After the GPH secret deal, St Lucia Airport’s foreign control sparks fresh outrage.
CASTRIES, St Lucia – Saint Lucia’s economic sovereignty is once again under threat as Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre’s administration moves to place the island’s two international airports under foreign control. The latest revelations about the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) have ignited fierce public outrage, as concerns grow that St Lucia airports foreign control will lead to a loss of national assets, benefiting foreign financiers with a track record of corruption and financial scandals.
This comes after the controversial secret deal with Global Ports Holding (GPH), which saw Saint Lucia’s main seaport and the Soufrière port fall into foreign hands. Now, Saint Lucians fear that their airports, Hewanorra International Airport and George F.L. Charles Airport, are about to suffer the same fate, marking yet another massive surrender of national assets.
Foreign Takeover: First Our Seaports, Now Our Airports
The Philip J Pierre administration has been widely condemned for its handling of Saint Lucia’s critical infrastructure, particularly after the secretive deal with GPH, which resulted in the foreign company assuming control over Castries’ main seaport and the Soufrière port. This agreement, which was brokered without full public disclosure, handed over Saint Lucia’s major maritime gateway to foreign management, raising fears of economic dependency and reduced national oversight.
In a previous report, Unitedpac St. Lucia News exposed the troubling details of the GPH deal at this link, sparking widespread concern over the lack of transparency and the government’s willingness to relinquish national assets to external interests. Now, with airports next on the chopping block, critics say this follows a disturbing pattern of selling out Saint Lucia’s most valuable assets to questionable foreign entities—often under shady, undisclosed terms.
The Freedom Bay Scandal: A Red Flag Ignored?
Robert Witten’s name is already infamous among British pensioners who lost their savings in the failed Freedom Bay development project in Soufrière. In 2019, an investigation by Goodwin Barrett exposed how Witten’s company, Malgretoute Hotel Development Ltd, misled British pensioners into investing in Freedom Bay under fraudulent terms.
The project, which was pitched as a five-star eco-resort, promised guaranteed returns, fractional ownership, and a refund clause, but none of these materialized. The resort was never completed, and British investors, many of whom had invested their life savings through Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP), lost everything.
Even worse, Witten’s company left millions in unpaid debts, including:
- $54 million owed to secured creditors, with $45 million linked to Heritage, a Guernsey-based trust company that took in pension funds.
- $12 million owed to the Government of Saint Lucia for the crown lands acquired for the Freedom Bay project.
- Multiple unpaid contractors who were left stranded as the project collapsed.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK later determined that Freedom Bay should never have been sold to retail investors, calling it an unregulated high-risk investment that violated financial guidelines.
The full details of this damning investigation into the Freedom Bay pension scandal can be found here.
Why Was Robert Witten Allowed Back Into Saint Lucia?
Despite this internationally exposed financial disaster, Robert Witten is now quietly being placed in control of Saint Lucia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, which will hold crown lands, airports, and government buildings—an alarming move that critics say defies all logic and accountability.
“If Witten defrauded British pensioners and left Freedom Bay unfinished, why is he now being given authority over Saint Lucia’s most valuable national assets?” an opposition figure questioned.
The government has remained silent on the background of Witten, raising concerns that Saint Lucia’s national wealth is once again being handed over to a foreign investor with a track record of financial scandal.
Wayne Girard’s Alleged Ties to Disgraced Investor
At the center of the Freedom Bay controversy is Wayne Girard, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Finance, who was directly involved in managing the project before entering politics. Despite Freedom Bay’s catastrophic failure, Girard has now positioned Witten as a key player in the Sovereign Wealth Fund, effectively giving him control over Saint Lucia’s airports, government buildings, and crown lands.
In October 2020, the United Workers Party (UWP) called on Wayne Girard to come clean about Freedom Bay’s failure, the missing pension funds, and the $54 million debt owed to secured creditors. The UWP stated:
“Girard told the Nation that Freedom Bay never opened its doors because Prime Minister Allen Chastanet whispered to his partners that he, Girard, ought not to be part of the Project and so to protect himself and the investors a decision was taken ‘to put the Development into receivership.’ This is not just ludicrous but an insult to all Saint Lucians.”
The full details of the UWP’s demand for accountability on Freedom Bay can be found here.
A Pattern of Corrupt Deals?
The proposed Sovereign Wealth Fund is just one in a series of asset transfers under the Pierre administration that have sparked concerns of corruption, favoritism, and foreign control. Critics argue that the government has:
- Handed over Saint Lucia’s main seaport and Soufrière port to GPH without full public consultation.
- Sold thousands of Saint Lucian passports through the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), often to unknown foreign buyers.
- Now, placed the airports and government buildings under the Sovereign Wealth Fund, effectively ceding control to foreign financiers with shady backgrounds.
“This is not leadership,” an economic analyst stated. “This is an auction, and the people of Saint Lucia are the ones paying the price.”
Demand for Transparency as Public Outrage Grows
Saint Lucians are demanding full transparency from the government regarding the Sovereign Wealth Fund and the individuals behind it. Citizens and opposition leaders are calling for answers to the following critical questions:
- Who exactly will control the Sovereign Wealth Fund?
- What terms are being negotiated with foreign financiers?
- What safeguards, if any, exist to prevent mismanagement or corruption?
- Why is Robert Witten—who oversaw a failed and fraudulent investment—being given another chance to control Saint Lucian assets?
Despite the growing uproar, the Pierre administration remains silent, refusing to directly address concerns about the transfer of Saint Lucia’s strategic assets to foreign control.
Saint Lucia’s Future at Stake
With both of Saint Lucia’s airports now at risk, many believe the island’s future is being compromised beyond repair.
Will the government finally come clean, or will Saint Lucia’s airports be the next national treasures lost to foreign control?
Stay connected with Unitedpac St. Lucia News for continuing updates on this developing story and other breaking news affecting our nation.
