Last Updated on June 4, 2020, 5:38 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Former St Kitts and Nevis Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sam Condor is of the view that the St Kitts and Nevis Development Bank, led by its CEO Len Harris, brother of Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr Timothy Harris, is being operated like a mafia organization.
“The operation of the Development Bank leaves a lot to be desired. The entire country is dissatisfied with the way the Development Bank of St Kitts and Nevis is being operated. It is being run like a Mafia organization and not like a financial institution to assist in the national development of the country and that has to be addressed in a serious way,” said Condor on The Operation Room of former minister Dwyer Astaphan.
Condor noted that Len Harris, who was general manager of the bank prior to 2015 was on suspension because the previous administration had concerns over the operations of the bank.
“The government changed and the manager returned to work without the investigation taking place and the operation now needs another investigation,” said Condor.
Astaphan noted that the Development Bank owes the St Christopher and Nevis Social Security EC$125 million and last December the St Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) borrowed EC$81 million from Social Security, of which Len Harris is a director, for the tarmac at the Robert Bradshaw International Airport and other projects including payroll support.
“When you borrow money for payroll support to pay your staff, you know you are having financial problems,” said Astaphan.
Condor expressed concern that Social Security “is being forced to lend this money without any Federal government guarantee because the government do not want it to appear on the government books as a debt.”
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
