Deputy Consul General was excellent at his job – Francis

Government Minister Julian Francis has said former Deputy Consul General in New York Edson Augustus was a very good choice at the time of his appointment and was widely praised for his performance on the job.{{more}}

“Edson Augustus was a good, excellent deputy consul general,” Francis said on radio Sunday.

“From the Consul General down to the last Vincentian in New York spoke highly of him,” added Francis, making special reference to his coordinating role in the big relief effort in New York, following last year’s devastating Christmas Eve floods.

Government last week announced that Augustus was recalled for being “involved in activities outside the scope of his employment” and “inimical to interests of the Consulate General and the Government and people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Foreign Minister Camillo Gonsalves later described Augustus’ undesirable activities as involving offering to facilitate the acquisition of “green cards” for out of status Vincentians in the United States and offering that service for a fee.

Following the December floods, Augustus had been prominent in providing updates on radio about the collection, packing and shipping of container loads of foodstuff, clothing, water and other supplies, for flood victims.

Francis, the ULP general secretary, has also gone on record as praising Augustus  for being a hard and dedicated campaign worker for the ULP in the run up to the 2010 general elections.