The Tribune

GREG Gomez, FNM North Abaco bye-election candidate is at the centre of another controversy as official Florida Court documents reveal that he was ordered to pay several thousand dollars to a US credit union.

According to a final judgment filed in a Miami-Dade County Court, Gomez was told to turn over $12, 214.19 to the South Florida Educational Federal Credit Union.

Gomez’s recorded place of residence at the time was Miramar, Florida.

The document said: “It is ordered and adjudged that the plaintiff South Florida Educational Credit Union, a United States corporation (7800 S W 117 Avenue Miami, FL 33183), shall recover from the Defendant, Greg D Gomez aka Greg Deon Gomez aka Greg Gomez, the sum of $10,042.27, plus interest in the amount of $738.92, costs in the amount of $355.00 and attorneys fees in the amount $1,078.00, for all of which let execution issue.”

The judgment, ordered on May 2, 2007, was to gain interest at a rate of 11 per cent per year until satisfied, the document said.

The file further said that Gomez had offered to pay $150 upon signing a stipulation that would bind him to pay the same amount per month. The payments were to begin on May 30, 2007.

“In the event of the defendant’s breach of this stipulation, defendant hereby waves any head of household exemption for purposes of garnishment pursuant to Florida Statute 222.11(2) (b).”

Gomez’s signature is on both court documents.

Calls made to the Credit Union, its attorney Bruce Boiko esquire and the FNM were not returned up to press time yesterday evening as it is not clear whether Gomez fulfilled the court ordered obligation.

PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts questioned if Gomez had stated this debt on nomination declarations.

Mr Roberts said: “As there are no indications that this judgment was settled it begs the question as to why Greg Gomez failed to bring this debt to the attention of his legal and accounting advisors as he claimed to have done in an earlier interview with the media.

“Accurate and transparent declarations are mandated under the Elections Act. Greg Gomez’s failure to adhere to this mandate raises further questions about his character and integrity and the competence on the leadership of the Free National Movement who had a public responsibility to conduct the requisite due diligence on their candidate.”