St Lucian prime minister Dr Kenny Anthony yesterday distanced himself from his attorney-general’s broadside against Sandals Resorts, saying that the state’s chief lawyer was speaking for himself and not the Government.

“The comments of the attorney-general are of his own making,” Prime Minister Anthony was reported as saying by Helen TV. “I know that there is a lot of emotion and anger over this issue, but Sandals has been a great partner of this country.”

Attorney-General Victor La Corbiniere had accused Sandals of timing the lay-off of 100 employees at one of its resorts in St Lucia to hurt the ruling St Lucia Labour Party (SLP) in next month’s general elections.

La Corbiniere, in a television interview, had said that while the decision to lay off the workers “may well be” one based on economics, the timing suggested that it was taken to influence the election process.

“We are convinced that the firing of the workers on the eve of the general elections was not accidental, but was an attempt on the part of the company to destabilise the country,” he said.

Dr Anthony’s SLP is seeking a third consecutive term in the December 11 elections, which are also being contested by the United Workers Party led by 80 year-old Sir John Compton.

Sandals has denied La Corbiniere’s accusation, saying that it decided to outsource jobs in the security, pest control, landscaping and housekeeping departments to cut costs.

The resort chain said that the restructuring at Sandals Regency St Lucia Golf Resort & Spa was not in any way linked to an attempt to destabilise the country.

Yesterday, Compton waded in on the controversy by blasting La Corbiniere for his “ridiculous outburst” and called on the attorney-general to apologise to Sandals chairman Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart.

“As long as he has no evidence of the serious charges he is making then he owes the company an apology,” Compton said in a statement on national radio.

He said that the attorney-general, who was obviously speaking on behalf of the Government, did not only owe Sandals an apology, but all investors, as he was creating a “very dangerous industrial climate in the country”.

Compton said the attorney-general was openly attacking Stewart, who was a substantial investor, employing close to 1,500 persons in the country.

He said it was wrong for the attorney-general to seek to make political capital of the plight of workers, who the Government should be in a position to protect.

“We have a serious problem of unemployment here, and if we start antagonising the investors who are already here, you think others will come?” Compton asked. “I think this is a very serious allegation and Mr La Corbiniere should either shut up or put up.”

Prime Minister Anthony, while noting that he was in no position to cast judgement, said persons’ lives have been interrupted. “I do hope that there is broader understanding now why the labour code is necessary for this country,” he said.