Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has condemned the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank’s decision to allocate EC$22 million for a new official residence for Governor Timothy Antonine.

In a letter to Antigua’s Prime Minister Browne, current chair of the ECCU Monetary Council, Gonsalves condemned the move as an “absolute scandal.”

He argued that the expense, particularly the construction of a 10,000-square-foot mansion, is unjustifiable given the region’s economic struggles, with rising food prices and widespread poverty.

Gonsalves expressed shock over the decision, accusing unelected officials of extravagant spending while the region’s people face financial hardship.