. In an exclusive comment to SKNVibes.com, an IMF spokesperson emphasized that targeted, temporary support for low-income and at-risk groups is far preferable to broad, universal price interventions that distort market signals and drain public resources.

    “Given limited fiscal buffers in many Caribbean countries, fiscal policy should prioritize protecting the most vulnerable through targeted and temporary measures, while avoiding broad-based interventions that distort price signals,” the spokesperson stated. The institution also warned regional governments against pushing back needed fiscal consolidation efforts, noting that rebuilding fiscal buffers is a critical priority amid already high public debt, persistent global uncertainty, and the constant risk of climate-fueled natural disasters that require emergency response capacity. Strengthening core fiscal frameworks, boosting domestic revenue mobilization, and improving the efficiency of public spending would, the IMF argues, leave regional governments better positioned to absorb future external shocks.

    The economic ripple effects of the Middle East conflict extend far beyond energy prices alone. Higher shipping and transport costs have pushed up prices for imported food and other essential consumer goods, exacerbating cost-of-living pressures for households across the region. Brent crude prices have remained consistently elevated, a persistent drag on economies that import nearly all their energy needs.

    The IMF has confirmed it stands ready to support Caribbean member states navigating these headwinds through policy guidance, institutional capacity building, and targeted financing where appropriate. As a recent example, the Fund’s Executive Board approved a 36-month precautionary Stand-By Arrangement worth $257 million for Barbados in June 2026 to help the country manage external economic shocks.

    While the global economy has demonstrated unexpected resilience in the face of the ongoing energy shock, IMF officials stress that impacts are distributed very unevenly across countries, with energy-importing small states like those in the Caribbean bearing the brunt of the crisis. Speaking at a September press briefing, IMF Director of Communications Julie Kozack noted that the global economy has “weathered the shocks, the energy shock in particular, better than feared,” keeping 2026 global growth on track to hit around 3 percent. Kozack attributed this resilience to a range of policy adjustments, including countries drawing down strategic oil and gas reserves, shifting to alternative energy suppliers, and implementing targeted demand reduction measures.

    Kozack also outlined the competing forces currently shaping the global economic outlook, saying the world economy is being pulled in two opposing directions. On one hand, the ongoing negative supply shock driven by elevated energy and broader commodity prices, including fertilizer and food, continues to weigh on growth and push up costs. On the other hand, a positive demand shock driven by the fast-expanding AI technology cycle is supporting growth in major advanced and emerging economies.

    Despite the overall global resilience, the energy shock is far from over, Kozack warned. Elevated oil and gas prices have persisted, and refined fuel products including diesel and jet fuel remain far more expensive than pre-conflict levels. She added that while drawing down strategic reserves has helped ease near-term price pressures, those reserves will eventually need to be replenished, creating future upward pressure on prices. Additionally, growing energy demand from the rapid expansion of AI technology and the approaching winter in the Northern Hemisphere are expected to place further strain on global energy markets in the coming months.

    Beyond the energy crisis, Kozack identified two other major systemic risks facing the global economy: soaring public debt and stalled disinflation. Global public debt now stands at nearly 100 percent of global GDP, its highest level since the end of World War II, and the IMF projects it will continue to climb in coming years. The disinflation process that followed the 2022 global cost-of-living crisis has now stalled, leading the Fund to revise its 2026 global headline inflation forecast upward to 4.7 percent in its July World Economic Outlook update. While core inflation projections remain largely unchanged and long-term inflation expectations remain anchored, short-term expectations have risen over the past year, adding to policy uncertainty.

    For Caribbean governments, the overlapping challenges create a complex policy balancing act: policymakers must shield consumers from the immediate impact of spiking energy and food costs, while maintaining long-term fiscal stability and building resilience to withstand further potential external shocks.

  • Johnson to spend 14 years behind bars for unlawful carnal knowledge

    Johnson to spend 14 years behind bars for unlawful carnal knowledge

    A local man from St. Kitts has been handed a total 14-year custodial sentence after a High Court conviction on two separate counts of unlawful carnal knowledge, court officials confirmed last week.

    Reginald Johnson received his sentence on September 11 during a hearing at the Basseterre High Court, presided over by His Lordship Justice Patrick Thompson Jr. The legal proceedings stem from two separate offenses committed in late 2022, both involving violations of sexual offense laws in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

    Court records show Johnson entered a guilty plea for the first charge, which relates to an offense committed between June 1 and June 22, 2022. For this count, he was ordered to serve six years behind bars. The second charge, tied to an incident that occurred between December 1 and December 31 of the same year, went to a full jury trial, where Johnson was ultimately found guilty by the panel. He received an eight-year prison term for this second conviction.

