‘IT WAS A SHOCK’: Financial secretary speaks out about being ejected from post under former administration

Wilson says he responded to allegations of impropriety but never received a formal response in return  

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Financial Secretary Simon Wilson said that being made to vacate his post under the Minnis administration over allegations of impropriety “was a shock”, noting that despite responding to the allegations, he to this date never received a formal response.

Wilson, who returned to the post he was made to vacate some four years ago, during an interview with Jones Communications CEO Wendall Jones said: “I left office on September 1 of 2017. I received a letter in July of 2018 asking me to respond to allegations of impropriety. I responded and I haven’t gotten a formal response back to this day.

“One of the improprieties was that I pretended to be a lawyer and provided legal advice for somebody.

“I asked the persons: ‘Did I provide you legal advice? No, I came to you as finical secretary.’”

Wilson added: “I joined the public service very young. I worked under four different misters of finance and three different prime ministers. I always had a good relationship with all of them.

“I thought I was a model public officer.

“To have this happen to me was a shock. There was no conversation, there was no meeting to say: ‘Simon, we see this transaction. Explain this transaction to me please.’”

Wilson said he sat at home since being made to vacate the financial secretary post for a post at the Central Bank that never materialized.

He also noted that tax compliance is a major challenge for the government.

“For property tax, we are less than 60 percent property tax compliance,” said Wilson.

“For every two bills we send out, one is returned because of poor address. We have to improve that.”