Dear Sir:
Margaret Parsons, a Canadian originally from Saint Vincent, alleged that in 2003 Prime Minister Gonsalves attacked her and attempted to rape her. A sexual assault charge was filed on behalf of Parsons; however, two weeks later Colin Williams the DPP, again discontinued the case and a High Court justice refused permission for the lawyers to seek a judicial review.
Ref: US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Report February 25, 2009.
April 7, 2008: News Report, DPP Discontinues Sexual Assault Charge
Director of Public Prosecutions, the DPP, Colin Williams, last Friday took over and discontinued a sexual assault charge filed in the Family Court last February against Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
In a sworn statement, a Canadian-born lawyer with Vincentian citizenship, Margaret Parsons claims that sometime in 2004 she went to the office of the Prime Minister and was sexually assaulted, but reports state that just a few days ago, Parsons changed the date to 2003.
This country’s constitution gives the DPP authority to take over and discontinued any criminal matter before the court.
In related news....
At least one person who Canadian lawyer Margaret Parsons said she confided in that Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves sexually assaulted, has informed the police that he cannot recall ever hearing such allegations from her, stating he would have remembered.
Parsons also named a lawyer here as another individual who she related the allegations to, but the lawyer has failed to confirm this with investigators.
Parsons resides in Canada and has Vincentian citizenship, and one legal source said she faces the possibility of having a criminal charge levelled against her for lying under oath.
April 7, 2008: KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, Caribbean Net News: DPP discontinues another sexual assault charge against St Vincent PM.
The St Vincent and the Grenadines Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Colin Williams, on Friday took over and discontinued another sexual assault charge against Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, filed on March 13 by lawyers acting on behalf of a Canadian national with Vincentian citizenship, who resides in Canada.
In a sworn statement, Margaret Parsons claims that sometime in 2004 she went to the office of the Prime Minister and was sexually assaulted. However, a well-placed source said she changed the date to 2003.
Kay Bacchus-Browne, one of the lawyers representing Parsons, said she is “appalled” by the DPP’s decision.
April 22, 2008: News Report, De Freitas/Nice Radio: Written By PM Gonsalves Lawyers
Lawyer Grahame Bollers today sent a letter to the Managing Director of Nice Radio, Douglas De Freitas, seeking an apology and the sum of $500,000.00 for remarks made by a Canadian-Vincentian citizen on Nice Radio.
Bollers in his letter stated the remarks made by Margaret Parsons, and broadcast twice on Nice Radio, were meant to defame the good name and reputation of Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves. De Freitas has until Friday to issue a public apology and to pay up the $500.000.00 or face legal action.
Meanwhile, another of Dr Gonsalves’ lawyers, Richard Williams, is seeking to put the record straight about comments made by Parsons.
In a letter to the various media houses here, Williams said Parsons distorted a number of facts while speaking on radio here.
Parsons filed a private criminal complaint, stating Dr Gonsalves assaulted her in 2003, but Williams pointed out in his letter, she was not in the country at the time of the alleged assault.
DPP Colin Williams took over and discontinued the matter due to a lack of corroborating evidence.
April 23, 2008: News Report, PM’s Lawyer Sets The Record Straight
Lawyer Richard Williams is seeking to set the record straight about allegations made against Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
In a letter to the various media houses, Williams, who is one of Dr Gonsalves’ lawyers, stated Canadian Margaret Parsons never visited Dr Gonsalves’ office to discuss matters of constitutional reform.
In a sworn statement, Parsons stated she visited Dr Gonsalves’ office in 2004 to discuss constitutional reforms, but Williams pointed out that she was never in the country in 2004, and her visit to Dr Gonsalves’ office was in 2003, and it was to discuss the purchase of a property at Union Island.
Parsons filed a private criminal complaint in court, stating Dr Gonsalves assaulted her in 2004.
April 24, 2008: News Report, Bollers Writes To DPP And Commission of Police
Lawyer Grahame Bollers has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of Police, seeking investigations into remarks made by Canadian Margaret Parsons on Cross Country Radio and repeated on Nice Radio.
Bollers is seeking prosecution for criminal libel against Parsons, Douglas De Freitas of Nice Radio and Junior Bacchus.
