The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION Leader Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis regarding a decision to place several National Insurance Board (NIB) executives on “involuntary” leave, saying he “condemned” this action against the Board’s employees.

If no explanation is provided, the Progressive Liberal Party interim leader said the country can only conclude this is “rank victimisation, discrimination and intimidation.”

Meanwhile, PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts accused Dr Minnis of going against what he called an unsolicited declaration during the recent general

election campaign that if his party won, there would be no political victimisation in his administration.

Reliable sources confirmed to The Tribune on Monday that Cecile Williams-Bethel, NIB senior deputy director of operations, Theresa Burrows, NIB senior deputy director of business support and administration, and Dr Baldwin Carey were given letters asking them to take their vacations effective from yesterday.

A fourth official said to be out of office on Monday - Deputy Director of IT Raymond Wells - also will be asked to take his vacation leave once he returns to office, The Tribune was reliably informed. Mr Roberts said yesterday that Mr Wells was out of the country. In 2012, Mr Wells, who had been suspended for a period, hired former Attorney General Alfred Sears to represent him and threatened to sue unless former NIB Chairman Gregory Moss apologised for alleged unprofessional treatment.

The situation was part of an ongoing drama at NIB involving former NIB Director Algernon Cargill, who was eventually terminated from the organisation. However, the forensic audit did not confirm any wrongdoing and Mr Cargill’s action for wrongful dismissal is continuing in the courts.

This newspaper was also informed that Sir Baltron Bethel, senior policy advisor to former Prime Minister Perry Christie, has been sent home from the Office of the Prime Minister.

“Prime Minister Hubert Minnis who is also the minister responsible for the National Insurance Board must immediately inform the country why at least three employees of the National Insurance Board were summarily dismissed by the board on May 29,” Mr Davis said in a statement yesterday.

“Without some urgent clarification by the prime minister, the country can only conclude that this is rank victimisation, discrimination and intimidation. This means that the Free National Movement has learned nothing about governance from the five years it was out of office. It has returned to office with a vengeance: slashing and burning as they go along and hurting small people.”

The statement continued: “The facts are that yesterday May 29, at least three senior employees of the National Insurance Board were informed by letter that they were to proceed on vacation without stating a time for the so-called vacation; they were told not to return to the premises at any time during the time off.

“None of the employees had applied for the vacation. They were directed to take a vacation. This is not possible in their contract of employment. They have in effect been put on involuntary leave with pay.

“The government has arbitrarily abrogated the terms of employment of these employees and there has been a fundamental breach of their contracts of employment,” Mr Davis added.

“It is interesting to note that some of these employees were treated in the same way in 2007 when Brensil Rolle was the parliamentary secretary for housing and National Insurance. Now he is the junior minister (for National Insurance) and the same thing is happening again.

“The PLP decries this as a flagrant violation of the rights of these individuals. We encourage them to take the appropriate legal action against this unlawful behaviour.

“The PLP condemns it,” Mr Davis said.

Audit

There has been no suggestion or proof that the officials in question engaged in any impropriety, however it comes as the Minnis administration prepares to audit NIB.

“The government is going to audit some areas, including NIB and some senior officers of the board were asked to take vacation until we address the issues, that’s not unusual,” a well placed source, who did not want to be named, said on Monday.

“That doesn’t mean that they are engaged or involved in anything, we just asked them to take vacation until (the audit is complete).”

The source could not say when the audit will begin.

As for Sir Baltron, this newspaper was told that the decision to place him on leave was made because he is a political appointee who was hired to specifically advise Mr Christie.

Sir Baltron will not return to the Office of the Prime Minister, this newspaper was told.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Roberts accused Dr Minnis of seriously misleading Bahamians. He said the prime minister has gone back on his word by dismissing senior staff at NIB without justification or cause.

He said: “Using the pretext of an audit to violate the employees’ contractual terms of engagement is a lame excuse what is blatant political victimisation and intimidation.

“Accounting principles dictate that audits are conducted by allowing personnel concerned to remain on the job and assist with such audits. NIB is required by law to have audits undertaken annually.

“The apparent intent of the prime minister and the FNM of promoting political tribalism and divisiveness through political witch hunts is clearly not the way to build a country.

“Tribalism only promotes partisanship, that is, very strong feelings of political and social loyalty and not the accountability, transparency and public trust he claims he wants to build.”

Mr Roberts said when this situation is compared with recent events at Bahamas Power and Light Ltd where he claimed almost $2m was reported missing, no employee was arrested and detained by the police and no senior executive was sent home pending the outcome of the investigation.

“Was there a report of missing funds at NIB? Could Dr Minnis say unequivocally that the pending audit is in connection to or as a result of irregularities or the behaviour of any of the senior executives who were sent home?

“Barring these criteria, the actions of Dr Minnis are nothing more than the same old duplicitous and wicked FNM tactics of demonisation, intimidation and victimisation,” Mr Roberts said.