Minnis: I could have done that myself
Pintard concerned about allegations: “Both of them cannot be correct”.
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday denied allegations that he suggested to a member of the prime minister’s team that he was concerned over contracts at The Bahamas Beaches and Parks Authority and suggested an investigation was needed.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Minnis accused the Davis administration of deflecting from the current increase in COVID-19 cases, which he said was caused by their “free for all” policies.
The former prime minister was responding to comments made by Prime Minister Philip Davis on Thursday over the recent findings of an audit report into the internal controls and operations of the authority.
The audit, which was conducted by K Christie & Co after the government came into office and released by Press Secretary Clint Watson earlier this month, revealed that hundreds of thousands of dollars were issued during the last administration without any real identifiable need.
When asked whether the former prime minister raised concerns with him privately before the matter was raised in Parliament, Davis said Minnis never raised the matter with him “personally.
“A member of my team did indicate to me that the prime minister was concerned about what happened at beaches and parks and I ought to investigate it but that did not prompt what happened with our investigations,” Davis said.
“I’m advised through member of my team that he may have. Now whether he did to not, Im not aware but I trust what my member told me.”
However, the former prime minister vehemently dismissed the allegation.
“That is pure deflection and them trying to deflect from their mismanagement of this entire pandemic and how it’s spreading through this country,” Minnis said.
“I was prime minister, if I wanted an investigation I could have done it myself. That is pure deflection.
“Brave and those are trying to deflect from their inefficiencies and their poor management, mismanagement when they opened a free for all and now we have an infection rate of over 40 percent of the tests being done.”
Minnis contended that the suggestion is “pure political mischief”.
Asked his thoughts on the comments by the prime minister and the denial from the party’s former leader, Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Micheal Pintard said the issue was very “concerning”.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Pintard noted that while both men have honorable attached to their names.
“Both of them cannot be correct,” he said.
“It’s a very serious assertion that the former prime minister and leader of the party was seeking to put in legal jeopardy a member of his own team. That’s a very serious allegation to make.
Pintard continued: “The prime minister then has to prove that allegation and the former prime minister ought to speak very candidly to it.
“It is a matter he has denied. We do not believe certainly that that is a matter that ought to go away without being carefully examined.
“We are very much concerned and would like to get to the bottom of this matter. It’s a very concerning and worrisome development.”
Asked what the allegation could mean for internal party relations, Pintard said: “We do know what impact it has the potential to have and so again, it is quite concerning that a former prime minister would raise that matter, and again it ought to be carefully examined to see actually who is telling us the truth.”
He said if it is true Minnis would have had the opportunity to carefully examine the books as well as to conduct a thorough investigation.
Pintard pointed to the Cartwright’s comments when the matter was raised initially raised Parliament.
“He made it very clear that much of what he did, he did on the basis of instruction and there’s really only two places instruction can come from and both of those places are in the Ministry of Finance.”
Pintard added: “It is our hope that the denial that has been offered is accurate because it is worrisome, to say the least”.
The report concluded that the Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority requested and received consistent supplemental funding beyond its annual budget in the last three fiscal years.
The authority ran over budget in its award of contracts by $6.8 million between July 2019 and June 2020, and by $13.7 million between July 2020 and June 2021.
Davis said he has instructed the Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority to further inquire into the findings of an audit report into the internal controls and operations of the authority.
