By DANA SMITH
Tribune Staff Reporter
dsmith@tribunemedia.net
WITH some of the “major hotels” in the country “grossly negligent in paying their bills” – one owing as much as $10 million, BEC Chairman Leslie Miller vowed yesterday the corporation will “deal with” those hotels this summer and “we will turn them off.”
He was speaking at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation’s headquarters, yesterday, where he also revealed Jose Cartellone Construcciones – the company contracted for the New Providence road works – owes $3 million to BEC.
It was at the beginning of this month that Mr Miller had revealed the delinquent status of some hotels – although not calling any by name.
“One hotel in particular owes BEC almost $10 million,” he had said. “In some of our Family Islands, they owe millions of dollars.”
The chairman told the press, yesterday, BEC will go after “the big fellows out west” who can pay their bills.
“Because they can afford to pay,” he said. “Because you know who pays their bill? When you go to any hotel in this country, you will see on your bill, your fuel fee. In other words, the guests are paying most of that bill and the hotel is pocketing the damn money... They are pocketing the money from the guest and still ain’t paying us. So we will deal with them over the summer. We will turn them off.
“Now when we threaten to turn them off, you know what they say? ‘We’re going to send 100 people home and see what the end result is.’ Now why don’t you try to send the 100 people home and see what the end result is, because you ain’t doing us no favour.
“You in this country to make money. We got to get this concept out of our head that the man come here to do us a favour – no one come here to do us a favour. They come here to run a profitable business. If they couldn’t make money in the Bahamas, they would go elsewhere.
“If they couldn’t get the incentives that the government of the Bahamas is offered them and given to them over the years, billions upon billions of your money. They ain’t doing you no favour.”
He continued:”Of course they’re making a contribution but if they go anywhere, they got to hire people, they got to pay their utilities bill. Ain’t nobody doing you no favour. And if they don’t pay their bills we’re going to shut them off.”
Although not naming any of those hotels, the Tall Pines MP named a few other companies who owe BEC.
“Jose Cartellones owes over $3 million. Before he leaves, we want our money,” he said. “A lot of the roads that they fixed is going to cost us problems in the future because they put those little ramps and thing in the middle of the road and we don’t have no access now to a lot of our wires, so even down the road we’re going to be spending an excess amount of money because some of the things they did was wrong.
“When Gladstone Farms closed down a few years ago, they left owing us millions of dollars. We ain’t collect a penny. Hotels on Paradise Island, when they close down – Holiday Inn when they closed down, years ago, left BEC high and dry for over $3 million.”
Comments
B_I_D___ 10 years, 10 months ago
I wonder if Mario's and other 'Miller Properties' are current. You think he's going to cut himself off for non-payment? Must be nice to be Chairman and not have to pay your bills.
Honeybun 10 years, 10 months ago
I hope his account is up to date and paid...but I agree these big hotels and the like need to pay up or be switched off!
Puzzled 10 years, 10 months ago
What happened to the report into the alleged sabotage at BEC.
It seems to have been swept under the carpet. It is a publicly owned company and we have a right to know if there are saboteurs working there.
moncurcool 10 years, 10 months ago
This is totally wrong. How could a chairman be out in public outing some companies and not others. A person's or companies accounts are private unless they are taken to court for collection. To get in the public and call out one company to the exclusion of others is unethical and wrong. As a chairman, Leslie Miller is out of order for this.
nationbuilder 10 years, 10 months ago
This man believes he is Prime Minister. Is his bills paid? Willing to be NOT
superUser 10 years, 10 months ago
Typical PAPABOT, instead of seeing that he is addressing a major issue with BEC, you ask simpleton questions about his own personal issues. He has already told you his bills are paid up - if you have more questions about it, why don't you get a lawyer and sequester his details from BEC - otherwise spouting off these ridiculous statements in an attempt to make HIM look bad personally, instead of addressing the actual issue at hand, is just political pandering at best.
whatswrong 10 years, 10 months ago
Something is really wrong in this country. Poor people struggling who making couple of dollars getting cut off for a bill as small as $500.00 but these people who have money and making big money running up millions in bills. Someone please explain this one to me.
maryann 10 years, 10 months ago
Including the chairman did he settle his bill yet? He is talking about everyone else bills , what about his ?
superUser 10 years, 10 months ago
Still clinging to the failed FNM party? When your comment has nothing to do with the accusation, and everything to do with the person who is making the accusation, it is clear you do not care about the issue at hand. Instead you are obviously still stuck in a fairy tale land where the FNM will be voted back into power - even though that will never happen with the current clowns you have as leaders. Look, your beloved FNM economically raped and pillaged this country for 5 years, coupled with lies and failed promises, most of what they did do was just in time for election (nothing new for the FNM or PLP). Additionally they called Bahamians Stupid Dumb Animals by outsourcing millions of dollars of contracts to foreign companies, which in turn makes them Traitors, and the same goes for anyone that still supports them. So keep hanging onto that failed party .. good luck with it.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 10 months ago
please list examples of the FNM raping and pillaging and also name the contracts that were outsourced ...
