Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 14/Nov 15:48

Vincy PM’s wife, Anil in social media tit-for-tat

ELOISE GONSALVES, wife of St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, took to social media on Thursday to deny any corruption took place in the purchase of three apartment properties at the HDC’s upscale Victoria Keyes housing development in Diego Martin. And, hours later, in response, Minister in the Ministry of Housing Anil Roberts – who first lifted the lid on the purchases – also took to social media to praise Mrs Gonsalves’ eloquence and to also answer several questions regarding these purchases. In a minute-long video posted on the Unity Labour Party’s (ULP) Facebook page, on November 13, Eloise, who was born in Trinidad to Dominican parents, said her family did not receive any preferential treatment in dealings with the HDC. The ULP is led by PM Gonsalves and is facing a general election battle at present. She labelled Roberts’ revelations as “political malice” which was linked to St Vincent’s opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) ahead of the November 25 election. “The political malice has started against my family. But if the NDP gets in, it ends with you and your family. They are attacking Grace Walters (a ULP candidate) viciously and now they’re lying about us,” she said. “Here’s the truth. While I love St Vincent and the Grenadines with all my heart, I was born in Trinidad and I am Trinidadian with roots in Dominica. After my then 90-year-old mother’s property was destroyed by Hurricane Maria, we as a family invested in property in Trinidad where two of my mother’s sons and her grandchildren reside.” ROBERTS: TELL ME, ELOISE On his Doubles and Coffee blog on Thursday, Roberts answered back to Eloise’s defence. He said while Eloise’s explanation about purchasing properties after the hurricane could have explained the accusation of two apartments, it does not explain how her daughter Soleil got a rent-to-own property two days after the April 28 general election when the elected government wasn’t even sworn-in and duly constituted. He revealed that Soleil, 30, pays $2,750 in rent for her apartment, which is so below what an apartment with the amenities of Victoria Keyes would cost on the open market. He said nowhere in Trinidad could one pay such a paltry rent sum for such an apartment. “So here it is, Soleil Gonsalves is being allowed to live in a property worth $1.3 million while paying a monthly rental of $2,750,” he said. Roberts also brushed aside threats of legal action by Storm, calling it, “a storm in a teacup.” Roberts said he was not afraid of any lawsuit as he has solid hard evidence via documents to back up his claims. “I am not afraid of no court, boy. Furthermore, you can’t sue when a man talks the truth. So hold on that purchase of Bitcoins. Anil don’t lie on nobody,” Roberts said. In an earlier social media post, Storm said after he won his lawsuit, he would use the damages to purchase bitcoin. Roberts challenged Storm to bring evidence that his income listed on signed declarations were correct. He also called on Storm to show evidence that he was in possession of a Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) file number. “Do you have one? When did you get it? Why then, on this form, when they asked you for your BIR number, it was left blank,” Roberts asked. The post Vincy PM’s wife, Anil in social media tit-for-tat appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.