Guy Joseph confirms police seizure of cash amid vote-buying allegations

United Workers Party (UWP) Deputy Leader and candidate for Castries South East, Guy Joseph, has confirmed reports that police seized a large sum of cash found on his person earlier today, following allegations that he was paying individuals to vote for him.

According to senior police officials who spoke to St. Lucia Times, officers received a report that the former minister was allegedly distributing money to influence voters on Election Day. Acting on the information, officers approached Joseph at a residence near the polling station.

Police say Joseph was found with $12 000 in cash, which was subsequently confiscated pending an investigation.

Speaking on Newspin this afternoon, Joseph acknowledged the incident and strongly denied attempting to bribe voters. He insisted he was not on the public road and was not engaged in any illegal activity when the officers approached him.

“I was in the yard,not on the road, not anywhere in proximity… well, it’s close to the polling station, but I was not on the road,” Joseph said.

“A police vehicle came in with about four police officers. ….then the police came to me and they said to me, ‘We got reports that you are paying people to vote’. So I said, ‘But how could I be paying people to vote? I’ve never paid persons to vote before’. Everybody knows who has been paying for votes from before elections to now.”

Joseph said officers then questioned him about the amount of money in his possession.

“They asked me how much money I had in my pocket. I told them. So he said, ‘You have two choices. Either you give me the money and you get it back after 6 p.m. on the basis of the suspicion of the report that was made, or you can be arrested and taken down.’

Now, I didn’t know it was illegal for people to have money in their pocket…”

He maintained that the situation was politically motivated and denied any wrongdoing.

Police have not indicated whether charges will be laid but confirmed that the matter is under active investigation as part of broader election-day monitoring efforts.

The UWP has yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

The article Guy Joseph confirms police seizure of cash amid vote-buying allegations is from St. Lucia Times.