VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0669/01 1452121
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 252121Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4790
INFO RUEAORD/CUSTOMS CARIBBEAN ATTACHE MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRIDGETOWN 000669 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR-COLLINS 
ICE MIAMI FOR JMAHABIR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2017 
TAGS: KCRM KJUS KTIA KCOR PREL PGOV PINR SNAR ST XL
SUBJECT: ST. LUCIA:  FREDRICK INVESTIGATION AND MLAT 
REQUEST LEAKED 
 
REF: A. BRIDGETOWN 644 
     ¶B. BRIDGETOWN 525 
     ¶C. 06 BRIDGETOWN 469 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Mary Ellen T. Gilroy for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  During a May 17 television talk show, a 
prominent news personality leaked the details of a standing 
evidence request made under the U.S.-St. Lucia Mutual Legal 
Assistance Treaty (MLAT) concerning Richard Fredrick, St. 
Lucia's Housing Minister suspected of ties to drug 
trafficking and money laundering.  Fredrick defended himself 
by charging that the investigation is politically motivated. 
Comptroller of Customs Terence Leonard, who is heading the 
investigation, claimed that the public leak will not 
compromise the integrity of the investigation and remained 
confident that he would be able to charge Fredrick with 
customs violations later this year.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE LEAK 
-------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On May 17, popular news personality Rick Wayne 
leaked the details of a standing evidence request under the 
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between the Government 
of St. Lucia (GOSL) and the United States Government.  On his 
talk show, Wayne read an article from www.offshorealert.com 
that summarized the evidence request initiated by the GOSL. 
The request concerns an investigation into Housing Minister 
and alleged money launderer Richard Fredrick's suspected 
fraudulent evasion of customs duties related to the 
importation of motor vehicles. 
 
FREDRICK RESPONDS 
----------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Shortly after Wayne read the article, Fredrick phoned 
into the talk show to defend himself.  Fredrick explained 
that he has known about this investigation since summer 2006 
because the staff of the Florida auto dealership involved 
alerted him that USG authorities contacted them in 
conjunction with the investigation.  He claimed that former 
attorney general Philip LaCorbiniere started the 
investigation as a personal and political vendetta against 
Fredrick, who beat LaCorbiniere in the March 2006 
by-election.  (Note:  Although he lost the election, 
LaCorbiniere continued to serve as a Senator and Attorney 
General until December 2006, when his party lost the general 
elections.  Ref C.  End Note.) 
 
LACORBINIERE PLANS TO PUSH BACK 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) In a private conversation, LaCorbiniere informed 
PolOff that he would release a public statement on May 25 
countering FredrickQ,s public accusations that the evidence 
request under the MLAT is being pursued for political 
reasons.  LaCorbiniere said he would not address the evidence 
request concerning Fredrick specifically, but rather he would 
speak generally on the apolitical nature of MLAT requests. 
He further commented that, according to his understanding, 
informing the target of an investigation of that 
investigation is illegal in both the United States and St. 
Lucia.  LaCorbiniere added that he may challenge Fredrick to 
explain his statement that staff at the Florida auto 
dealership notified Fredrick of the investigation. 
 
¶5. (C) LaCorbiniere was also concerned that the USG may have 
intentionally leaked the evidence request by registering the 
documents "with an open court," rather than handling them 
more discreetly.  He asserted that the USG did this to keep 
Fredrick from becoming prime minister during the current 
political instability.  (Note:  St. Lucia's government crisis 
that could have resulted in Fredrick becoming prime minister 
did not begin until April 30, while the documents were filed 
with a U.S. district court on April 17.  Ref B.  End Note.) 
PolOff countered by noting that Fredrick's St. Lucian 
political rivals also could have leaked this information, a 
fact that LaCorbiniere did not dispute. 
 
CUSTOMS NOT WORRIED 
------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) St. Lucian Comptroller of Customs, Terence Leonard, 
informed PolOff that he has been in continual contact with 
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attachQ 
 
working on the MLAT evidence request since the on-air leak. 
Leonard was not worried that the leak would compromise the 
evidence or investigation.  Since the May 17 leak, Leonard 
also met with current St. Lucian Attorney General, Nicholas 
Frederick, to brief him on the evidence request, and received 
assurance that AG Frederick will take all necesarry action 
once St. Lucia receives the U.S. response to the evidence 
request. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶7. (C) Sources have informed PolOff that Wayne has received 
funds from China to shift St. Lucian public opinion in favor 
of returning diplomatic relations to the Asian power.  This 
leak appears to be one step in that strategy.  During St. 
Lucia's political crisis, Wayne generated negative press 
against those who rose against Prime Minister Sir John 
Compton and switched diplomatic recognition to Taiwan. 
Generally, Wayne has been successful in his strategy and has 
temporarily neutralized both Foreign Minister Rufus Bousquet 
and Fredrick (Ref A).  However, this particular leak may have 
backfired.  Fredrick's on-air response was smooth, and he may 
have succeeded in painting himself as a victim of the 
"wickedness of the previous government." 
 
¶8. (C) More importantly, however, is the status of the 
investigation.  Leonard is confident that public knowledge of 
the evidence request will not subject his investigators to 
increased pressure or danger, nor will it compromise his 
ability to charge Fredrick with customs evasion once the 
evidence has been obtained.  Immunity for parliamentary 
representatives in St. Lucia is too narrow to impede St. 
Lucian Customs from pressing charges.  As such, Leonard 
believes the evidence obtained by ICE will be sufficient to 
bring charges against Fredrick later this year.  If 
convicted, Fredrick could face a fine of ECD 10,000 (USD 
4,000) or three times the amount of customs duties he evaded, 
and/or five years imprisonment.  At the very least, being 
arrested and charged would be an embarrassment that could 
seriously hamper Fredrick's political career; a conviction 
could result in forced retirement. 
 
OURISMAN