    Per the court’s sentencing order, Johnson will serve both sentences consecutively, rather than concurrently, resulting in a combined total sentence of 14 years of incarceration. Local law enforcement officials added that Johnson has already been held in remand custody for three years and 18 days leading up to his conviction and sentencing. That pre-conviction detention time will be deducted from his total 14-year term, reducing the amount of time he will spend in prison after the sentencing ruling.

    The conviction closes a more than three-year-long legal process that began after the offenses were reported to authorities in 2022. The sentencing follows standard criminal procedure under St. Kitts and Nevis’ judicial system, which allows for credit of pre-sentencing remand time against final custodial sentences.

  • NPTA Honours Outstanding Parents, Students and Teachers at Third Annual Awards

    NPTA Honours Outstanding Parents, Students and Teachers at Third Annual Awards

    On Tuesday, September 1st, 2026, the National Parents Teachers Association (NPTA) of Antigua and Barbuda hosted its third annual recognition awards ceremony at the Christian Assembly Ministries in Paynters, gathering educators, students, families, and community partners to honor outstanding achievement across the nation’s public and private education sectors.

    Unlike generic education awards that focus on only one group of education stakeholders, this ceremony was designed to shine a spotlight on three critical pillars of academic success: dedicated parents that support student learning, high-performing students that excelled in national standardized examinations, and innovative, caring teachers that go above and beyond for their classrooms. Specifically, the awards recognize top performers who earned exceptional results on two key regional and national assessments: the Grade VI National Assessment and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, alongside outstanding contributions from parents and teachers across both primary and secondary school levels.

    This year’s honorees spanned public and private institutions across Antigua and Barbuda. For the Parent of the Year category, the awardees included Anesta Augustin-Edwards from private primary institution Seventh Day Adventist Primary, Claudette Browne from public primary school T. N. Kirnon Primary, Damian Tonge from public secondary school Irene B. Williams Secondary, and Ady Byrne from private secondary school St. Joseph’s Academy Secondary. For Student of the Year, the recipients were Caleb Jeremiah (Seventh Day Adventist Primary, private primary), Olivia Nicholas (Old Road Primary, public primary), Jahlisha Michael (Irene B. Williams Secondary, public secondary), and Amari Cornelius (St. Joseph’s Academy Secondary, private secondary). The 2026 Teacher of the Year winners were Bernadette Atkin (New Bethel SDA Primary, private primary), Kevin Scott (Golden Grove Primary, public primary), Tijah Myers (Irene B. Williams Secondary, public secondary), and Ellis Southwell (St. Joseph’s Academy Secondary, private secondary).

    Opening the evening’s proceedings, NPTA President Alister Thomas extended a warm welcome to all attending guests and awardees. In his opening address, Thomas emphasized the urgent need for strengthened collaboration between three key actors: school leadership teams, the Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Education, and the NPTA, to drive forward tangible improvements to the nation’s education system. He also shared a key milestone for the region: the NPTA’s annual awards program is the first initiative of its kind across the entire Caribbean, created specifically to recognize cross-stakeholder achievement in K-12 education.

    The formal charge to the gathering was delivered by Rita Phillip-Harris, who brought personal context to the event as the 2025 Private Secondary School Parent of the Year winner.

    Organizers noted that the annual ceremony would not be possible without widespread community and corporate support from across Antigua and Barbuda. A full roster of local sponsors stepped forward to fund and support the 2026 event, including Julees Restaurant, Sign Pro, Falmouth Harbour Marina, Antigua Masonry Products, Wadadli Events Services, Hadeed Group of Companies, Velvet Touch, Anjo Wholesale, Christo’s Supermarket, Go To, Townhouse Megastore, Crabb Hole Liquors, Gloria’s Supermarket, Newsco Limited (Observer Radio), ABS Television, Photogenesis Imaging, Stingray City, Jay’s Karaoke, Tropical Adventures, Lasoza Events, JCM Jewelry, SAC Stationery Art/Craft All in One, Harpers, Paper Clips, and Flower World.

  • Tedra Kirby embraces challenge as chief of gov’t communication

    Tedra Kirby embraces challenge as chief of gov’t communication

    St. Vincent and the Grenadines has made a landmark appointment to its public communications landscape, naming 37-year-old communications veteran Tedra Kirby as the country’s first-ever chief government communications executive, and the youngest leader in recent history to head the rebranded Agency for Public Information (API), formerly the Government Information Service.

    The Ministry of Information made the appointment official in a public announcement last Friday, tasking Kirby with a three-year initial term in this newly restructured, strategy-driven role. As a senior advisor to the national government, her portfolio covers public relations, media outreach, public engagement, and the development of strategic communications policy, placing her work at the intersection of governance, public information dissemination, and media relations.

    In an exclusive interview with iWitness News, Kirby acknowledged that she takes up the historic role fully aware of the heavy expectations and extensive work ahead. “I know there is a lot of work to be done but it is a challenge that I am looking forward to and that I am embracing immediately,” she said, noting that her youth at appointment is a rarity for a senior government leadership post in the country. Reflecting on the milestone, she joked, “When I look at the people who have come before me, I’m not sure if a director has ever been appointed that young.”

