HDC launches investigation into Gonsalves family Victoria Keyes acquisitions

St. Vincent and the Grenadines: With just 7 days left to the St.Vincent and the Grenadines general elections, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has launched an internal investigation into Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves family apartment acquisitions following accusations raised by Trinidad and Tobago’s Government Senator Anil Roberts.

The Chairman of HDC, Feroz Khan, confirmed the ongoing investigation and said that it was initially launched last week after the Senator at Government of Trinidad and Tobago Anil Roberts raised concerns about possible irregularities in the property applications for Victoria Keyes apartments which is owned by PM Gonsalves’ wife, son, and daughter.

The investigation is set to look into the paperwork and circumstances that surround the transactions of the apartments purchased by Gonsalves’ wife Eloise, son Storm, and daughter Soleil between 2018 and 2020 and will examine the legality of the applications as well as the documentation provided, with specific attention to the declarations made by Storm Gonsalves.

Senator Anil Roberts brought the matter to the attention of the public earlier last week via his “Doubles and Coffee” blog, a social media exposé where he raised questions over Storm, his sister Soleil, and their mother Eloise for purchasing expensive apartments at the upscale Victoria Keys complex in Diego Martin while the country is in a deep housing crisis.

Key details disclose that Eloise Gonsalves purchased a unit for $1,960,000 on January 19, 2018 while Storm Gonsalves acquired a unit for $1,625,000 on August 21, 2018 and Soleil Gonsalves secured a unit through a rent-to-own arrangement in 2020.

Of particular interest is a letter dated October 11, 2024, in which Prime Minister Gonsalves allegedly approved a monthly payment of $7,000 in order to support his daughter Soleil Gonsalves’ mortgage. Meanwhile, his son, Storm Gonsalves, had previously written to HDC Managing Director Brent Lyons, while committing to pay his sister’s rent for the next five years.

Chairman Khan further said that the HDC board will await further information before taking any additional steps in this particular case. Although it is said that the case  is set to potentially  involve police investigation.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves had rejected all the accusations by the Trinidad and Tobago Government Minister, stating that the apartments were rightly purchased with no “sweetheart deals” as he and his son Storm Gonsalves threatened to sue Senator Anil Roberts for alleging serious breaches of privacy and politically motivated defamation.

To which Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, firmly backing Minister Anil Roberts, stated that he and his son are free to pursue legal action as the timing and circumstances of the apartment acquisition warrant serious scrutiny.

The probe comes with only 7 days left until the 2025 St. Vincent and the Grenadines  general elections scheduled for November 27. Where Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves is running again for another term under the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP).