São Cristovão e Nevis, The St Kitts Nevis Observer, Inglês

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By Rick AmburgeyWriter

The Observer is very proud to recognize Honourable Garth Lucien Wilkin, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, as the Observer’s Person of the Year for 2025.

Attorney General Wilkin is extraordinarily deserving of this honour because of the tremendous amount of good work and positivity that he has brought to this country. His youth is one of his major assets because he understands the changing times, and that allows him to focus on what needs to be done.

Wilkin is a great speaker because he communicates with the people in a way that everyone can easily understand what he is saying. In a profession and role where language could easily confuse residents, Wilkin is careful not to do so.

As an attorney, Wilkin has a deep understanding of the law, and this has helped him update the law to create harsher penalties for repeat offenders, which has in turn made the islands a safer place for residents and tourists alike.

Fearless in his approach, Wilkin is unafraid to clearly state his beliefs and opinions, as well as assign blame where it belongs.

As knowledgeable and skilled as he is at his position, Wilkin said he had no ambition as a young man to become a lawyer despite his father being a successful attorney. “I was always better at math than I was reading books,” he said. That’s why he chose to focus on civil engineering. While studying civil engineering, he took a contracts course. That’s when Wilkin said he fell in love with the law.

Wilkin’s education background includes graduating Cum Laude from Virginia Tech in the United States with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2004. He received his legal training at the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill) and the Norman Manley Law School.

Before being appointed to Attorney General, he was a Crown Prosecutor and a partner at, Kelsick, Wilkin & Ferdinand, the oldest law firm in the Federation. During his time there, he developed a reputation as a commercial litigator. His father is the well-known attorney Charles Wilkin KC

Since October 2022, Wilkin’s work has led to the passage of 88 laws, marking his significant impact in a short time. He represents St. Kitts and Nevis by serving on various committees, including serving as Vice Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on International Tax Cooperation.

In the three years Wilkin has served as Attorney General, he said one of the things he is most proud of is his work towards criminal justice reform. They have passed 14 laws in that area that have helped to drastically reduce the number of homicides in St. Kitts and Nevis. He added there has been an average of about 22 homicides a year, many of which were gun-related. However, since October 2024, there have been only six homicides and three of those were gun-related.

Another area where Wilkin is proud of what they have accomplished is anti-corruption reform. They have passed laws including the Integrity Of Public Life Act and whistleblower legislation, which Wilkin said has contributed to a feeling of good governance in the country. Wilkin gave a speech last month commemorating this year’s International Anti-Corruption Day, which had the theme: “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity.”

Of course, his position has not come without challenges. The first challenge he mentioned had to do with the government’s Citizenship By Investment programme. He said that programme is very important to the country’s economic development, but it took a lot of reform to get it to the place where it is today. He also said there are human resources limitations, adding that they don’t have enough lawyers and there are efficiency challenges.

Although there was a time when Wilkin said he didn’t know the exact role of an Attorney General, he is evidently a fast study, as he has had professional successes during his tenure and has become an integral part of the government’s team.

His role also allows him to work closely with Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, who was Wilkin’s high school math teacher three decades ago. Wilkin says that his relationship with Dr. Drew has grown closer, and added that he (Drew) is still his mentor

The work Wilkin does is extremely rewarding and greatly benefits the country’s residents, but he does say that he misses being in a courtroom. He did a lot of litigation previously when he worked for a law firm. He did, however, have the opportunity to act in the matter of an appeal recently.

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