The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

CENTRAL and South Eleuthera MP Damian Gomez yesterday revealed that his resignation from Cabinet relates to an ongoing matter with a government entity.

Sources told The Tribune the matter is tied to financial issues that the attorney has reportedly run into with a commercial loan from the Bank of the Bahamas (BOB).

When asked about this yesterday, Mr Gomez said he could not comment on the specifics of his situation. He said it would not be in the best interest of ongoing talks to divulge details of this sensitive matter.

Prior to speaking with this newspaper, Mr Gomez moved to quash any speculation regarding his resignation as minister of state for legal affairs.

While speaking in the House of Assembly, he denied that he tendered his resignation from Cabinet because he was dissatisfied with his salary but stressed that he left the post over ethical standards that all parliamentarians should follow.

“Mr Speaker, rumours have been abounding,” he told parliamentarians before he began his contribution on the Petroleum Bill 2015, which he hinted was to be his last intervention in the House of Assembly as a Cabinet minister.

“For the record, I am not dissatisfied with the emoluments which have been provided by this House and it is unfortunate that discussions about pay have arisen in recent days concerning me.”

“I have asserted in this place and outside of this House the ethical standards that are expected of members of this place. I adhere to them and whatever becomes of me is as a result of my adherence to the standards that I learnt from my colleagues. I say no more than that and I hope that that suffices to quiet the rumours.”

However, last night, Mr Gomez issued a statement saying that the “ethical” concerns to which he referred in an interview with The Nassau Guardian this week “do not relate to any impropriety on the part of any of my Cabinet or parliamentary colleagues. Any suspicion that that is what I was insinuating or implying would therefore be completely mistaken”.

Earlier Mr Gomez reiterated his support for the government and to Prime Minister Perry Christie. He thanked Progressive Liberal Party MPs for their co-operation during his time as a Cabinet minister and insisted that the governing party would continue to dominate the political scene.

On Monday, Mr Christie suggested that Mr Gomez resigned from Cabinet for financial reasons. The Prime Minister also suggested that the move was understandable, adding that for 30 years MPs have not received a pay increase despite making “incredible sacrifices” to carry out their responsibilities.

Mr Christie said he believed MPs were deserving of pay increases but added that officials were hesitant to face the issue for fear voters would not accept it.

Mr Gomez was paid $60,000 per year for his junior Cabinet post, with an additional $28,000 for being a member of Parliament

On Tuesday, former PLP Cabinet minister George Smith said while he was empathetic toward the circumstances surrounding Mr Gomez’s resignation from Cabinet, politicians should not be motivated by money.

He insisted that the salary of a minister was not intended to supplement private income but to serve Bahamians who need representation in the House of Assembly.

A decision has not yet been made on who will take on Mr Gomez’s portfolio, Mr Christie said on Monday.

He is the second Cabinet minister to resign this term, following the departure of former Minister of Financial Services Ryan Pinder who quit his post last December to take up a senior executive job at Deltec Bank & Trust.