The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis has called on the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police to instruct the Anti-Corruption Unit at the Royal Bahamas Police Force to launch an investigation into allegations regarding contracts awarded at Water and Sewerage Corporation.

Documents were leaked to the media showing that Water and Sewerage Corporation contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded to Elite Maintenance. A woman listed as director of the company in 2018 — a lawyer — is said to be close to executive chairman Adrian Gibson.

On Sunday Mr Gibson would not confirm or deny that the woman lawyer was his fiancé, however she shares the same name as a woman identified as such in a leaked police report he filed in 2020.

However the Long Island incumbent has said he had no beneficial interest or any other interest in the company and said “false allegations” regarding the issue were the sad reality of “silly season” and “mudslinging” that have become features of Bahamian politics.

Yet, Mr Davis stated that these reports are “deeply concerning” and the chairman’s actions which were revealed to date show that he is “not fit to hold public office”.

“The Attorney General and the Commissioner of Police must both uphold their statutory duties and instruct the Anti-Corruption Unit at the Royal Bahamas Police Force to launch an investigation immediately,” Mr Davis said. “This unit exists specifically to investigate charges such as these.”

Mr Davis said if the allegations are ignored, it would show Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis is also unfit to lead.

“If the Prime Minister thinks that this scandal will go away, and continues to support Gibson’s re-election, there is no clearer indication of the character of the team the Prime Minister chooses to surround himself with, which makes him equally unfit for office,” the statement read.

The leaked documents purported to show payments made to the company between November 2018 to January 2021. The largest of these was $263,206 on January 7, 2021. Another large payment of $131,601.12 was received by the company on July 7, 2020. There was also a $15,600 payment in November of 2018 along with numerous other payments from then to the early part of this year.

However on Sunday, Mr Gibson responded saying nothing untoward had taken place, adding this lawyer had been engaged by the company to act on its behalf.

He further insisted that the maintenance services agreement between the water provider and the company went through the corporation’s normal contracting process. Ultimately the contract went to the company with the lowest bid.

WSC awarded a contract to a company whose principals engaged the attorney in question to provide corporate services and, pursuant to Bahamian law, to act as subscribers/nominee shareholders to form the company as is legally required, The Tribune was told.

“I am advised that sometime after the formation of the said company, the shares were distributed to the beneficial owners as directed. I am advised that while they were in the process of formalising their corporate affairs and even after she was legally authorised to act on their behalf,” he said on Sunday.

Mr Gibson said the attorney did not solicit any contract on behalf of the company. The attorney, he said, was engaged by private individuals and it was upon that basis that the corporation interacted with her.

He continued: “I am further advised that - having legal authority to represent her clients - the attorney was authorised to sign on their behalf. I have been advised that the attorney – at a later juncture – issued correspondence to the corporation’s general manager, advising that she was no longer authorised to act on behalf of the company as agent and requested an amendment of WSC’s records to reflect the same. A subsequent correspondence was received from the company.

“At a later date, the company in question submitted a bid as part of the corporation’s normal contracting process.

“That bid went through the internal procedures put in place and was found to be among the three lowest who were ultimately given work. At the time of that engagement, I am advised that the attorney was no longer involved with the company in any capacity,” he said.

Attorney General Carl Bethel and Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Mr Gibson also could not be reached yesterday.