CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Jan 14 2017 – Minister in the Ministry of Finance Dr. Ubaldus Raymond said he would not be bullied into silence after an 18-year-old female college student was released on bail, charged with seeking to blackmail him.
The unidentified student appeared in court charged under the Criminal Code. She has been released on EC$10,000 bail.
In a statement released to the media, Raymond said that he was “not afraid” and that over the last few weeks there have been attempts to threaten him.
“There have been attempts to extort monies from me through devious means,” he said, making it clear that no amount of threats will cause him to turn away from his values as a human being and as a family man.
“I will not give in to political operatives who will use the most disgusting tactics in order to malign my name or to scare me into submission. I will trust in the Court system and in the Almighty God,” he added.
Raymond said since he entered politics, he has maintained that his integrity and credibility are of utmost importance, noting “my record speaks for itself”.
He said that over the last few weeks, he has been exposed yet again to one of the ugly truths about life in the public eye.
“People will constantly try to besmirch your character and use underhanded tactics to undermine your credibility,” he said, adding that he has provided all the details and evidence in this matter to the police who are carrying out their investigations.
“I want to thank the detectives of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force for apprehending a suspect in this matter which is now in the hands of the court system.
“I know that other persons have gone through similar circumstances and they have probably not been able to fight back. They have been too scared, they have felt ashamed or they did not want to open up themselves to the kind of attention that shames victims of such crimes,” he said.
He said that until such time as the matter is resolved through the justice system, he will make no further statements on the case.
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