The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette yesterday challenged the government to release the details of every building it leases or rents “once and for all” and allow the public to decide to what extent cronyism and conflicts of interest exist in front-line politics.

“Release the list,” Mr Symonette urged the Christie administration.

He was responding to claims made by PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts who suggested he had documents that detail an alleged conflict of interest involving FNM Leader Hubert Minnis during his time as minister of health.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday Mr Symonette said: “While you are at it release a list of all the buildings that the government rents and who are the landlords of those properties.”

“Bradley Roberts got that file very quickly,” he added. “It seems to have fallen out of the sky onto his desk. He should put it all out there. Hopefully some more of those files fall out of the sky onto his desk and we can get to the bottom of this nonsense.”

On Monday, The Nassau Guardian reported that two cheques, dated June 6, 2007 and May 3, 2011 respectively were made out to Leechez Investments by the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) to rent its Stat Care facility.

According to the report, Dr Minnis operated as Leechez Investments president.

During the period in question, Dr Minnis served as minister of health.

Dr Minnis has previously said the issue was a red herring and a distraction from the government controversy.

He has said the contract was granted in 2005 by the first Christie administration, before he entered politics, and that the matter was declared once he became a part of the government in 2007.

According to Mr Symonette, former St Anne’s MP, high-ranking PLP members are using this entire “conflict” to muddy the political waters.

In 2001, then Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham asked Mr Symonette to resign as chairman of the Airport Authority after a company he had interest in, Bahamas Hot Mix, was awarded a contract to carry out paving operations at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Mr Symonette referenced his resignation in 2001; he said a conflict of interest only exists if a person continues in an operation without making their interest known.

He added that at that time, he followed protocol but resigned because he had been asked to do so.

Speaking on the allegations made against Dr Minnis, Mr Symonette said: “If he had said beforehand that he had some association, if he made it known, placed it all out there – that can’t be considered a conflict of interest.

“That fact holds true with the (Allyson) Maynard-Gibson matter. If she made her side of the issue known and was still pushed to proceed officially; there wasn’t a conflict,” he said.

The issue of Dr Minnis’ relationship to Stat Care was raised by Mr Roberts last week, in response to the FNM leader’s accusations that Mrs Maynard-Gibson was in an “overt conflict of interest” with Baha Mar.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson, the attorney general, has led two government delegations to China to mediate talks with interested parties to come to a deal for the stalled resort. However, she recently revealed that her two daughters have leases to operate stores in Baha Mar and that her husband owns the jewellery store chain that was granted those leases.

When asked if he believed the claims against Dr Minnis’ would hurt his chances of leading the FNM into the 2017 election, Mr Symonette stated no.

He added that the public understands that business owners and building owners at some point might consider careers in politics and shouldn’t be restricted due to their private business dealings.