Six months after Police Commissioner Verne Garde revealed that law enforcement had identified 10 criminal targets whose assets could be seized, he says the effort has not been forgotten and is now at an “advanced stage”.
Garde gave the update after St Lucia Times questioned him on the progress of the initiative, first announced at a police press conference in February as part of a wider push to target the proceeds of criminal activity.
At the time, the Commissioner said police had identified 10 individuals suspected of acquiring property through illegal means and were preparing to go after their assets. The effort involves several agencies, including a serious investigations team, Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA) and Customs.
Garde said the work remains active, with members of the team meeting as recently as the day before his latest update to assess progress and strategise.
“I can report up to [last Tuesday] the team met to strategise and to brief in regard to where we are in that regard,” the Commissioner said.
While he did not disclose how close police are to actually seizing assets, Garde appeared confident about the progress being made.
“We are doing well to present a very good product, and I am of the view it will be very successful,” he said.
Some of the cases, however, extend beyond Saint Lucia’s borders. Garde disclosed that three of the cases have also taken on a transnational dimension, requiring cooperation with international partners.
“With three of the matters, it’s more delicate because it’s somewhat of a transnational nature and of course our transnational partners are on board,” he explained.
When Garde first announced the initiative in February, he made clear that it was intended to target the financial gains of suspected criminal activity.
“These people will be losing some of the property they achieved through nefarious activities,” he said at the time. “The targets are named already, and we are getting the packages ready to manage them. So the wealth they enjoyed before 2026, they will not enjoy it.”
