Skerrit Says CARICOM Execs Are Behind Scotland Despite Pressure To Oust Her
PM Roosevelt Skerrit has revealed that CARICOM executives are solidly behind CARICOM Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland despite the plot to oust her. Scotland, a Dominican native, has been facing pressure from international quarters to resign as CARICOM chief, with a plot to even oust her from office.
According to Skerrit, heads of governments at the just concluded 31st Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Bridgetown, Barbados, expressed their supports for Scotland despite the thick plot to remove her from office. He added that CARICOM executives even thanked Scotland for her achievements and also urged her to continue in office.
“Heads of governments expressed our gratitude for the range of activities undertaken by the Commonwealth Secretariat whose added value redounded to the benefit of small island and low lying coastal developing states,” Skerrit said. “We do hope that when we meet in Rwanda, the current holder of the post of secretary-general will receive a second term in that very important office.”
Scotland is facing international backlash from UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, and the Australian government among others for corruption. The CARICOM secretary-general started her ordeals when internal auditors accused her of embezzlement and awarding lucrative contracts to her friends.
The UK and Australia reportedly withdrew annual financial grants from the CARICOM Secretariat to force Scotland to step down or force community executives to vote her out.
Skerrit said regional community executives engaged Scotland about the corruption charges and other negative issues raised about her in the media. He said the responses provided by the secretary-general were satisfactory and legitimate to the entire Caribbean Community leaders.
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