Last week, Parsons made comments during an interview with Bacchus, which alleges the DPP, the Commissioner of Police and Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, conspired to defeat or pervert the course of justice.
April 24, 2008: News Report, Chamber Of Commerce President Should Resign
Lawyer Anthony Astaphan says the membership of the Chamber of Commerce should demand the resignation of its president, Jerry George.
George is reported to have posted on his website an interview between Margaret Parsons and Junior Bacchus, which is now the source of a legal battle between Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and Nice Radio, which re-broadcast the interview.
Astaphan says George acted irresponsibly by posting the interview on his website without first getting a correct legal opinion.
Following a letter from Dr Gonsalves’ lawyer, Grahame Bollers, to the manager of Nice Radio seeking an apology and $500,000.00, the interview was removed from the website.
April 24, 2008: News Report, Cross Country Radio Issues Apology
Cross Country radio last night issued an apology to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and the office of the Director of Public Prosecution for allegations made on the station’s Country Talk last week Friday, hosted by Junior Bacchus.
Bacchus read the statement in which the station stated it was sorry for the remarks made, when Bacchus entertained a call from Canadian Margaret Parsons, who made certain allegations against Dr Gonsalves and the DPP’s office.
The allegations made by Parsons are now a subject of another apology, which Dr Gonsalves is seeking from Nice Radio along with $500,000.00. Nice Radio has until tomorrow to issue the apology and pay the money or face court action.
April 25, 2008: News Report, Commissiong Says Statement Is Incorrect
Lawyer Samuel Commissiong is refuting statements made in a letter to Grahame Bollers from Kay Bacchus-Browne. In her letter, Bacchus-Browne stated Commissiong was informed of an alleged sexual assault on Canadian lawyer Margaret Parsons, allegedly committed by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
Caribbean Net News is quoting Commissiong as saying such a statement is incorrect.
Parsons had also indicted she informed two other individuals, who give written statements to the police stating she never informed them of any such alleged assault.
April 29, 2008: St Vincent PM seeks apology, $500,000 from radio station over rape allegations
by Duggie Joseph, Caribbean Net News St Vincent Correspondent
Lawyer Grahame Bollers has written to the Managing Director of Nice Radio, Douglas De Freitas giving him until Friday 25 April to issue a public apology to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and pay $500,000, or face court action.
In his letter to De Freitas, Bollers stated that on Wednesday April 16, Cross Country Radio broadcasted an interview between Junior Bacchus and Canadian Margaret Parsons.
“That interview was re-broadcast on Nice Radio on three subsequent occasions,”ť Bollers stated.
Bollers’ letter went on to state that Parsons defamed Dr Gonsalves and falsely accused him of conspiring with the Director of Public Prosecutions, Colin Williams and Commissioner of Police Keith Miller, “to subvert the administration of justice” here.
“This and similar statements in her interview have defamed my client and have caused him damage,” Bollers wrote.
He went on to state that Parsons’ statements “constitute the crime of criminal libel, contrary to Section 274 of the Criminal Code.”
Bollers told De Freitas to make an apology, with the terms to be agreed by him; undertake to refrain from broadcasting the statements and to pay $500,000.00 by Friday.
Last month Parsons filed a private criminal matter, alleging that Dr Gonsalves sexually assaulted her in 2003.
The DPP took over and discontinued the matter. Parsons called from Canada and spoke to Junior Bacchus on his “Country Talk” show on Cross Country Radio.
Cross Country Radio Wednesday night issued an apology to Dr Gonsalves and the DPP offices. The apology was read by Bacchus on behalf of the station.
When De Freitas was contacted he said contact should be made to his lawyer Kay Bacchus-Browne.
“My lawyer has responded, which is my response,” De Freitas said.
“We do not consider that the words complained of are defamatory of your client, since the words expressed by Margaret Parsons are true and our client will rely upon the defence of justification. In particular, it is a fact that Margaret Parsons met with your client Dr Ralph Gonsalves in January 2003 and your client Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves sexually and indecently assaulted her,” Bacchus-Browne stated in a letter to Bollers.
Bacchus-Browne went on to state that Parsons complained to lawyer Samuel Commissiong, “who took no action on her behalf.”