    Kirby framed her relatively early entry into this senior role as a double-edged sword. On one hand, her appointment aligns with a growing global push to bring younger generations into senior government roles, leveraging their specialized expertise in fast-evolving areas such as digital communications. On the other, she recognizes that skepticism may arise: “People may say, ‘But you are this age. Do you really have what it takes to lead an agency at this level, given the requirements of the undertaking that you’ve really been appointed to lead?’”

    Her appointment comes as part of a broader government initiative to revamp national public communications, with the stated goal of building “a more coordinated, responsive and contemporary government communications system,” per an official press release. A core priority of Kirby’s tenure will be transforming the API’s long-standing reputation and operating model: for years, the agency has positioned itself as a producer of “superior journalism” and operated as a competitor to independent private media outlets, leading to strained relations and criticism that it functions more as a partisan political tool than a neutral public information hub.

    Kirby made clear that her approach will mark a clear break from this history, prioritizing collaborative partnership over rivalry. “I definitely think relationship building is one of the most important skills that a leader in any institution, including the API, needs to have,” she emphasized. “Given the responsibilities of the media on a whole, which include things like keeping governments accountable, ensuring that information in general is shared, utilising various platforms, I do think that it is extremely important for the overall success of the API to form closer relationships with the media and view that relationship as a partnership rather than competition.” She added that the API retains a unique role sharing public information that does not fit standard news formats, creating space for complementary work alongside private outlets.

    Proactive public outreach, expansion of digital and multimedia content, and consistent media engagement round out Kirby’s core mandates. She brings more than 15 years of cross-sector experience to the role, spanning strategic corporate communications, broadcasting, media engagement, and education. Most recently, she spent three years as Network Communications Manager at the British High Commission in Barbados, leading communications strategy, public information campaigns, and regional media engagement across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Kirby says that this external regional experience has given her valuable insight into global best practices that she plans to adapt to improve St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ government communications framework.

    A well-credentialed professional, Kirby is a 2018 Chevening Scholar who holds a Master of Arts in corporate communications, marketing and public relations, a Postgraduate Diploma in secondary education for English instruction, a Professional Development Certificate in digital marketing, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and History. Her career trajectory began in broadcasting, where she started working unpaid at local station Hitz FM before moving to Hot 97, where she hosted the popular solo Sunday morning program “Woman Is Boss” and co-hosted the weekday “Afternoon Kickout” show. She later transitioned to television, hosting a long-running weekly Sunday evening discussion show on SVG TV that made her a well-known public figure across the country. Beyond her core communications and education experience, she holds certification in sports event announcing and is currently pursuing project management certification.

    Kirby steps into leadership at a time of internal transition at the API: many long-tenured staff have been transferred or requested reassignment following years of internal tensions with previous senior leadership. She says she welcomes respectful challenges to her leadership, and plans to build a collaborative work culture that empowers staff. “As a leader, we have to expect to be challenged, or we should expect to be challenged. We should, as leaders, empower our employees to not just do the work, but to also question what we do,” she explained.

    Recognizing that building trust with existing staff will be a gradual process, Kirby says she is fully committed to nurturing that trust, and upskilling communications personnel across all government ministries, not just the API. She says capacity building is a core part of her mandate, and is already developing new frameworks, guidelines and policies to leave the agency and national government communications stronger than she found it. “When I leave the post, people are better equipped to do their job than when I got there,” she said.

  • Meer politie en toezicht in uitgaanscentrum Paramaribo

    Meer politie en toezicht in uitgaanscentrum Paramaribo

    PARAMARIBO – Suriname’s national police force has announced plans to ramp up its visible presence and construct additional police posts in Paramaribo’s busy entertainment and tourist core, responding to widespread safety concerns raised by local business owners. The new security measures were finalized following a high-stakes roundtable discussion that brought together entrepreneurs, local district commissioners, and senior police leadership including the national police chief.

    The meeting, organized by the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Tourism, centered on growing public order challenges that have disrupted operations in the popular Waterkant district and surrounding areas. Business owners in the area used the closed-door session to outline the most pressing issues impacting daily activity, including persistent petty theft, unregulated homeless encampments, unlicensed street vending, and unauthorized individuals acting as private parking attendants to collect unregulated fees from visitors.

    Among the clearest demands put forward by attendees was a call for a greater number of uniformed officers deployed to the area, particularly across the central city’s high-traffic tourist zones. Participants emphasized that increased visible policing would not only deter criminal activity but also reassure both local visitors and international tourists. In addition to more on-the-ground patrols, authorities are currently assessing locations for new permanent police posts in key hotspots, and are planning enhanced targeted surveillance at sites that have recorded frequent incidents.

