Former diplomat Rondy “Luta” McIntosh is threatening legal action after rejecting as “untrue” allegations that he played a role in wiping computers at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines New York consulate following last November’s general election.
The dispute comes after Foreign Affairs Minister Dwight Fitzgerald Bramble told Parliament that incoming Consul General Roland Matthews reported discovering that the consulate’s entire computer system had been “completely wiped” when he assumed duty in the United States.
“Completely wiped. No information on anything that happened in the consulate in New York was left there,” Bramble told Parliament, adding later on radio that he intended to pursue full accountability and investigations into the matter.
“I will do whatever I have to do to let people know what’s going on and to show people that I am accountable as their servant,” he said.
However, McIntosh strongly rejected the allegations in a 21-minute Facebook video statement, insisting he would defend his reputation.
“I am compelled to respond, not out of bitterness, not out of partisan politics, but because these statements are factually wrong. They are deeply unfair, and they strike at the heart of my professional reputation and personal integrity,” he said.
“The allegation that I wiped the Consulate’s computer system is completely false. Full stop.”
McIntosh said he is reserving legal rights, arguing that while parliamentary statements are protected, repeated comments made outside Parliament are not.
“While the minister’s statements to the parliament are protected by privilege, his reiteration of those statements on the radio is not,” he said, calling on Bramble to correct the record publicly.
He also pushed back against claims of wrongdoing within the consulate.
“The truth is not complicated; it is documented, and the truth will stand,” McIntosh said. “Anyone can dig to the pit of hell, they will not uncover anything that speaks to any corruption at the consulate, not from me, not from the staff that I left there.”
McIntosh said that on March 3, his final in-person day at the consulate, staff were actively working and an official handover was conducted in the presence of Lou-Anne Gaylene Gilchrist.
“She observed me personally assisting the incoming Consul General… Everything was functioning. Nothing was wiped,” he said.
He explained that he only removed personal files when leaving the post.
“What I did do… was remove my personal files from the computer I used… That is not wiping a computer. That is basic and entirely proper conduct.”
McIntosh also said his official email account was later disabled or deleted after his departure, claiming he was not responsible.
“If any files associated with that email account are now inaccessible, that is a matter that must be taken up with the person who disabled or deleted my Consular email address, not with me,” he said.
He further outlined what he described as a detailed transition process, including a 17-page handover document and both virtual and in-person briefings involving the ambassador and incoming consul general.
McIntosh said a formal handover certificate was signed on March 3 under the country’s financial regulations and that the process was properly documented and witnessed.
The Foreign Ministry has said it will conduct a full investigation into both the alleged consulate computer wipe and reported complications involving a children’s trust fund linked to the country’s High Commission in London.
