During the Oct. 30 Sitting of the House of Assembly, parliament authorized the Minister for Finance, Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, to borrow EC$32,603,000 from 1st National Bank Saint Lucia Limited for capital expenditure to finance the 2018/2019 budget.

According to the prime minister the monies had been approved in the Appropriations Bill and would support a number of capital projects.

The interest on the principal amount of the loan is repayable at a rate of 6 percent per annum and the principal amount of the loan is repayable in the amount of EC$275,123 per quarter, inclusive of interest one month after the Order Paper of Tuesday, Oct. 30.

The full drawdown of the loan, with the last payment plus any outstanding principal and interest is due 180 months after the full drawdown. Additionally, an arrangement fee of 1 percent is payable on the loan amount.