Last Updated on September 10, 2026, 4:36 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Saint Lucia: Renowned financial crime blogger Kenneth Rijock has raised fresh questions over Saint Lucia’s controversial cruise port agreement with Global Ports Holding. He pointed towards alleged bribery including a US$3.5 million payment, the financial structure of the deal and whether the country is receiving fair value from the arrangement.
In his September 7 article, Rijock alleged that a source in Saint Lucia had evidence that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism Dr Ernest Hilaire accepted a US$3.5 million bribe from a UK based Global Ports Holding seeking to take control of ports in Saint Lucia to develop and enhance the ports structure. He claimed that the payment was made through a senior executive of the company and alleged that it would constitute a violation of Saint Lucia’s Integrity in Public Life Act if proven.
A separate Letter to the Editor published on Medium further alleged that the US$3.5 million payment was connected specifically to the Global Ports Holding agreement. The letter stated that Dr Sean Matthew, identified as a representative of Global Ports Holding, made the payment to Hilaire in connection with securing the Saint Lucia cruise port contract.
The Medium letter also referred to Global Ports Holding’s presence in Antigua and Barbuda where the company operates under another long-term cruise port agreement.
It further alleged that Matthew offered US$5 million in connection with a proposal made to the Government of St Kitts and Nevis and claimed that St. Kitts and Nevis rejected the proposal and retained its ports under government control.
Global Ports Holding itself announced that it finalised the Saint Lucia Cruise Port concession on August 9, 2023. The agreement has an initial term of 30 years and contains an option for a further 10-year extension which means the operating arrangement could potentially run for 40 years. The company formally commenced operations at Saint Lucia Cruise Port on May 1, 2024 and started generating revenue from port fees.
A major issue raised by Rijock concerns how revenue generated from cruise passengers is divided.
Rijock claimed that Global Ports Holding collects approximately US$10 per cruise passenger while around US$1 per passenger goes to the government side through the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority, SLASPA.
Using an annual figure of approximately 700,000 cruise passengers, Rijock calculated that around US$6.3 million would go to Global Ports Holding annually compared with approximately US$700,000 for SLASPA.
Approximately US$7 million in annual passenger-related revenue had effectively been placed under the private operator’s control. Multiplying US$7 million by 40 years would amount to US$280 million.
In his September 8 article, Rijock questioned whether the agreement could eventually be challenged through Parliament or a court.
He described the deal as heavily weighted towards the private operator and raised the possibility of questions surrounding its enforceability or whether aspects could be challenged as illegal or ultra vires which means beyond the legal authority under which a decision was made.
Both Rijock’s September 8 article and the Medium letter also claimed that despite Global Ports Holding taking over operations and collecting passenger fees, expansion work had reportedly not begun even after approximately two years of taking control of the ports.
“Will this contract, said by many to be unconscionable, and a gross insult to the citizens of Saint Lucia, be set aside, either by a court of competent jurisdiction, or the country’s Parliament? We shall see, as more facts emerge that appear to make it either unenforceable, illegal, or even Ultra Vires; We will be watching,” said Rijock in his blog.
He called for accountability from the government of Saint Lucia, especially Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire, noting that the people of the island holds the right to know all details.
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.
