by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN)—The Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) Leader, Hon. Dr Janice Daniel-Hodge, initiated legal proceedings against Nevis Premier Hon. Mark Brantley for defamation following a highly publicised political standoff regarding land sales for the multi-billion-dollar Destiny Project.
Premier Brantley publicly alleged that the NRP Leader pocketed money by quietly selling land to the Destiny development while simultaneously encouraging local Nevisians to protest and reject the project.
Dr Daniel-Hodge strongly refuted the claims, deeming them a direct attack on her personal integrity.
Brantley insisted his claims were backed by “receipts,” and Dr Daniel-Hodge followed with threats and subsequently filed a lawsuit to counter what she called misleading and false statements.
During his August 25, 2026 press conference, Premier Brantley shared that he had been served.
“The NRP leader, yes, has sued. You asked if I’ve been served. Yes, I was served. And I’m a little disappointed because after all the hoopla, I would have thought that they would come with something that is at least arguable. But unfortunately, that is not the case. So they’ve come with a matter that I think is just an abuse of the court process, an effort to stymie conversation on what is clearly a situation which can be proven by the evidence. I have never come to the public to say things that I don’t have evidence of and that I can’t document. And the Court of Public Opinion and the Court of Legal Opinion will see an agreement for sale of land that is signed by Janice Daniel-Hodge, the leader of NRP. The Court of Public Opinion and the Court of Legal Opinion will learn that the developers of Destiny have paid not just one deposit, but in April this year, they paid a second deposit on those lands.”
Brantley reiterated his claims concerning the NRP leader.
“And that second deposit is of particular interest to me because if you recall, the first story that we got from the leader of the NRP was she sold no land. After, I suppose, she realised that her signature appears on documentation for the sale of land, she then came back and said she did not know what the lands were to be used for. That was argument number two. Well, this thing has been the most controversial thing for over a year now. But in April of this year, further deposits were paid. So did she know then what the lands were to be used for in April of this year? I’m not sure, you know, why some people disturb the Court. Perhaps, as I said, they want the conversation on it to be tempered because when you put matters in the Court, when the press asks you a question, I can’t talk about that, you know, it’s before the Court. It’s a very convenient argument that some public officers use.”
The Nevis Premier suggested that he will see the lawsuit through and will seek costs.
“Well, I am armed with truth. I am armed with the facts, and I’m armed with the documentation. And I will be asking the Court to give me indemnity costs and to make an example through costs so that politicians stop abusing the process of the Court. The destiny matter is a matter in public discussion and you could not have agreed and signed an agreement to sell 25 acres of land, of which you are the trustee and executor, one of two, and of which said land you are the beneficiary of five acres and then come and say to the people of Nevis, who you are asking to repose trust and confidence in you, that you did not sell any land. When that lie was exposed, you then moved to say I did not know what the lands were to be sold for.”
The defamation suit is a component of a much wider political battle over the Destiny Special Sustainable Zone (SSZ).
The proposed billion-dollar project on the southern coast of Nevis has sparked intensive public debate concerning sovereignty and transparency.
The NRP has consistently accused the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) of hiding the full parameters of the development agreement from local stakeholders.
The Premier questions the acceptance of the alleged second deposit on the sale of the land.
“Assuming that the second is true, that she did not know what the lands were to be sold for way back in October of 2004, but my understanding is the agreement was signed, the question that I would have now is why take any further deposit from these folks? Because if I’m opposed to something, the first thing I would do when I found out is say, “Oh, I so you go; see your money back, and I don’t want a thing else to do with you”. One would expect that to be the natural reaction. Take back your money, and I don’t want no more money from you. We don’t want nothing to do with you, but that has not happened. So that I think is going to be interesting, and this is not the platform for the campaign, but the campaign would have some interesting information to be shared.”
Critics have compared the large-scale private enclave to modern economic enslavement, while Premier Brantley maintains it is a critical economic driver required for the island’s future job market.
The final Development Agreement has not yet been signed; once it is, it will be made fully public before being debated and voted on in both the Nevis Island Assembly and the National Assembly.
“The last conversation I had with the Honourable Attorney General, he would have indicated that the cabinet resumes in September, the first week in September, and that this matter will be dealt with then. So we’ll have to wait and see what the results are. But I can say that the concerns were really to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and make sure that the project conforms entirely with the constitutional requirements of St. Kitts and Nevis. No project, no development is above the Constitution, and every project and every development has to comply with the supreme law of our country, which is the Constitution of 1983. So everything that is proposed has to be tested against that to determine whether or not it fails or it succeeds. If it falls outside, then it cannot happen. If it falls within, then it can happen, and even then we have to discuss what safeguards will be in place. So that is the reason why there’s been all this discussion and toing and froing in relation to this particular project.”, Nevis Premier Hon. Mark Brantley during his August 25, 2026 press conference.
