The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis was adamant yesterday “that everything will be reckoned” regarding his recent controversial trip to Bermuda and admitted that a $24,750 cheque paid to the Public Treasury by the Progressive Liberal Party as reimbursement did not cover the total of bills for the event.

He also told The House of Assembly yesterday that he made a decision that the government will not pay for any aspect of the trip, despite going in his official capacity as Prime Minister.

His comments came after Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard said it was a breach of the law for the government to pay for a political trip, no matter if the Public Treasury was reimbursed.

On Tuesday, the PLP released a copy of a $24,750 cheque to the Public Treasury it said reflected payment from the organisation for the trip.

 The FirstCaribbean International Bank cheque was dated October 21, 2022, the day after Mr Davis returned home.

 As he wrapped up a brief interview with reporters yesterday, the prime minister was asked whether this money covered the trip’s full cost. He replied: “No.”

 “Everything will be reckoned,” he said when asked whether the remaining cost had been settled.

 This comes amid controversy and after calls from the official opposition for the government to be transparent and reveal the documentation that shows who paid for the October 19 trip.

 Mr Davis left Bermuda on October 20.

 During yesterday’s House of Assembly sitting, Mr Pintard raised the issue, questioning who gave authorisation for public funds to be used to pay for the flight and other things associated with the trip.

 He called for heads to roll over the issue.

 “Now here we are again on a trip to Bermuda, a country I love and used to spend a wonderful time there with my mom, absolutely love it,” he said.

 “What is at odds here though, is that this administration is keen on commingling government business with party business and then we put public servants in an odd position because we have them making statements that are not at all accurate. So, the statement coming from the Office of the Prime Minister was at odds with the statement coming from the PLP chairman and the CEO of the Progressive Liberal Party, two statements. Both statements on the same subject, but at odds with each other.

 “So, the public is unclear on several things. One, what was the objective of the trip? Two, who paid for the trip? So, the smoke is clearing a little and we can see the pattern of behaviour. The pattern of behaviour suggests that the Progressive Liberal Party-led government paid for a trip and was reimbursed by its party apparatus, that’s just what it appears to be at the surface.

 “The question is, is that not a breach of the law? Sorry, let me not ask a question, it is a breach of the law to have a government pay for a political trip and to be reimbursed by a political organisation, it is a breach of the law.

 “The question is will heads roll as a result of it? The question is who authorised the payment? Who authorised the Ministry of Finance to make payment for the trip? Was it the minister of finance? Was it the financial secretary? Who authorised the treasurer to cut the cheque? Under what circumstances can a public official pay for a private situation and then later on have some people say ‘Don’t bother man I got you’.

 “Which law, which set of protocols permit this government to make that decision? We believe that the law has been broken.

 “So again, the government has paid for a trip, we’ve seen nothing to the contrary. I have asked at least two days ago can the government lay the correspondence on the table of the House between either the Office of the Prime Minister, the Bermudian government or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bermudian government so we can at least understand what the objective of the trip is.

 “Secondly, can we lay on the table any invoices or payments made. This may be perfectly innocent, but we’d like to see what the figures are, and we’d like to see who’s paying.”

 He also said: “No, based on the dates of things circulating it looks as though it was a reimbursement, and we understand clearly that the government when it is on official business the government of The Bahamas pays for the trips and it pays for those members of the delegation. If the party was paying for the trip then that should have been stated clearly from the beginning and maintained clearly throughout this discussion.”

 When he responded in the House of Assembly, Mr Davis said based on Mr Pintard’s assertions he had not demonstrated a clear understanding of how the Westminster system works.

 “When the prime minister travels, he travels as the prime minister of the country and the Office of the Prime Minister takes care of the holder of that office,” Mr Davis said.

 “If the prime minister is travelling and the Office of the Prime Minister pays the bill the only thing that is left to do is to determine whoever goes with him — there will be a reckoning at some point in time. There will be a reckoning.”

 Mr Davis said the trip has been in the works for several months after he travelled to Austin, Texas, to speak at a crypto conference.

 While there, Mr Davis said he met Bermuda’s premier and a few members of Parliament. They extended an invitation to him for a visit in October around the time when the Progressive Labour Party was to have its convention. Mr Davis said he accepted the invitation.

 Later, he said the office of the premier was in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that he would still come.

 “I then said I would go. That’s what I said I will go and travel as prime minister. As it evolved the question was how would I get there and it turned out that for me to get to Bermuda going would spend one night in New York, coming back I would spend one night in New York.

 “I decided that was inefficient for me. I would be out of the country too long.”

 He said the initial estimates for the trip started at $150,000 and “then that’s when the trip started slipping out of my mind”.

 However, Mr Davis said they were able to use a Bahamian airline, which agreed to do the trip at a reasonable cost.

 “By this time this was like two days before the trip. I was thinking whether or not I was about to postpone the trip for another time, but since we were able to do that, that was how it evolved. I was going as the prime minister of the country.

 “In the meantime, the premier also invited the PLP because the PLP of Bermuda was formed by the PLP of The Bahamas.

 “Once they said they were coming as well I said well OK they could come, a 50-seater plane was being chartered and they came. I then said we will reckon, but by the time that had been done, I had already made the arrangements.”

 “The day I was leaving I left instructions,” he went on, “that my senior policy advisor, because PLPs would be on the flight, to make sure we will pay for the charter at least and make arrangements when we get into Bermuda we will pay for the hotels, and we reckon and reimburse whenever we get all of the receipts. That’s what the decision was.

 “At the end of the day the question is who paid for it? The government will not pay for it. In fact I have decided that they will not take care of whatever I went for. I will pay for it myself.”