The release on Sunday, July 21, of a statement from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) announcing that the former St. Lucian-born President, Dr. Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon, had “ceased to hold the office of the presidency of the Bank” following the conclusion of an “internal administrative process” had about it the same undertone of guardedness that has attended the disclosure back in April that Dr. Leon had been placed on administrative leave as “an ongoing administrative process,” the substance of which remained undisclosed at the region’s most important financial institution.
Shortly thereafter, an April 23 Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) report disclosed that Dr. Leon had resigned from the presidency of the Bank “with immediate effect” and that he had posited the view, reportedly asserting that he “will never be treated fairly by the Bank.” One standout feature of the probe centred on the former CDB President is that the specifics of the decision by the CDB to remove its former President from his post have not, up to this time, been the subject of official disclosure.