“Margaret Parsons immediately complained to Mr Samuel Commissiong who took no action on her behalf until recently when he contacted both Ms Nicole Sylvester and Mrs Kay Bacchus-Browne and reported the incident to them. In fact Mr Commissiong personally escorted Ms Parsons to Ms Bacchus-Browne’s office.
“That statement is incorrect,” Commissiong said. “That’s all I would say at this time.”
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De Freitas, through his lawyer, is rejecting any calls to make an apology and pay out any monies.
http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/caribnet/stvincent/stvincent.php?news_id=7384&start=400&category_id=15
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. Commissiong Says Statement Is Incorrect
Lawyer Samuel Commissiong is refuting statements made in a letter to Grahame Bollers from Kay Bacchus-Browne. In her letter, Bacchus-Browne stated Commissiong was informed of an alleged sexual assault on Canadian lawyer Margaret Parsons, allegedly committed by Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
Caribbean Net News is quoting Commissiong as saying such a statement is incorrect.
Parsons had also indicated she informed two other individuals, who gave written statements to the police stating she never informed them of any such alleged assault.
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. Bollers Writes To DPP And Commission Of Police
Lawyer Grahame Bollers has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Commissioner of Police, seeking investigations into remarks made by Canadian Margaret Parsons on Cross Country Radio and repeated on Nice Radio.
Bollers is seeking prosecution for criminal libel against Parsons, Douglas De Freitas of Nice Radio and Junior Bacchus.
Last week, Parsons made comments during an interview with Bacchus, which alleges the DPP, the Commissioner of Police and Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, conspired to defeat or pervert the course of justice
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. Lawyer Bacchus-Browne Issues Warning To Media Houses
Lawyer Kay Bacchus-Browne has issued a warning to media houses for them not to print or repeat things contained in a letter sent from the law firm of Williams and Williams, which was issued to the various media houses, as that firm sought to set the record right about allegations made against Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves by a Canadian citizen, Margaret Parson.
Bacchus-Browne did not provide the media houses with the information she says is slanderous.
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. PM's Lawyer Sets The Record Straight
Lawyer Richard Williams is seeking to set the record straight about allegations made against Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
In a letter to the various media houses, Williams, who is one of Dr Gonsalves’ lawyers, stated Canadian Margaret Parsons never visited Dr Gonsalves’ office to discuss matters of constitutional reform.
In a sworn statement, Parsons stated she visited Dr Gonsalves’ office in 2004 to discuss constitutional reforms, but Williams pointed out that she was never in the country in 2004, and her visit to Dr Gonsalves’ office was in 2003, and it was to discuss the purchase of a property at Union Island.
Parsons filed a private criminal complaint in court, stating Dr Gonsalves assaulted her in 2004.
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. De Freitas/Nice Radio Written By Pm Gonsalves’ Lawyers
Lawyer Grahame Bollers today sent a letter to the Managing Director of Nice Radio, Douglas De Freitas, seeking an apology and the sum of $500,000.00 for remarks made by a Canadian-Vincentian citizen on Nice Radio.
Bollers in his letter stated the remarks made by Margaret Parsons, and broadcast twice on Nice Radio, were meant to defamed the good name and reputation of Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves. De Freitas has until Friday to issue a public apology and to pay up the $500.000.00 or face legal action.
Meanwhile, another of Dr Gonsalves’ lawyers, Richard Williams, is seeking to put the record straight about comments made by Parsons.
In a letter to the various media houses here, Williams said Parsons distorted a number of facts while speaking on radio here.
Parsons filed a private criminal complaint, stating Dr Gonsalves assaulted her in 2003, but Williams pointed out in his letter, she was not in the country at the time of the alleged assault.
DPP Colin Williams took over and discontinued the matter due to a lack of corroborating evidence.
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. DPP Discontinues Sexual Assault Charge...
Director of Public Prosecutions, the DPP, Colin Williams, last Friday took over and discontinued a sexual assault charge filed in the Family Court last February against Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
In a sworn statement, a Canadian-born lawyer with Vincentian citizenship, Margaret Parsons claims that sometime in 2004 she went to the office of the Prime Minister and was sexually assaulted, but reports state that just a few days ago, Parsons changed the date to 2003.
This country’s constitution gives the DPP authority to take over and discontinued any criminal matter before the court.
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
April 30, 2008 Edition: Star FM Radio. In related news....
