By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
BAMBOO Town MP Renward Wells said last night he signed the $600m letter of intent with Stellar Waste to Energy Bahamas in order for the company “to carry out studies” free of charge to present to Cabinet.
Mr Wells defended his signing of the document during a passionate contribution in the House of Assembly. It marked the first time he has spoken about the matter in parliament and came two months after he was fired from his post as parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Works over the controversy.
Mr Wells explained that he signed the document in
order for Stellar to get approval from Cabinet to conduct several environmental studies, at no cost to the government, for its proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant at the New Providence landfill.
“In order to build a waste to energy plant, you need studies – Front End Load studies,” he told the House. “All that means is I am going to do the necessary research to make sure that when I build my plant I would not have made mistakes, I would know how much electricity I can generate and where I put the plant, the sub stations, whether the grid can handle it, all of these things must be studied,” he said.
“But before you do any of that, the first thing you have to study is the garbage. So Stellar did an initial study, but you need at least three studies and in this Letter of Intent, Mr Speaker, these studies are what was mentioned and what it was all about. Simply doing the studies and providing the government with better information free of charge, but before they could do that they needed to go get permission from the Cabinet of the Bahamas via a national consultant.
“So what I was doing was sending them to the Cabinet of the Bahamas, that’s it. They cannot do anything without Cabinet’s approval. So I sent them on to do a study to see what was possible. As an engineer I already know what was possible. Rather than the government spend millions doing the studies, if someone else wants to go ahead and do it, you let them do the studies and share the information.”
In mid-October Prime Minister Perry Christie fired Mr Wells from his post at the Ministry of Works and Urban Development following months of controversy sparked by his reportedly unauthorised signature on the $600 million Letter of Intent last July.
Several times since the incident became public, reference was made to a probe into the matter. The results of that investigation have not been made public, although government officials have said it was complete.
Last November, Mr Wells broke his silence and said he signed the Letter of Intent – without Cabinet approval – for the “good of the people.”
Comments
spoitier 9 years, 4 months ago
He was better off saying nothing. He said as an engineer he knows it was possible, but as a project manager, I say it was done backwards, get the approval first and then sign a letter of intent. Even though he is probably making up excuses, a lot of companies have problems with projects because they have someone with the technical expertise doing the job of a project manager.
jlcandu 9 years, 4 months ago
I don't believe this!!! Why would someone get fired for that?? And, why would he sign something he knows he wasn't authorized to sign??? Something still stinks about this and we still don't know the whole truth. This doesn't make any sense!!!!
licks2 9 years, 4 months ago
He makes less sense now than his "hush mouth" job in the past!! He mussie getting "training" in how to spleen things from PM Perry Christie!! " yinna see nah. . .when I was ger do dis. . .it turn out ta be dat. . .and dat was ger be da nex. . .but tis all nah anudda tings. . .hereby we en up wid dis mighty work of wonder. . .even a child can see the logic in this!!! He seem to now be lying right through his teeths dem!!! He is not making any logical sense now.
B_I_D___ 9 years, 4 months ago
The spin doctors took long enough to work up this response...and it's pathetic at that...
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 4 months ago
See why they take so damned long to do anything? So they can think up bullshit excuses....
The LOI and the way it is worded should confirm or blast this new excuse....
afficianado 9 years, 4 months ago
This loser waited until the new year to talk about this issue?! shakes head
duppyVAT 9 years, 4 months ago
OK.......... a LOI was executed and signed off by Wells without Brave/Cabinet approval. The LOI was not binding on the Govt & Stellar to enter into a contract to make biofuel .......... So Brave & cabinet just wanted to get rid of Wells for this "slip-up" or is there a deeper intent ?????? There have been far worst slip-ups (in the past) done by senior cabinet members without getting fired ................. so why fire a PS. Or is it that the PS stands for something that Brave doesnt want to see go forward in his Ministry to protect his political/business cronies???????????
DillyTree 9 years, 4 months ago
Let me see, I am going to have a contractor come over to have a look at my site and give me an estimate. He says he'll do it for free. Do I then sign a LOI with him for 600 million dollars just to get a free estimate?
This is what Mr. Wells and our PLP government would like us to believe happened. For an engineer, Mr. Wells seems extremely stupid -- for expecting us to believe this nonsense and for believing his PLP plas wouldn't hang him out to dry.
spoitier 9 years, 4 months ago
Bingo
Publius 9 years, 4 months ago
Now finish the story Renward. Tell them how the reason Brave was angry about any positive consideration Stellar may have gotten was that he is the person behind the company that took over the New Providence landfill, and he did not want Stellar to have access to the waste that would become the waste they would use for their waste to energy plant if such a plant got approved.
