The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A WITNESS in Adrian Gibson’s criminal trial claimed she suffered abuse when she headed the health and safety department at the Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC), prompting her to ask the former chairman to relieve her of the post.

Mynez Cargill-Sherman, WSC’s senior manager, testified that she “cried out” to Mr Gibson to reassign her for her well-being.

She said she requested this after her former boss, Elwood Donaldson, “terminated” her from the post she had held for a month.

“It wasn’t a casual request for transfer,” she told the court yesterday. “This was a cry out after all of the abuse that I was going through. You don’t just give up that position, but that wasn’t worth it, and my health was at stake.”

The witness said Mr Gibson was deeply involved in the corporation’s daily operations and its decision making.

During cross-examination, Gibson’s lawyer, Damian Gomez, KC, asked her if she was aware that the general manager has certain statutory responsibilities.

Mrs Cargill-Sherman said she was aware, but suggested that Mr Gibson’s close involvement with the corporation’s operations was out of the norm in her 35 years of experience at WSC.

“Some things had changed in the organisation during that period,” she added.

Mr Gomez suggested that she lied about being terminated, a claim the witness sternly rejected.

The witness was also asked about the corporation’s payment procedures.

“Would it not be true that payment could not be obtained unless the inspector checked the work at the site that an invoice was given in relation to and ensured that the site had been properly painted?” Mr Gomez asked.

Mrs Cargill-Sherman agreed that was the corporation’s procedure, but said it was not followed.

She claimed there was a lack of “many invoices” concerning landscaping contracts and the transfer of work to Baha Maintenance from Elite Maintenance.

She said concerns were raised about payments being made for unfinished work. She said an employee who inspected the site complained about the issue.

“That was exactly what I had sent in my email to Mr Donaldson,” she said. “I asked him how was he preparing to close out contracts and pay persons when the work was not done.”

However, Mr Gomez suggested that the employee confirmed the work was properly completed after re-inspection.

Mrs Cargill-Sherman could not confirm this because she said she was “terminated.”

Gibson, the sitting MP for Long Island, is facing corruption charges concerning his tenure as WSC executive chairman under the Minnis administration.

The charges stem from Mr Gibson’s alleged failure to declare his interest in contracts awarded by the WSC.

The FNM politician is charged with Mr Donaldson, Jr, Rashae Gibson, his cousin, Joan Knowles, Peaches Farquharson and Jerome Missick.

Mr Gomez, KC, Murrio Ducille, KC, Bryan Bastian, Ryan Eve, Mr Raphael Moxey, Christina Galanos, Ian Cargill and Donald Saunders represent the defendants.

Meanwhile, acting Director of Public Prosecutions Cordell Frazier, Cashena Thompson, Karine MacVean and Rashied Edgecombe are the Crown’s prosecutors.