Commissioner of Police Verne Garde has confirmed that an investigation was conducted into allegations against Minister Richard Frederick.
However, the matter could not be substantiated for legal proceedings due to a lack of merit. Frederick, who serves as the Minister for Housing and Local Government within the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration, is currently in his second term with the SLP as the parliamentary representative for Castries Central.
At a media briefing Wednesday, Garde emphasized that, despite the controversial “social media” postings surrounding the allegations, there is a legal procedure that must be followed as outlined by the island’s constitution.
He stated, “An allegation was made. We looked into the particular allegation, and it was ‘not sustained.’ ”
Garde noted that a report was made on July 2, but the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) “was not able to get a statement from the individuals who made it.”
The commissioner further explained that the investigating officer had to travel overseas to secure the necessary statements for the investigation. After obtaining the statement, RSLPF investigators conducted follow-up inquiries into the matter.
“Based on all these factors, which are quite voluminous, we were not able to sustain the allegation,” Garde added.
He clarified that a senior government official, namely Richard Frederick, was detained on July 2 and reiterated that he instructed the investigation to continue to gather all relevant facts.
When questioned about the nature of the allegations and the recommendations from the investigating officer, Garde replied, “I am not in a position to say what the allegation is.”
Citing concern of legality, the constitution and the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia, he reiterated, “Given all the investigations that we did, we were not able to sustain the allegation.”
Garde also noted that if any information regarding the allegation arises in the future—whether it is in 10, 20, or even 50 years—the RSLPF is still able to conduct an investigation.
As it stands now, it appears that the matter will no longer be pursued. Richard Frederick was detained by the RSLPF on July 2 and subsequently released with Guarde commissioning the investigation.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) released a statement then confirming that the government was notified of Frederick’s detention for questioning and subsequent release. They stated at the time that, since this is an active matter, they would refrain from commenting further to avoid prejudicing the lawful process.
On July 24, the OPM announced that Minister Frederick went on annual vacation leave until August 27, 2026.
Following Frederick’s involvement with the RSLPF, there has been a surge of allegations and public discourse regarding potential misuse of funds related to the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF). According to the prime minister, the SSDF has only completed one audited statement (2017/18) since the 2016 financial year. That, in large measure, was reportedly due to the lack of adequate documentation. That Audit was completed, according to the prime minister, in March 2023 by the current administration.
As political momentum builds, analysts are speculating on whether Prime Minister Pierre will decide Frederick’s fate as a cabinet minister when his vacation leave concludes on August 27.