PM denies ruling party received money from accused money launderer

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves has described as a 'dastardly lie' reports that a senior official of the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) had received EC$100,000 (US$37,000) from an accused money launderer.

"That's a dastardly lie, dastardly lie!" Gonsalves told reporters after the accused, Anthony 'Que Pasa' Gellizeau, told the court on October 8 that he gave the money to the ULP official to help fund campaigns of the party.

Gellizeau was arrested in 2006 and charged for money laundering after law enforcement authorities seized US$1.6 million aboard his yacht.

He spoke of the alleged contributions to ULP campaigns while appearing as a defence witness in a case against Edwardo 'E.G.' Lynch, the host of the opposition New Democratic Party's (NDP) radio programme on Nice Radio, who is charged with making statements likely to cause public fear and alarm.

"I gave him, on many occasions, some of them he would call me and tell me to meet him up by the ULP headquarters. That was up at Beachmont. And I would go to the bank, withdraw the money. There were sometimes in EC20,000 (US$7,407), EC$40,000 (US$ 14,814) donations."

But Gonsalves said that he did not believe Gellizeau's claim.

"People can say all kinds of things in a court room. They can make all kinds of allegations. And I don't believe for one moment that he gave the general secretary of the ULP, Julian Francis any money. I don't believe it at all," the PM said.

"Julian told me that it was not so and I believe Julian. It is a simple question. I mean - now, it is so obviously a lot of political hocus-pocus," said Gonsalves, who is also a lawyer.

'No relevance'

He said Gellizeau's statement came while responding to a question that had "no relevance" to the case.

"But, they want to see if they could give the ULP a black eye. The question is this, would the NDP deny that they have been receiving money from Anthony Gellizeau for their campaign currently? Would they deny that he, Anthony Gellizeau, has been about campaigning on their behalf? Of course, it's his right. He is a citizen," Gonsalves said.

Francis had denied, under oath, receiving any money from Gellizeau.

The charges against Lynch stem from his comments that Francis, then a government minister, along with Assistant Commissioner of Police Lenroy Brewster and Gellizeau were on a beach on the night of August 4, 2007.

- CMC