Sarah Flood-Beaubrun has put Castries Central MP Richard Frederick on notice that she may pursue legal action over comments he made about her on his television programme last week.
“I have sent my attorneys the clips which were sent to me by concerned persons. I have asked them to review it,” Flood-Beaubrun said at a United Workers Party press conference on Tuesday.
She said her next move would depend on the legal advice she receives.
“Based on their advice, I will act accordingly. For those who have been expressing their concern to me, I just want to reassure them that I will do what is necessary to protect my reputation, not for me, but as a public citizen, because I believe integrity in public life is important,” she said.
Flood-Beaubrun did not specify which of Frederick’s statements she intends to challenge.
However, during the September 10 broadcast of Can I Help You, Frederick repeatedly raised questions about ‘Synergy’, a personal development training and recruitment programme spearheaded by Flood-Beaubrun during her tenure as Castries Central MP.
His questions centred on alleged payments made through the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF) connected to the programme.
Frederick, who is facing his own questions regarding the SSDF, used the broadcast to challenge anyone disputing what he was saying, declaring: “I dare challenge you to call me a liar.”
Flood-Beaubrun said any allegations against her should be addressed in a forum where they can be properly tested.
“And if an allegation has been made, I think I owe it in the public interest to make sure it is properly ventilated in the appropriate forum, which is a court of law,” she said.
The September 10 programme marked Frederick’s return to Can I Help You after the broadcast immediately following his release from police custody on July 2. He had been detained over criminal allegations made against him, but police later said their investigation had not produced sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations.
Frederick has since been placed on administrative leave from his duties as Housing, Local Government and Urban Renewal Minister amid separate issues surrounding the SSDF. Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has stressed that the decision to place him on leave does not imply guilt.
