NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Philip Davis yesterday confirmed the return of Financial Secretary Simon Wilson after spending the last term getting paid by the government “for doing nothing”.
Davis was responding to questions from media on the sidelines of the official launch ceremony of FTX Digital Markets – the world’s third-largest crypto exchange.
The prime minister was asked whether he had been briefed on the country’s financial state and whether he had named a Financial Secretary.
“It’s dismal and we are trying to get some answers to the questions,” Davis said.
“I didn’t have to name (Simon Wilson), he was always the financial secretary. He was sent home and he was still being paid on the public purse. For four years the government has been paying him for doing nothing, well he’s back to work.”
Wilson was made to vacate the post some four years ago.
Sources have confirmed that Acting Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson is working with Wilson in an effort to ensure a smooth handover.
Johnson took over the post after the Free National Movement (FNM) won the 2017 General Election, with Wilson subsequently being removed from the post.
Johnson had previously served as vice president of sales and marketing at the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) and, just prior to taking up the acting financial secretary post, served as chief sales marketing officer for a Belizean telecommunications company, Belize Telemedia Ltd.
Davis, who was opposition leader at the time Wilson was ousted, accused the Minnis administration of engaging in witch-hunt against the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), with Wilson being one of its targets.
The newly-elected Davis administration has pledged to bring better management to the COVID-19 crisis and the country’s debt situation, which stands at just over $10 billion.
Another key pledge was to reduce value-added tax (VAT) to 10 percent for one year.
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