This sum of money is at the centre of a decision by the Chastanet administration to pay for 100,000 vaccines before their delivery to Saint Lucia. On April 20th, 2021, the administration authorised the payment to Radical Investments Ltd., which was supposed to source the drugs from Good Vibrations Entertainments, based in Florida, USA. Neighbouring countries Barbados and the Bahamas, also entered into agreements with RIL, opting to pay the company once the vaccines had arrived in-country. Since 2021, RIL has sued Good Vibrations Entertainment for not producing the vaccines. Saint Lucia, on the other end of this agreement, came out $7.5 million and 100,000 vaccines short.
Testimonies are underway in RIL’s suit against GVE. According to RIL’s Director, Mark Maloney, the Florida-based company “scammed” them out of over US$6 million for “non-existent” vaccines. Chastanet, back in 2021, told Barbados Today that he entered the agreement with Radical Investments because he knows Maloney to be a reputable person.
“It was very difficult. They had many different people approaching us and due diligence was done. None of us could do it. Similar deals were being put together with the African groups. So many different groups that had come together. It took us a long time before we settled on a person. So getting a company involved with reputable people, that was a key factor and the fact that other countries in the region were also involved,” Chastanet told the paper.
Maloney’s attorneys claim that GVE “accepted, retained and ultimately spent or withdrew the entirety of the [US]$4.2 million of his ill-gotten gains.”
It is uncertain how much of Saint Lucia’s EC$7.5 Million (US $2.78 million) was scammed out of RIL’s pockets. The Government is yet to receive its complete refund, or the promised 100,000 vaccines. Whilst in opposition, the current PM criticised the decision by Allen Chastanet to pay in advance for vaccines that weren’t delivered. Commentators flagged the improper authorisation by then PM Chastanet as an abuse of power and misuse of public funds. Chastanet is also under scrutiny for another financial decision that resulted in US$20 million of loan funds being deposited into the Panamanian bank account of a private contractor - a decision that violates the Finance Act.