Barbados Labour Party candidate for Christ Church East Wilfred Abrahams has denied any claims of stuffing election envelopes with money and sending to constituents as implied in a viral video being shared online.
The video, which made the rounds on the internet showed a man rifling through several $100 and $50 bills packed in an envelope that bore the return address of Wilfred A. Abrahams Hope Court, Hopewell Main Road, Christ Church.
A follow up video, shared earlier this morning showed the man clarifying that the video was shared in jest and that he never received an envelope stuffed with cash. “No money ain’t come in the envelope…the money I placed in here was my money…it was a joke.”
Abrahams said he reported the matter to the police and the individual was currently in police custody. The incumbent candidate condemned what he described as a harmful rhetoric that threatened to put his integrity into disrepute.
“It is not just Wilfred Abrams that this video defames, or impugns my character, because I don’t stuff envelopes. You’re also impugning the character of the volunteers here, who actually did stuff the envelopes. You’re impugning the character of the Barbados Labour Party.”
Asked if he would press charges, Abrahams said that the matter was in the hands of the police.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to speak on that but quite clearly it’s a criminal offence, and if the public of Barbados and the people of Christ Church East did not have as much faith in me, and my integrity, and the clean campaign that I am running, but that could derail my entire campaign,” he said.
He added that such claims didn’t just damage the reputation of a politicians in the country but also that of the country.
“For the first ever, in Barbados, we have election scrutineers. We have independent observers observing our election. And this foolishness comes out, a day before what do you think they will think?
“I don’t need people looking at me, when I ain’t doing nothing. So, it has been, it has been real difficult, since that came out. This could have gone horribly wrong. At least the person retracted it, but it went viral. It went, completely viral.”
