Ronald Sanders (diplomat)

Sir Ronald Michael Sanders KCN KCMG AM[1][2] (born 1947/1948)[3] is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and the Organisation of American States for Antigua and Barbuda[4] (2015-present) [5] who has served twice as Antigua's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1982-1987, 1996-2004)[3][6] as well as Ambassador and negotiator to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) (1997-2004).[4] A member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group since 2010,[4] he was Antigua and Barbuda's nominee to be secretary general of the Commonwealth at the election held at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting[7] but lost to Dominica's nominee, Baroness Patricia Scotland.[8]

Background

Sanders was born in Guyana.[9] He has a master's degree in international relations from the University of Sussex and attended Boston University.[10][11]

He was a successful broadcaster in the 1970s[12] and went on to be an executive at Caribbean Broadcasting Union, and Caribbean News Agency.[13] He has served as a board member of UNESCO and is on the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.[13]

In 2004, Sanders was Antigua and Barbuda's chief foreign affairs representative.[14][15]

Sanders has been a board member of UNESCO,[1] has served as Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and as a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto.[4] He Has also served as an international business consultant and writer.[1] He was awarded a British knighthood in 2002 by the Queen as Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) and also has an Antiguan knighthood as Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation (KCN).[6]

Commonweath Secretary-General election

Sanders was perceived to be the frontrunner to become the 6th Commonwealth Secretary-General[16] and was backed by the majority of CARICOM nations heading into a meeting where it was argued that it was the Caribbean's turn to provide a Secretary-General[17] but his campaign for Commonwealth Secretary-General was damaged by corruption allegations when, two days before the election, The Telegraph revealed that he had been named by an investigator in an unpublished report which alleged he received almost $1.4 million in an alleged fraud against the Antiguan government.[18][19][3] The report by Canadian forensic accountant Robert Lindquist was received by the Antiguan government in 2009 and alleged a larger conspiracy to divert a portion of repayments of a loan the government had received from a Japanese company to several prominent beneficiaries. In January 2012, Antiguan police named Sir Ronald as a “person of interest” in an inquiry they were then conducting as a result of the Lindquist report but in June 2015 the police commissioner wrote to his lawyers that "the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda has no interest in interviewing Sir Ronald Sanders and that there are no current or pending investigations that involve him in any way.” In November 2013, Antigua’s director of public prosecutions declined to press charges against Sir Ronald, saying the allegations against him were “seriously defective” and “disclose no offence”.[3]

Family

Sanders is the son-in-law of former Commonwealth Secretary-General Sir Shridath Ramphal.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Antigua's Sir Ronald Michael Sanders knighted by Queen". October 28, 2002. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Honorary Appointments within the Order of Australia" (PDF). Gg.gov.au. 2012. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Exclusive: leading candidate to be Commonwealth secretary general alleged to have received $1.4m in fraud against Antiguan government". Daily Telegraph. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 http://www.sirronaldsanders.com/biography.aspx
  5. ↑ "China Buys Inroads in the Caribbean, Catching U.S. Notice". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  6. 1 2 http://antiguaobserver.com/sir-ron-returns/
  7. ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda High Commission London |". Antigua-barbuda.com. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  8. ↑ "Commonwealth elects first woman secretary general". Times of Malta. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ron Sanders has withdrawn as a Caricom candidate for Commonwealth SG". Stabroek News. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  10. ↑ "Biography". sirronaldsanders.com. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Ronald Michael Sanders KCMG, KCN". Businessweek.com. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  12. 1 2 "The Caribbean’s Commonwealth family feud". Trinidad & Tobago Guardian. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  13. 1 2 "Antigua's Sir Ronald Michael Sanders knighted by Queen - News". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Richtel, Matt (2004-03-26). "U.S. Online Gambling Policy Violates Law, W.T.O. Rules". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Internet Gambling Crackdown Sparks WTO Complaint". Washington Post. 2003. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Baroness Patricia Scotland becomes first UK citizen to be elected secretary‑general of Commonwealth". The Independent. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  17. ↑ "Baroness Scotland is new Commonwealth Secretary General". Barbados Today. November 27, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Turnbull meets the Queen as Commonwealth chooses first woman Secretary General". Australian Financial Review. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "Scandal resurfaces ahead of Commonwealth SG vote". 26 November 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
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