(iWitness News) – Leader of the Opposition Ralph Gonsalves has rejected a claim that his Unity Labour Party (ULP) government left the new administration a debt of EC$10 million to JetBlue Airways.
He said on radio on Monday that while a revenue‑guarantee arrangement exists with the carrier, the figure being cited by the New Democratic Party government does not reflect the actual liability.
Gonsalves said the agreement with JetBlue includes standard revenue‑guarantee provisions of the kind used across the Eastern Caribbean to secure international airlift. However, he accused Tourism Minister Kishore Shallow of misleading the public about the size and status of any sums due.
Shallow mentioned the EC$10 million in Parliament on Thursday while responding to a question from opposition senator Keisal Peters.
Gonsalves, who was prime minister under the ULP administration and Carlos James, who was minister of tourism when the party was voted out of office in November, did not rebut the figure when Shallow mentioned it in Parliament.
