NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday defended the former ambassador to Belgium and head of mission to the European Union, Maria O’Brien, whose residence and accommodations under his tenure reportedly cost the government hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Minnis emphasized that ambassadors do not spend taxpayer funds and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs likely took action based on its protocols and budget limitations.
In response to Labour Minister Keith Bell’s claims that $12k was spent on a bed, $19k on a rug, and $14k on a mirror, among other expenses, Minnis said Brussels is a very expensive city.
He praised O’Brien, saying she performed admirably as an ambassador.
Meanwhile, Senator Darren Henfield, the former foreign affairs minister, called for an official investigation into Bell’s claims that more than $1 million was spent on the ambassador’s residence and hotel accommodations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnis said it is unlikely that Henfield would know about the expenditure because the ministry’s actions were based on longstanding practices and would not reach his desk.
He said Bell, who discussed the matter in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, was being disingenuous.
“First and foremost, the ambassadors do not spend money themselves, so clear that up,” he told Eyewitness News.
“There is a system. The ministry, they would look at various apartments, complexes etc and once it meets their requirements, that would be approved by the ministry.
“In terms of purchasing furnishings etc, again, the government has a policy in place.
“So, the ambassador herself would have nothing to do with that, the system don’t allow that.
“That’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Why didn’t the minister of foreign affairs present it?
“That’s a concern to me. And I would like to see what the protocols were there because there are protocols to follow.”
Minnis made O’Brien ambassador to Belgium and head of mission to the European Union in 2018.
“You cannot try to impugn an ambassador,” he said yesterday. “The ministry and the Ministry of Finance has policies, protocols and systems in place. We need to look at the protocols and the policy and the systems to see whether it was adhered to.
“You must remember that Brussels is very, very expensive. I know that. I have visited there. I’ve heard about individuals complaints etc and then there was this concern about the hotel. Remember the ministry puts policies in place once the ambassador goes there. The ministry would approve accommodation or the hotel for the individuals until some other permanent solution has been established.
“When you’re talking about $20,000 for the month, you’re looking at about $600 per day. Now put that in our perspective, hotel room per day, and then take Brussel into consideration.”
Minnis said O’Brien was committed to her work such that she presented her credentials to the Belgian King hours after she was forced to evacuate her hotel, which caught fire.
“I thought she did an excellent job there,” he said. “She has made inroads, she has been instrumental in getting us off the blacklist.”
“She was in the hotel. What a lot of individuals do not know, that particular hotel that the ambassador was located during her stay, that hotel caught a fire the day before she was to present her credentials to the King. Individuals within the hotel had to be evacuated for emergency teams, fire services, to deal with the matter.
“The ambassador, a lot of her personnel clothing etc would have been exposed to what we call smoke damage. A lot don’t know all these details. The ambassador at 1am, 2am, her and others had to evacuate the hotel and basically stand half a block away on the sidewalk in the middle of the night while the hotel was being dealt with by the fire personnel.
“Now remember, during this fire, the following morning she was supposed to present her credential to the King. Her clothing would have been smoke-exposed. In spite of all of that, she was still able to present her credentials to the king 9am that morning. The average person may have canceled that but knowing how difficult it is to get your appointment to present your credentials she still showed up and did that and she did an excellent. That was a great success story, us opening an embassy in Brussels.”
Minnis said the government should provide more details on the matter.
“We would like to have details. The member is basically throwing scuds and not providing any real facts,” he said.
For his part, Henfield said neither he nor his permanent secretary at the time, Jack Thompson, knew about the expenditure.
Asked about the matter, including verifying the residence in question, Henfield’s successor, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, said: “I have no comment to make on this.”