At least one person who Canadian lawyer Margaret Parsons said she confided in that Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves sexually assaulted, has informed the police that he cannot recall ever hearing such allegations from her, stating he would have remembered.
Parsons also named a lawyer here as another individual who she related the allegations to, but the lawyer has failed to confirm this with investigators.
Parsons resides in Canada and has Vincentian citizenship, and one legal source said she faces the possibility of having a criminal charge levelled against her for lying under oath.
http://www.star983fm.com/april.html
May 2008: Online Article, The Star
Margaret Parsons, executive director of the African Canadian Legal Clinic in Toronto, filed a complaint in the Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Magistrates Court alleging that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, 61, attacked her during a private meeting back in January 2003.
Parson a human rights attorney from Toronto filed a complaint against Gonsalves for sexual assault in May 2008. This adds to a series of charges Gonsalves faces over sexual misconduct, including one from a security guard over an incident in the prime minister's abode. Allegations made by Parsons, 48, have added to the scandal surrounding the already embattled Gonsalves, who is fending off similar charges from four other women.
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/434575
May 29, 2008: Article by Womens Sphere; Rape accusations against St Vincent and the Grenadines PM dismissed in Rape and Sexual Assault Case
Two sexual assault cases against the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines were dismissed summarily, spurring critics to say “old boy” networks trump the rule of law.
Rape allegations against Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves have divided this idyllic archipelago beloved by honeymooners, mariners and hikers, with one side decrying what it sees as a culture of indifference toward sexual violence and the other insisting that the charges are politically motivated.
A member of Gonsalves’ security detail has told police that the 61-year-old leader raped her Jan. 3 at his Old Montrose mansion, where she was on patrol, stifling her protests and warning her to be quiet because his wife and children were upstairs sleeping.
Gonsalves has denied the accusation, and the district attorney, the prime minister’s former law colleague, has dismissed the complaint lodged in Magistrates Court by Constable Michele Andrews. She turned to the court because her police superiors had declined to pursue criminal action against Gonsalves.
Human rights activists and local business leaders allege that Gonsalves has a history of sexual aggression, and women’s advocates across the Caribbean have begun organizing support for Andrews, 36, whose identity was disclosed by Gonsalves.
At least four other women claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Gonsalves have come forward since Andrews made her accusation.
The scandal has shed light on political, legal and security networks in the region’s fledgling democracies, where loyalties to old school chums and political allies can, critics say, trump the rule of law.
Emery Robertson, one of the four local lawyers who have taken up Andrews’ case, says the Caribbean judicial system is lacking in sufficient checks on power. In St. Vincent, for instance, the prime minister also heads the ministries of finance, national security, economic planning and legal affairs, with the civil servants in each beholden to him and his party for their jobs.
“All the stakeholders owe some allegiance to the prime minister,” said Sharon Morris-Cummings, another of Andrews’ lawyers.
The four lawyers have appealed the dismissal of her case and a second one brought to a regional court by a Canadian alleging another attack. They vow to take the cases, if necessary, to the London Privy Council, which remains the court of last resort for the former British colony.
Human rights and feminist groups have demanded that Gonsalves be prosecuted to send a signal that no one is above the law.
“People are afraid to come forward. The message he’s sending is, ‘We will discredit you,’”ť said Peggy Antrobus, a Vincentian living in Barbados who for decades has been at the fore of the Caribbean’s tiny women’s movement.
Margaret Parsons, a Canadian human rights lawyer of Vincentian descent, charged in her complaint against Gonsalves that she was attacked in January 2003 when she had an appointment with him to discuss plans for constitutional reform in the region. A few minutes into their discussion, she says, he lunged at her, groped her, ripped her blouse and attempted to rape her on his office couch before she was able to break away and flee.
“I remember coming out of the building with my heart pumping. I was enraged. I couldn’t believe this happened to me,” Parsons recalled in a telephone interview from Toronto. “I didn’t know who to turn to. I didn’t know who would listen to me.”
She returned to Canada, and says she “suffered in silence” until Andrews’ case shamed and emboldened her to file a complaint in Magistrates Court.
“This is a prime minister, for Pete’s sake! He can’t continue to act with impunity in such egregious acts,” Parsons said. “We’re not talking about a parking ticket or a traffic violation; we’re talking about the violation of women’s bodies.”
