Statement by
Honourable Lester B Bird
in the withdrawal of the suit of Lake & Kentish in
all circumstances in relation to the false charges allegedly
brought on behalf of Monique Kim Barua

Friday, 10th October 2003

The announcement to the Court by the law firm of Lake & Kentish of the withdrawal in all circumstances of the suit they brought against me allegedly on behalf of charges made by a female minor, Monique Kim Barua, vindicates the position that I have always taken which is that these charges were false to begin with and they were encouraged and maintained for political purposes.

Of course, an objective investigation led by the former British Police Official, Colin Wharburton, had already found that the charges made against me were absolutely unfounded and hatched-up.

Nonetheless, the allegations, which were made on a videotape that was widely distributed inside and outside of Antigua and Barbuda, continued, even after the Wharburton report, to be used by my political opponents.

However, allegations are easily made and reputations easily smeared; defending false allegations in a Court of Law is entirely a different matter. In this regard, truth was always on my side, and it was only a question of time before the truth came out for all to see. Today was the day when truth had its day, and all the charges were exposed for the lies they were.

No credible witness statements could be produced by Lake and Kentish. Indeed, the case amounted to what it always was and that is a political smear campaign.

The deep involvement of the law firm and others in this conspiracy is still to be fully revealed, and justice sought against those whose purpose was solely to attempt to destroy me politically with this outrageous and absurd tale.

I would be less than truthful if I did not admit that I remain angry over this entire attempt to ruin my reputation and my standing as Head of Government. I will have to dig deep into my heart, and keep the image of Nelson Mandela firmly fixed in my mind's eye, to forgive all that has been done to tarnish me. I will try my utmost to forgive, but I will never forget.

There is a lesson here for leaders in all walks of life in our Caribbean societies to guard against those in our communities who would stop at nothing to destroy with falsehood those whom they cannot defeat with fact.

Caribbean Heads of Government and other leaders in Civil Society have to consider how they will manage events such as this one in the future. For no one is safe from those whose appetite for destruction is far greater than any sense of social responsibility.

I take this opportunity to thank my family, my friends, the many thousands of supporters in Antigua and Barbuda and all over the world who stood up with me on this matter, never doubting that this event was politically motivated.

In particular I thank those Heads of Government who stood up with me, and went out of their way to show their support.

I thank too the many serious columnists and reporters in the Caribbean and overseas media who took the trouble to research the facts and were never part of the herd who simply repeated the fiction.

Today, is an important day for justice, particularly for those who hold high office and who are almost daily the objects of unsubstantiated charges and false allegations.