    The foundation, which spearheaded the discussion, noted that similar stakeholder conversations were held in years past, but the current effort aims to reestablish regular, recurring dialogue between the business community and government security agencies. The long-term goal of the renewed partnership is twofold: to enable faster, more targeted responses to emerging public safety issues, and to build a safer, more welcoming environment for Paramaribo’s key entertainment and tourism sector that drives local economic activity. All proposed measures are now moving into the detailed planning phase for implementation.

  • Gonsalves admits companies owed his gov’t millions but blasts amnesty

    Gonsalves admits companies owed his gov’t millions but blasts amnesty

    A heated parliamentary debate over sweeping changes to St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ corporate regulatory framework has pitted the new ruling administration against the country’s opposition leader, who is warning the reforms undermine regulatory compliance and risk running afoul of global anti-money laundering standards.

    Ralph Gonsalves, who took over as opposition leader in December after his 25-year incumbency as prime minister ended in electoral defeat, has confirmed what many industry observers suspected: thousands of companies currently owe millions in unpaid regulatory penalties and charges to the state, even after his administration passed major 2016 updates to the Companies Act designed to force compliance with national rules.

    The debate centers on the NDP government’s Companies (Amendment) Bill 2026, a package of regulatory changes that modifies the penalty structure introduced by Gonsalves’ government a decade prior. Under the new framework, the original policy of uncapped daily fines will be replaced by lower, flat monthly fees, with total penalties capped at just over EC$10,000. The bill also offers a six-month amnesty period that allows delinquent companies to clear all historic debt by paying just 50% of their total outstanding obligations.

    While Gonsalves does not dispute that substantial arrears accumulated under the old daily penalty system, he has launched a fierce criticism of the new government’s approach, calling the reforms an unnecessary “giveaway” that benefits wealthy non-compliant foreign firms and a small group of connected lawyers at the expense of ordinary Vincentian households already grappling with skyrocketing cost of living. He called the legislation “a bad bill” that disproportionately serves the interests of “a set of non‑compliant external companies owing several millions of dollars” and the legal representatives that have profited from the existing system.

    In his address to parliament, Gonsalves accused un-named local lawyers of collecting legal fees from their foreign corporate clients but failing to complete required regulatory filings, leaving clients on the hook for mounting penalties that have built up for years. He added that by his own calculations, some companies would see their total penalties slashed by as much as 98% to 99% under the new law, a cut he described as arbitrary, unjustified, and unsupported by any rigorous policy analysis.

    Gonsalves also raised alarms over the lack of transparency surrounding the reforms, noting that lawmakers are being asked to approve writing off millions in potential government revenue without receiving basic information: how many companies are affected by the changes, what total sum is currently recorded as outstanding, and how much revenue the government actually projects to recover through the amnesty program.

    Beyond the fiscal impact, Gonsalves warned the broad debt relief sends a dangerous message to corporate entities that will erode a culture of regulatory compliance. He argued the reform signals that companies can simply delay meeting their obligations long enough to eventually earn a dramatic debt write-off through legislative action. This pattern, he claimed, would disproportionately benefit well-resourced external companies, which have the financial buffer to absorb administrative and legal delays while penalties accumulate on paper.

    The opposition leader also raised red flags about another key provision in the 2026 amendment bill: the repeal of 2016 rules that expanded the requirement for external companies to register with local authorities if they indirectly hold shares in entities that own land in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Gonsalves argued removing these registration requirements comes at a time when global bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) are demanding tighter, not looser, corporate transparency and anti-money laundering oversight. Rolling back these rules, he warned, will make it far harder for local regulators and international partners to trace the beneficial ownership of land and corporate assets within SVG, and could raise serious questions from global standard-setters about the country’s commitment to robust financial regulation.

    Prime Minister Godwin Friday, head of the ruling NDP administration, rejected Gonsalves’ criticism entirely, framing the 2026 amendments not as a reckless giveaway, but as a long-overdue correction of the “draconian” 2016 rules implemented by Gonsalves’ government. Friday argued the original 2016 amendments imposed “onerous” and “crippling” penalties that made SVG an outlier among regional economies and discouraged legitimate foreign investment.

    “The act of charging $350 a day every day that you fail to get registered… is extremely high,” Friday told parliament. He noted that under the old system, penalties quickly spiraled to sums completely disconnected from the severity of the underlying violation, leaving many companies with no viable path to come back into compliance and forcing them to question whether it was worth continuing operations in the jurisdiction at all.

