The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

DNA Leader Branville McCartney yesterday called for an investigation into the assets of all past and present officials elected to public office, including prime ministers.

He made the remark in a statement in which he criticised Prime Minister Perry Christie’s silence on controversies surrounding his Cabinet and a recent suggestion by State Minister for Legal Affairs, Damian Gomez, QC, of “systemic corruption” within government.

Last week, Mr Gomez said that there were case authorities to justify the prosecution of, and, seizure of assets from civil servants and elected officials who have benefited from corruption. However, he said, successive governments have not done enough to root out corruption.

“We have not heard a word from the leader of our country in response agreeing or disagreeing to the minister’s most valid suggestion,” Mr McCartney said.

“Indeed this is the same prime minister who, in 2002, touted the introduction of a code of ethics that never materialised. But that is not surprising for our prime minister.”

He added: “It amazes me that persons upon entering government with a minuscule net worth become millionaires five years later. It simply doesn’t add up.”

“An exercise should be undertaken to look at existing members and indeed former and present prime ministers’ net worth when they first entered the political arena and compare it to what their net worth is today.”

Members of Parliament and senators are required by law to turn in their financial disclosures to the Public Disclosures Commission (PDC) by March each year covering their assets and liabilities for the previous year.

A summary of the declarations should be published in the Gazette, the Public Disclosures Act says.

The Act states that any person who does not comply with the law is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or imprisonment of not more than two years.

According to the law, if a parliamentarian deliberately does not disclose property owned in The Bahamas, the land can be seized and forfeited to the government.

In spite of the law, the disclosures are rarely made public aside from an election year when each candidate must provide the information in order to run for office.

Mr McCartney said yesterday that if elected to office, his government would seek to “strengthen and enforce the Public Disclosure Act to require disclosure up to five years after leaving office”.

Both Attorney General Allyson-Maynard Gibson and Opposition Leader Dr Hubert Minnis have been embroiled in controversy concerning claims of conflict of interest.

Mrs Maynard-Gibson, in response to public scrutiny, revealed that her husband, Maxwell Gibson owns a retail jewellery store chain that has been granted storefront leases in Baha Mar. Days before this admission, she said her two daughters, 28 and 30, had leases to operate stores in the resort.

Since then, the Free National Movement and Dr Minnis have called for her resignation due to conflict of interest.

However, Mrs Maynard-Gibson has rejected the accusations that she has a conflict of interest due to her role as government negotiator for the stalled resort and stressed that she had no interest or control of any business with a stake in Baha Mar. However, she also said she makes “no apologies” for her husband having a business venture with Baha Mar.

After Dr Minnis’ repeated calls for her to resign over the matter, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts said he had evidence to suggest Dr Minnis was involved in conflict of interest during his term as minister of health.

It was revealed last week that Leechez Investments – Dr Minnis’ company - was awarded a two-year contract with the Public Hospitals Authority to lease its Stat Care building in 2005, while he was a private citizen. The contract continued during Dr Minnis’ tenure as minister of health.

The Killarney MP has said that he disclosed the contract when he was elected in 2007, and that he was advised by the former prime minister to cancel the contract. However, Dr Minnis told The Nassau Guardian that the PHA did not heed this directive, and continued to rent the facility on a month-to-month basis.

Last Thursday, Mr Roberts released Dr Minnis’ 2007 candidate nomination papers in which he said he did not have a contract with the government aside from agreements to provide utilities such as water and electricity.

However, Dr Minnis explained that such a disclosure was not necessary for the candidate nomination process in this instance because his company, Leechez Investments Ltd was a separate legal entity.