KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, March 12, IWN — The brothers of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves have re-deposited EC$250,000 of the $1 million they withdrew from the Building & Loan Association in October.
The deposit was made on Monday, Gonsalves told I-Witness News.
Gonsalves, who is also Minister of Finance, had restated in Parliament on Monday his call for persons who withdrew money from the beleaguered building society to reinvest.
He also called for persons who have given notice to withdraw their investment from the BLA, to reconsider.
Gonsalves had previously told the nation that his brothers withdrew the money from their elderly, sick mother’s account after a former director of the BLA advised them to do so.
The Financial Services Authority on Feb. 1 took over management and control of the BLA after depositors withdrew $9 million over a two-week period.
Luke Browne, an economist at the Ministry of Finance, in January wrote a newspaper letter asking if the BLA was on the verge of collapse.
The letter triggered the run on the BLA.
Gonsalves told Parliament on Monday that he was restating his government’s commitments to saving the BLA.
He reiterated that the government has converted into shares at the BLA, the $6 million that the BLA owed in taxes.
Further, Gonsalves said he has asked the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to put on stand-by a $15 million loan, should the BLA need such liquidity support.
The Prime Minister also noted that his government has identified the BLA as a priority institution for the next tranche of money under CLICO and BAICO insurance companies.