    By replacing uncapped daily fines with a capped monthly penalty structure and a flat-rate monthly late fee with extended filing windows, Friday explained the reforms align SVG’s corporate regulatory regime with regional standards, and create a realistic path for companies to regularize their status. On the topic of the 50% amnesty, Friday acknowledged that “large sums” of unpaid debt are currently on the government’s books, but pointed out that the vast majority of this debt was effectively uncollectable under the old, overly harsh framework. Allowing companies to clear half their debt within a six-month window, he argued, is a pragmatic compromise that lets the government recover at least some lost revenue, cleans up the corporate registry, and keeps legitimate businesses operating in the country. “Half a loaf is better than none,” he noted.

  • Reversing ‘draconian’ changes to Companies Act makes SVG more attractive –– PM

    Reversing ‘draconian’ changes to Companies Act makes SVG more attractive –– PM

    St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Parliament has greenlit a sweeping set of amendments to the national Companies Act, a reform package Prime Minister Godwin Friday says will roll back overly harsh 2016 regulatory changes, boost the country’s investment appeal, and uphold the nation’s core economic interests. Introducing the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2026, Friday framed the new legislation as a targeted correction for unintended economic damage caused by the previous Unity Labour Party administration’s 2016 reform package.

    According to Friday, the 2016 amendments imposed unreasonably restrictive requirements and crippling financial penalties on both domestic and foreign companies, particularly external firms seeking to invest in or own land within the country. He added that the former Ralph Gonsalves-led government brought the 2016 law to a parliamentary vote without meaningful consultation with business and industry stakeholders. Partial provisions of that 2016 law were already repealed in August, when parliament passed an earlier revision without opposition backing.

    While Friday acknowledged that the 2016 reform was originally intended to strengthen regulatory oversight and curb documented abuses, he argued that its actual outcome was to impose onerous operational conditions on fully legitimate businesses, drive away much-needed foreign direct investment, and erode St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG)’s competitiveness in regional and global markets.

    The new reforms form a core plank of the government’s broader economic strategy to leverage both domestic and foreign private capital to pull the country out of its ongoing debt crisis and expand inclusive economic opportunity for citizens. SVG currently carries EC$3.5 billion in public debt, equal to 113% of the country’s annual GDP, with 40 cents of every dollar of government revenue allocated to debt servicing. With public finances under severe strain, Friday noted that the state can no longer act as the primary driver of national economic growth. Instead, his administration’s policy prioritizes liberalizing private capital and building a supportive, attractive business environment across SVG.

    “We are committed to stimulating growth in the private sector because it is only through growth in the productive sectors that we can really accelerate the development of our economy, grow our way out of the debt situation that we are in currently, and… provide opportunities for our people,” Friday told parliament. “The private sector is the engine of growth, not government. My administration is not here to compete against the private sector, whether it’s domestic or foreign, and we do not begrudge anybody making money — because if they don’t make money, they won’t invest.”

    Linking the new bill to the pro-investment message he delivered during an official visit to Taiwan in August, Friday reaffirmed that “SVG is open for business.” He said the legislative changes are designed to send a clear, consistent signal to both domestic and global investors that the country welcomes credible investment, including from external companies seeking to own land or operate commercial activities within its borders.

    A centerpiece of the 2016 amendments that the new reform targets was a tangled web of registration requirements that far outpaced reasonable regional standards. The most controversial rule mandated that not only must an external company that owns land in SVG register locally, every parent company shareholder in that firm’s ownership chain was also required to register as an external company in SVG — even if that shareholder entity had no actual business operations in the country beyond indirect ownership. By striking this requirement from the books, the new bill eliminates unnecessary red tape, cuts administrative burdens, and makes external corporate ownership of property and investment far more attractive to international players.

    Friday explained that in practice, the 2016 rules led legal advisors to stop recommending corporate ownership structures for foreign investors, instead pushing individuals to hold land in their personal names. This limited the use of legitimate corporate investment vehicles and directly weakened SVG’s competitiveness as a Caribbean investment hub.

    Even more damaging, Friday said, were the exorbitant fees and penalties the 2016 regime imposed that no other Caribbean jurisdiction charged, especially for firms that missed registration deadlines or failed to update corporate information on time. Under the original 2016 rules, an unregistered foreign company operating in SVG faced a fine of EC$350 per day for every day it remained unregistered — a penalty structure Friday called “outside the pale” of reasonable regulatory practice. Firms could quickly accumulate enormous penalty sums through no malicious intent, he noted, often due to administrative delays, poor advice, or simple tardiness, pushing accumulated penalties to levels that made investors question whether it was worth maintaining operations in SVG at all.

    The 2026 reform replaces that daily penalty structure with a capped system: a EC$135 monthly fine with a total maximum penalty of roughly EC$27,000. Friday described the new structure as reasonable, arguing it will encourage voluntary compliance rather than driving companies away from the jurisdiction. Similarly, the original EC$100 daily penalty for late filing of updates to “fundamental changes” such as corporate name changes, director appointments, or revised corporate objectives will be replaced with a EC$50 monthly penalty, alongside extending the filing window from 30 to 60 days to accommodate the practical delays of cross-border document filing and certification. Friday emphasized that penalties are meant to encourage compliance, not generate government revenue, a core principle that guided the new penalty structure.