TalRussell 10 years, 10 months ago
Comrades why in the hell would a red or gold shirts government have paid out umpteen millions from the public treasury to Jose Cartellones roadworks company, if it still owed over $3 million to BEC, which just happens to be a government owned utilities corporation? PM Christie is about to introduce to an all new Value Added Tax (VAT). You know who is going pay the lions share of VAT. Poor ass-busting natives, yet there's millions upon millions uncollected from hotels, businesses, rich folks for anything from unpaid BEC bills, property taxes, crown lands, uncompleted contracts, import taxes. For the record. In fairness to Comrade Chairman he has on a number of occasions denied that he or his companies are not paying their BEC bills?
concernedcitizen 10 years, 10 months ago
something seems a little odd ,i know our electric rates are extremely high b/c BEC is over staffed and won,t go on a shift system ,but how the hell does JCC run up a 3 million dollar bill in what 3 to 4 years ,i didn,t think they had a 500 room hotel , and even if they had 4 to five machine shops and supply yards ,,3 million in 4 years ,, i don,t get it ,,out in the field they use big generates for light ,,power etc ,,i think coming in to independance they decided to lay off the union and badmouth the foreign firms ,,
banker 10 years, 10 months ago
"We aint collect a penny". I can't believe someone in the public eye is so illiterate. And he is not the only one who can't string a sentence together with correct grammar in the government. My goodness, what has this country come to?
USAhelp 10 years, 10 months ago
Juzt talking likes the rezt of us
banker 10 years, 10 months ago
If that's the case, then it's "We een kleck a panny".
John 10 years, 10 months ago
Amazing that B.E.C. comes and disconnect my light for as little as $67.00. They turn of my neighbor light for $94.00 the other day. She 80 years old and had to sit in the dark until her daughter got off at 8. By then it was too late to go to B.E.C to pay. One time ago B.E.C would come and knock on your door to give you a chance to pay before they disconnect, but not now. They want to make that $15.00 disconnection fee and $10.00 reconnection fee. So how do the corporation justify disconnecting local consumers for $67.00 while they have foreign entities and others owing them millions? Packing their bags and leaving the country owing millions to B.E.C., B.T.C, Cable Bahamas, Water and Sewerage, National Insurance and who knows who else? And they want know why the average young Bahamian have the sully and negative attitude to things Bahamian. The government must stop pandering to foreign investors and the chosen few (depending on who is the government of the day) and allow the tax bill to be evenly distributed among the residents and citizenry of this country. Those who are suppose to pay must be made to pay. The only problem with what Leslie Miller is doing is that as soon as he is removed as chairman of BEC or when the government changes it will be business as usual. Employees at BEC will go back to their same old habits of lining their pockets with the peoples money and allowing their friends and family to use electricity without paying. Do you think they care if the Corporation cannot pay its bills and face eminent demise? We go wrong when we try to think that thieves, murderers and corrupt people have a conscience!
akbar 10 years, 10 months ago
I hope Mr Miller has paid his bill and not switch his meters . A rumored practice that is being done by the PLyingP workers at this corporation. New meters old bill disappear.
superUser 10 years, 10 months ago
So you are saying the PLP are corrupt like the FNM was .... Cause man those FNM suckers were corrupt to the core. And unlike you, I wont try to "twist" words - PLP, FNM, same ole. As for Mr Miller and his bill, he already mentioned he has no bill, why don't you ask if KING PAPA ever paid his bill? Now that is something I would LOVE to see, especially since the moron is making a fortune from us poor broke Bahamian citizens.
JullSan 10 years, 4 months ago
With me it's always a must to pay my regular bills in time, I would rather take a http://www.cashloansonlinefast.com/">small loan for short-term needs, than risk to be cut off the electricity. I wonder how they really manage to owe millions and have a sound sleep at nights?
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