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Anguilla Home Affairs Minister Walcott A. Richardson resigns amid allegations of sexual offences
The Minister announced his resignation in a statement made public on February 21, 2013. This statement was also made available to Virgin Islands News Online following queries on being informed by sources on the island of Anguilla that Mr Richardson had resigned.
The Home Affairs Minister was arrested and charged on Friday, February 1, with two counts of indecent assault. He appeared before a Magistrate on the island and was granted bail of EC $110,000 and is due to appear in court again on May 10, 2013.
Mr Richardson, in his statement, said it was with a deep sense of regret that he was tendering his resignation from the Office he holds on behalf of the people of Anguilla but that felt it was the right decision under the current circumstances.
He also noted that Chief Minister Hubert Hughes has accepted his resignation as a Minister in the interest of good governance.
“I wish to assure the people Anguilla that I would never bring the Integrity of my Office which I hold on behalf of the people of this country into disrepute. However, I think that it is appropriate that while I defend my reputation against the allegations raised against me, that these circumstances do not act as a distraction to the intense work of stabilising this country with which our Administration is engaged.”
Mr Richardson also said the present Government came to power at a most delicate period for the Island and that he did not wish anything to distract from this Government's commitment to bringing prosperity back to the people of Anguilla. “The government was saddled with a debt, we were at our borrowing limit, the previous government left not a cent in reserves, visitor numbers were down, and there were calls from the FCO to cut back on the number of civil servants. Despite the difficulties in the last few years, this government has turned around a deficit budget and we are beginning to see investment coming back to the Island. The signing of the most recent MOU for Malliouhana is a reflection of this.”
The embattled politician said he wished to assure the Constituency of West End (District 7) that although “I have taken this step in the interest of the country as a whole, that my commitment to them is unwavering, and that I will continue to represent their interests and shoulder my responsibilities to them as their Elected Representative,” Mr Richardson stated.
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10 Responses to “Anguilla Home Affairs Minister Walcott A. Richardson resigns amid allegations of sexual offences”
Ayo better try keep off M..K