And tell them how the DPM's team had only the back page of the LOI (with the signatures) leaked to the press but the press never had the full LOI, though it went ahead and reported the propaganda it was fed about the LOI without even having it in hand to know what was actually signed.
And tell them how the DPM got out ahead of this story because he was angry that the PM gave you the go-ahead to sign an LOI that had the potential of leading to a conflict with his money he is getting from the landfill deal, hence the scandal that he orchestrated to pressure the PM to stand down about the LOI.
Go on Renward, tell 'em....
duppyVAT 9 years, 4 months ago
Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Where there is Brave there is corruption and teefin ..........
Honestman 9 years, 4 months ago
Sounds entirely plausible and would be consistent with what you expect from the PLP. Wells takes the public for fools as does Christie with his silence. The only fools will be those who cast their vote for this lot in May 2017.
birdiestrachan 9 years, 4 months ago
We all know how it goes. " You are dammed if you do, and dammed if you don't "
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
You are dammed because you did
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
Da next time Comrade Renard stands talk House, the Red Shirts Opposition, along with disenfranchised PLP's Dr. Andre and MP Greg, should to do da appropriate dance. Minister Kenred, why not you too shake ya behind? So let me get this all correct, so as not to misrepresent honourable true intent. Renard Wells wokes-up and on his way Honourable House of Assembly on Wednesday morning, minding he own business, not the peoples, when he does kicks over a garbage can and it leads him say what sounds to me like a big load of trashy PLP way explaining things, that cannot be explained any other way. It is in fact, the most brilliant PLP excuse to date and that takes a lot to top things PM and DPM have tried excused away. Mr. Speaker House, you should have ordered the Clerk da House have played some dat Rakin N Scrapin Up Excuse background music, while Comrade MP Renard was talkin he excuse how he comes about affixing he signature $600 million Letter of Intent. Oh yeah, no mention da $600 million or why it was even mentioned in LOI? He says he himself conceived, signed and delivered LOI, but not on behalf of da PLP cabinet? Really now, he didn't affix he signature as some privately employed engineer, possessing such vast garbage knowledge, but as da Permanent Secretary. Unconfused me, why then was there even a need to mention $600 in LOI, if the cabinet Bahamaland was not to be involved?
COMRADE RENARD RAKIN N' HE SCRAPIN, EVEN BETTER THAN PM & DPM!
.......//https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhDZq...">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhDZq...
SP 9 years, 4 months ago
.................................. Running, Hiding & Dodging Nonexistent Ghost? ..................................
Somebody's conscious is getting the better of them.........But who and why?
asiseeit 9 years, 4 months ago
They really take the Bahamian people for fools! I straight up call BULLSHIT!
John 9 years, 4 months ago
If all dey was doing was making a study all you hadta do was sign a memorandum of understanding, especially since you say it was not costing da govment nuttin. The letter of intent say you, representing the PLP government, was signing an agreement of your intention to enter into a $600 million contract with dem folks!
bahamalove 9 years, 4 months ago
Hey Mr. Wells, please go back into your little hole and don't come back out until you come up with a better BS story that is more believable! Like a popular radio talk host that is crease right up with the PLP recently said, the person that told him to sign the LOI has a office right there on West Bay Street.
John 9 years, 4 months ago
basically what Wells is saying is that he is going to build a new house. The new house will be built on the site where his old house is. Material from the old house will be used to construct the new house but he will continue to occupy the old house while the new house is being constructed.
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 4 months ago
My oh my! That pudgy little greedy Davis fella seems to have his short stubby grubby sticky fingers all over the people's garbage!!
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 4 months ago
Straight from the pits of hell. THIS, is what he kept his silence about??? The fact that he "signed because he wanted them to conduct a study quickly"? Darkness
CatIslandBoy 9 years, 4 months ago
Dis Wells fella don't seem too bright! Or does he just believe that the rest of us are plain stupid?
kairosmatt 9 years, 4 months ago
Its mentioned several times in these posts but never in papers. Phillip the Coward Davis is clearly behind all of this.
Investigative reporting needed!!!
Not that most people in this country would (could) read it, or care, or believe anything that goes against our national 'heroes.'
TalRussell 9 years, 4 months ago
Comrades one would have be expected to totally ignore: (a). There had to have been a reason for the mention of the $600 million in the LOU or (b). Parliamentary Secretary Renard was the one with the $600 million. This one is so easy to investigate. Did MP Renard's Financial Disclosure Statements, list his having sufficient assets cover da $600 million? If not someone must assume, meaning - they're trying make an "ass out you and me's intelligence? At minimum this new excuse fails even the PLP cabinet's $600 million lower than a low tide's credibility taste test.
realfreethinker 9 years, 4 months ago
I hope they had couple of shovels to shovel up the shit coming out of Wells mouth. Just shut your pie hole up with the lies and go away Pleaseeeee
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