As happened to Andrews’ case, Parsons’ complaint was taken over by the director of public prosecutions, R. Colin Williams, a long time friend of Gonsalves who discontinued the proceedings, a power granted the district attorney-like office but rarely used on such serious allegations.
Williams is a tall, high-spirited man with a thunderous laugh. He defended his decisions to halt the cases against Gonsalves.
“Ralph is a victim of his personality. He has a very informal style,” Williams said. “Here they call him Huggingson Kissinger, because he’ll greet you with a hug and a kiss.”
He said the five incidents to which women have sworn statements were either old or unsubstantiated by physical evidence.
Andrews did not submit a written statement when she told the police superintendent about the alleged attack on the morning of the incident, nor when she contacted the police commissioner the next day, he said. Andrews says that both told her to go home and calm down, and that she was assured they would investigate and contact her when they needed information.
To the allegations of a 43-year-old woman who testified that she was raped by Gonsalves when she was an 18-year-old job applicant at his office, Williams bellowed with amusement, “That was more than 20 years ago, man!”
As for Parsons’ complaint, Williams said it couldn’t be trusted because “she’s a human rights lawyer!”
Andrews, who is now walking a beat along the colonial edifices around Kingstown Harbour, said she wanted to kill herself in the days after the attack. She recalled tearfully the hours that she spent cowering in a police station bunk after flushing her underwear down a toilet and showering for half an hour, before deciding to turn to her police superiors.
Hearing nothing from them in four weeks despite further appeals, Andrews registered a private criminal complaint in the Magistrates Court on Jan. 31, and an order was issued for Gonsalves to appear three weeks later. The order was nullified when Williams intervened four days later.
Within hours of the filing, Police Commissioner Keith Miller informed Andrews’ attorneys that he had “had the matter investigated and those investigations did not reveal any evidence of wrongdoing by the honourable prime minister.”
Gonsalves appeared at a news conference the next day to declare his innocence and accuse political opponents of trying to force him to resign.
“This is an attempt to damage me politically and to discredit me in the eyes of the people,” Gonsalves said, with his wife, Eloise, and Cabinet officials at his side.
He proclaimed himself “cleared” by Miller and identified Andrews as his accuser, setting off weeks of public badgering of the policewoman during the daily radio call-in show hosted by Gonsalves’ press secretary, Hans King.
“I will not be bulldozed by unfounded allegations of which I am wholly innocent,” he said, adding that he was contemplating legal action against Andrews and her lawyers.
Gonsalves hasn’t commented on Parsons’ more recent complaint or on Williams’ April 4 decision to dismiss it. But one of the prime minister’s lawyers, Grahame Bollers, deemed her claims “criminal libel” in demanding an apology and $500,000 in compensation from Nice Radio, which aired an interview with Parsons three times in late April.
Lawyer Kay Bacchus-Browne, who is representing the radio station’s director as well as Gonsalves’ accusers, informed Bollers that they were rejecting the demands because Parsons’ words “are true.”
Inquiries from The Times were referred to another of the prime minister’ lawyers, Parnell Campbell, who did not return phone calls. Police officials did not respond to requests for interviews.
Letters to the editors of local papers and the Caribbean Net News agency have denounced the legal manoeuvring to shield Gonsalves from prosecution and reminded readers that all citizens are supposed to be equal before the law. The island’s politically attuned calypso artists have also weighed in on the scandal with a derisive ballad titled “Hip, Hip, Who Rape?”
“We’ve noticed a number of worrisome incidents in which the rule of law seems to be in doubt,” said a U.S. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, who paid a visit here in April to inquire about the cases.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, which has been asked to review Williams’ actions, is expected to rule soon and could endorse the dismissals or send the cases to trial.
That court is composed of justices appointed by the prime ministers of participating states, and attorney Bacchus-Browne said she had “a little vestige of hope” that the regional court would put politics aside and send the cases to trial. Although if that happens, she said, Gonsalves probably would appeal.
“It’s probably going to have to go to the Privy Council if we’re to see justice,” she said.
Ref:
http://womensphere.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/rape-accusations-against-st-vincent-and-the-grenadines-pm-dismissed/
May 31st 2008, Saturday: Caribbean PM assaulted her. By Brett Popplewell Staff Reporter
A Toronto human rights lawyer has charged the prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines with sexually assaulting her during a meeting in his island mansion.