    The bill also introduces a six-month amnesty program designed to regularize the status of companies that have accumulated unpaid late fees and penalties, replacing the previous opaque system of ad-hoc cabinet discretion with a transparent, equal-access framework open to all qualifying companies. Under the amnesty, both local and external companies with outstanding charges from late annual returns or fundamental change filings can settle their status by paying just 50% of their total accumulated debt, with that payment counted as full settlement. Companies that decline to take advantage of the amnesty will remain liable for 100% of their outstanding penalties and will not be eligible for future discretionary relief from cabinet.

    Friday noted that the program will allow hundreds of companies that have fallen behind on filings — in some cases carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in accumulated penalties — to return to good standing, resume operations, and contribute to SVG’s economic growth. The amnesty will also generate government revenue that would otherwise likely go uncollected, he said, noting “half a loaf is better than none.” At the same time, it clears debilitating legacy liabilities that have kept companies from expanding, hiring new employees, and operating as active contributors to local communities.

    Friday stressed that the reforms do not amount to a regulatory free-for-all, nor do they abandon the rule of law. Instead, the changes are intentionally structured to be pro-business without sacrificing critical regulatory safeguards. “This is really… the environment in which we’re creating. There’s no hostility. There’s no seeking to be punitive. What we are wanting to do, we want business to do business. We want the country to free up. We want people to feel the country light again,” he said. The government will remain vigilant in upholding regulatory standards and protecting SVG’s national interests, he added, balancing pro-investment policy with the state’s responsibility to secure tax revenues, job growth, and broad economic benefits for citizens. The goal of regulation, he argued, should be to enable legitimate economic activity rather than smother it.

    Not all lawmakers support the reforms, however. Opposition Leader Ralph Gonsalves, who led the previous administration that passed the 2016 amendments, has denounced the 2026 bill as “a bad bill.” He accused the current government of sacrificing critical public revenue and weakening regulatory safeguards to benefit non-compliant external companies and a small group of local lawyers who, he claims, failed to fulfill their professional duties to foreign clients. Gonsalves, a trained lawyer, argued that the reforms will disproportionately benefit non-compliant external companies that owe millions of dollars in accumulated penalties, as well as local attorneys who collected fees from clients but never completed required corporate filings. He also warned that the scale of fee reductions — which he calculates reach 98% to 99% in some cases — is arbitrary, illogical, and creates dangerous regulatory precedent.

  • TTUTA: VICTORY FOR TEACHERS

    TTUTA: VICTORY FOR TEACHERS

    After months of persistent advocacy and collective pressure from educators across Trinidad and Tobago, the long-outstanding backpay owed to teachers for the 2020–2023 period has finally landed in members’ accounts, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) confirmed in an official statement released Saturday.

    Notably, TTUTA notes that it has not received formal notification of the disbursement from either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Education. However, direct reports from hundreds of union members, alongside visible postings of the payments on the IHIRIS portal— the government-run online platform that allows public sector employees across multiple ministries to preview their payslips before deposit—have confirmed the arrears have been issued.

    In its statement, the union framed the disbursement as a hard-won victory for its membership, crediting months of coordinated solidarity, public advocacy and unified action for forcing the government’s hand. “This development is an important outcome/victory and is evident of the persistent advocacy undertaken by TTUTA on behalf of its membership,” the release read.

    The timeline of the payment itself marks a shift from the government’s earlier commitment: during the June 2026 Mid Year Budget Review, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo publicly stated that the outstanding backpay would only be disbursed during the 2027 fiscal year. The early disbursement, TTUTA emphasized, is a direct result of unrelenting pressure from both the union leadership and rank-and-file teachers. “The fact that payments are now being made at the end of this fiscal year (2026) is a direct reflection of the continued advocacy and pressure brought to bear on both the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education by TTUTA and, most importantly, by the membership,” the statement added. “This is your victory.”

    TTUTA used the milestone to reinforce the power of collective action among educators, noting that when teaching professionals stand united in demanding what they are legally owed, their demands cannot be sidelined by government bodies. The union also extended gratitude to both members and non-member teachers for their patience, public engagement and ongoing support throughout the months-long campaign, noting that shared solidarity strengthened the union’s negotiating position and underscored the value of collective action in advancing fair treatment for education workers.

    Looking ahead, TTUTA made clear that its advocacy work is far from over. The union will continue pressing the government to address three key unmet priorities for educators: improving school infrastructure and campus safety, securing renewed contracts for Business Operations Assistants (BOAs), and reinstating the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support educator mental health and well-being. The union closed its statement by reaffirming its commitment to holding the government accountable for all outstanding commitments to education workers, saying it would remain vigilant to ensure all promised improvements and payments are honored.

    The news of the backpay disbursement has drawn praise from another key education stakeholder: Walter Stewart, president of the National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA), welcomed the development, noting that teachers have waited years to receive funds they rightfully earned and were legally entitled to. Stewart added that the NPTA recognizes the significant financial relief this payment will bring to thousands of educator households across the country, and commended the government and Ministry of Education for finally moving to resolve the long-running outstanding issue.

    For their part, government officials have not yet issued a full public comment on the disbursement. Finance Minister Tancoo told reporters he would deliver a formal statement on the backpay and other related matters during a parliamentary session scheduled for Wednesday. As of Sunday, attempts by media to reach Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath for comment were unsuccessful.

    The resolution of the backpay issue comes after months of rising tension between the union and the government. Back in June 2026, TTUTA held a public news conference demanding the government explain what had happened to the $900 million allocated for teacher backpay in the 2025 national budget. At that time, the union rejected Tancoo’s promise that funding for backpay and other outstanding obligations to public sector unions (including nurse associations) would be set aside in the 2027 national budget, accusing the Ministry of Finance of “moving the goalpost” on its long-held commitments to educators.

    The roots of the dispute stretch back to April 2025, when TTUTA accepted a 5% salary adjustment offer from Chief Personnel Officer Dr Daryl Dindial for the 2020–2023 period. The offer structured the increase as 1% in 2021, 1% in 2022, and 3% in 2023, closing the existing salary gap by 18.2% while also consolidating the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and improving other working terms for teaching service members. Under the original agreement, teachers were promised their adjusted salaries and full backpay by the end of January 2026. When the deadline passed, only the base 5% salary increase appeared in teachers’ bank accounts in March 2026, leaving the full backpay arrears outstanding for an additional eight months.

  • Ex-CEO Cox threatens legal action

    Ex-CEO Cox threatens legal action

    A high-stakes corporate dispute has emerged at state-owned telecommunications giant Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), as former acting chief executive officer Keino Cox is moving forward with planned legal action against the company. Cox alleges the TSTT board retaliated against him after he flagged widespread potential corporate governance violations by top company officials.

    Cox’s legal team, led by prominent Senior Counsel Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and operating out of the RLM & Co law firm, delivered a formal pre-action protocol letter to TSTT on Friday. The correspondence sets a strict seven-day deadline for the telecom provider to deliver a substantive response to the claims, failing which Cox will initiate formal litigation in the appropriate court.

    According to the legal documents, Cox held the post of acting CEO for 12 months starting July 21, 2025, via two consecutive six-month appointments. His legal team emphasizes that his tenure delivered exceptional financial results for the company: profit after tax surged 103% to $214 million, Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) jumped by $135 million to reach $910 million, and the company restored $35 million in positive retained earnings. Beyond financial performance, the letter highlights the successful expansion of the company’s community outreach programs, including the popular Future Leaders Internship Programme that provides opportunities for young local workers.

    Shortly after Cox raised his concerns over internal governance, the board placed him on immediate administrative leave and declined to renew his acting CEO appointment. The legal team firmly rejects the unstated insinuation that Cox’s removal was connected to any improper conduct related to TSTT’s Humming Bird call-centre contract. The letter clarifies that the procurement process for that contract followed all required protocols: the opportunity was publicly advertised, evaluations were conducted by an independent third-party committee, and the final contract was formally approved by TSTT’s own Procurement and Disposal Advisory Committee.

    Instead, Cox’s attorneys directly tie his removal to the governance concerns he brought forward to the board, specifically focusing on a proposed $470 million bond refinancing plan and the conduct of three top TSTT leaders: chairman Kern Dass, corporate secretary Viveka Pargass, and acting chief financial officer Robert Panker.

    The legal correspondence outlines that TSTT’s independent financial advisor, Ernst & Young, explicitly recommended against pursuing the refinancing in July and August, projecting that delaying the transaction until October would cut between $7 million and $8 million in unnecessary redemption fees. Despite this formal professional advice, a board memorandum was circulated advancing the July refinancing timeline, and Cox raised formal objections to the flawed process during a full board meeting.

    Beyond the refinancing dispute, Cox also flagged a series of concerns regarding corporate secretary Pargass, including allegations that she failed to properly disclose outside secondary employment that creates a potential conflict of interest, caused costly delays in securing TSTT’s mandatory Money Lender’s Licence, and authorized new hires outside the company’s official hiring protocols.

    The letter accuses the TSTT board of choosing to retaliate against the whistleblower rather than launching a full independent investigation into the serious governance concerns he reported. It formally notifies Dass, all sitting directors, and Pargass that Cox intends to refer all evidence of potential misconduct in public office to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) or other relevant regulatory bodies if his claims are not resolved appropriately.