A Toronto human rights lawyer has charged the prime minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with sexually assaulting her during a meeting in his island mansion.
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In February of this year, Margaret Parsons, executive director of the African Canadian Legal Clinic in Toronto, filed a complaint in the Magistrates Court alleging that Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, 61, attacked her during a private meeting back in January 2003.
"She has been brave to come forward," said Parsons' lawyer, Nicole Sylvester, in a phone interview from the Caribbean archipelago, adding Parsons had been empowered by speaking of the incident.
Allegations made by Parsons, 48, have added to the scandal surrounding the already embattled Gonsalves, who is fending off similar charges from four other women.
Sylvester said the addition of a human rights lawyer to the list of women accusing Gonsalves of sexual misconduct has divided the country.
"The matter has been totally politicized," Sylvester said.
In her complaint, Parsons, who was born in Trinidad but moved to Canada at a young age, says she was in the prime minister's office discussing constitutional reform when he began groping her, ripped her blouse and tried to have sex with her on his office couch.
She says she managed to flee Gonsalves' grasp but was so shaken by the incident that she knew not where to turn.
Repeated attempts by the Star to speak with Parsons at her office in Toronto failed. Staff there said they were aware of the allegations but refused to comment on the case.
But in a telephone interview with the Los Angeles Times, Parsons described the incident at length.
"I remember coming out of the building with my heart pumping. I was enraged. I couldn't believe this happened to me," she said. "I didn't know who would listen to me."
In that interview, Parsons said she suffered in silence for five years but decided to come forward with her allegations after one of the prime minister's female security guards accused him of a sexual assault.
That assault is alleged to have occurred January 3, 2008 while the guard was on foot patrol at the prime minister's mansion.
The prime minister has categorically denied all the accusations of sexual assault brought against him.
Colin Williams, director of public prosecutions (equivalent to attorney general) for the former British colony, has officially discontinued any inquiry into the allegations without allowing the case to be heard before a court.
"This is a prime minister, for Pete's sake!" Parsons told the Los Angeles Times about Williams' decision. "He can't continue to act with impunity in such egregious acts. We're not talking about a parking ticket or a traffic violation; we're talking about the violation of women's bodies."
Williams has told reporters that Parsons' allegations are unsubstantiated by physical evidence and has gone on record as saying she cannot be trusted because "she's a human rights lawyer," a claim Sylvester says is deeply disturbing.
"This is the most preposterous, outrageous, unfounded statement to make and it's an affront to the very good work that human rights lawyers do all over the world," she said.
Steve Phillips, consulate general for St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Toronto, said he was aware of Parsons' allegations but didn't want to comment.
"I cannot speak authoritatively on the matter because these are just allegations," he said.
For his part, Gonsalves has cleared himself of any wrongdoing with regards to the alleged sexual assaults of his security guard.
"This is an attempt to damage me politically and to discredit me in the eyes of the people," Gonsalves told reporters in February.
Though Gonsalves has not publicly addressed Parsons' allegations, a lawyer on his behalf has deemed her claims "criminal libel" and has demanded an apology.
The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court -- a regional supreme court for small Caribbean states -- is currently reviewing Williams' decision to discontinue all proceedings on the sexual assault allegations.
Regardless of that court's decision, Parsons and the four other women have the option to take their cases to the London Privy Council, which remains St. Vincent and the Grenadines' highest court.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2008/05/31/caribbean_pm_assaulted_her_toronto_lawyer.html
February 25, 2009: US State Department
Margaret Parsons, a Canadian originally from Saint Vincent, alleged that in 2003 Prime Minister Gonsalves attacked her and attempted to rape her. A sexual assault charge was filed on behalf of Parsons; however, two weeks later Colin Williams the DPP again discontinued the case and a High Court justice refused permission for the lawyers to seek a judicial review.
Ref: US State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, Report February 25, 2009.
Ralph E. Gonsalves is innocent of all charges until proved guilty.
But in the meantime why hasn’t he sued Margaret Parsons?
In submitting all these news reports, it is for a matter of balance and not to express or imply that Gonsalves raped Margaret Parsons.
Peter Binose 