    Cox’s legal team also adds that unnamed TSTT officials have made damaging public statements that falsely tie Cox to misconduct in the Humming Bird contract matter, irreparably harming his professional reputation. In addition to a formal response to his claims, the legal team is demanding full disclosure of the exact reasons for the non-renewal of Cox’s appointment, complete details of any formal allegations against him, and all supporting documentation that TSTT relied on to make its decision to remove him.

    Notably, even amid the ongoing dispute, Cox has indicated he remains open to returning to his role as acting CEO, provided that appropriate safeguards are put in place to prevent further retaliation and the company compensates him for the financial losses and reputational damage he has sustained to date.

  • ‘T&T flag could be on the moon’

    ‘T&T flag could be on the moon’

    A 19-year-old medical student from Trinidad and Tobago is poised to see her small twin-island nation make global aerospace history, after she returned home from a groundbreaking all-female international space initiative in India that will send the country’s flag to the surface of the Moon.

    Kaitlyn Sahatoo, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s official representatives to the ShakthiSAT Mission 2026, recently shared details of her week-long experience hosted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Held from August 23 to 30, the program brought together 12,000 young women from 108 nations to collaborate alongside leading ISRO scientists and international aerospace developers on cutting-edge satellite and lunar mission projects. Participants gained hands-on training in core aerospace fields ranging from satellite engineering and payload development to leadership and transnational space diplomacy.

    According to Sahatoo, the program’s culminating mission — which includes a satellite deployment and lunar payload carrying the flags of all participating nations — is scheduled to launch on October 11, coinciding with the International Day of the Girl Child. While the young student has maintained her core career focus on medicine, the unprecedented opportunity has kept her deeply engaged with the project even after returning home. Sahatoo says she hopes to earn a chance to return to India to witness the launch in person, noting that even if that dream does not come to fruition, she remains intensely proud to have represented her nation on a global aerospace stage.

    “It has been a wonderful experience knowing that I went there, represented our small twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on a mission of that level and scale, and that our country’s flag, I believe, is now going to be on the moon,” Sahatoo shared during a recent interview.

    During the program, Sahatoo gained direct practical experience working on 12U low Earth orbit satellite technology, helped assemble and reassemble the engineering model of the ShakthiSAT satellite alongside veteran aerospace experts, and contributed to pre-launch preparations for the upcoming lunar mission. The experience deepened her understanding of core aerospace engineering challenges, particularly the systems that allow satellites to generate and store solar power. She explained that satellite solar panels harvest energy from the sun to recharge on-board batteries, which sustain operations during eclipse periods or when orbital debris blocks sunlight from reaching panels — a technical challenge she says she found particularly fascinating to explore.

    Beyond space exploration, the experience has opened new professional avenues that align with Sahatoo’s medical career goals. She now is considering exploring the emerging field of space medicine, a specialty that remains largely untapped in Trinidad and Tobago. She also points to tangible opportunities for satellite technology to transform local healthcare, from remote patient monitoring to large-scale disease surveillance, and says she hopes to play a role in advancing that integration to strengthen the nation’s healthcare system.

    As launch day approaches, Sahatoo says her primary hope is that the satellite will operate as planned and deliver the valuable scientific data it is designed to collect. She also hopes her participation will open doors for other young Trinidadians to access similar global opportunities, and has called on the Trinidad and Tobago government to expand investment in youth STEM initiatives, including supporting more young people to travel abroad for hands-on training alongside international scientific experts.

    Laura Rambaran-Seepersad, one of two Trinidad and Tobago ShakthiSAT ambassadors who accompanied Sahatoo on the trip, echoed that commitment to expanding local opportunities. In a message shared after the team’s return, Rambaran-Seepersad noted that she and co-ambassador Donna Scoon-Moses returned from the initiative not just with new technical knowledge, but with a global network of professional connections that they plan to leverage to create new local opportunities in space science, satellite technology and STEM education.

    Beyond technical work, the program included a Women’s Leadership Summit that brought participants together to discuss pressing global issues including climate change, sustainable development, women’s economic and professional empowerment, and cross-border scientific cooperation. Rambaran-Seepersad emphasized that the next critical step is translating the knowledge and connections gained through the program into tangible, accessible opportunities for young Trinidadians, including structured training, mentorship programs, international research collaborations, and greater exposure to the fast-growing global space sector.

    The long-term goal of this work, she says, is to build a clear, accessible pathway for Trinidad and Tobago to play a more active role in the global aerospace industry. “For me, that is the real value of the mission: taking one extraordinary international experience and using it to help create a pathway for the generation that comes next,” Rambaran-Seepersad said.

    ShakthiSAT’s core mission, she added, is to ensure small developing nations like Trinidad and Tobago have both a voice and a visible presence in the global movement to prepare young women for leadership in the future of science and space exploration. “Our young people should not only dream about space—they should know that they have a place in it,” she said.