Former Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
ATTORNEY General Allyson Maynard-Gibson has said there is no conflict of interest regarding her daughters owning stores that have leases with Baha Mar and her role as a government negotiator over the stalled project.
While a guest on the More 94 FM talk show Real Talk Live, Mrs Maynard-Gibson revealed her daughters’ connection to the resort and said that Prime Minister Perry Christie is aware of this.
However, weighing in on the matter yesterday, Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis was adamant that the situation was an “overt conflict of interest.” He questioned if others in the Progressive Liberal Party had links to businesses connected to Baha Mar, adding, “how high does it go?”
For her part, Mrs Maynard-Gibson said her daughters, like other Bahamians who invested in the project are suffering due to Baha Mar’s woes.
“Right now, just like everybody else who is down, they are losing money and the bank is calling for payment of loans and let me go further, they are losing, and I will go further, to the extent that there may be any retribution and we hope that there isn’t, but . . .in doing my job as the attorney general if it means my daughters would lose the leases that they now have in those shops at Baha Mar – I’m hoping that there isn’t,” Mrs Maynard-Gibson said. She later told NB12 that there was no conflict because she was not benefitting as attorney general of the Bahamas from the situation.
When contacted by The Tribune about the concerns about conflict of interest from some quarters yesterday, the attorney general brushed off those worries, saying she would never do anything to compromise the confidence Mr Christie and the Bahamian people have placed in her.
“We as Bahamians have to be very, very careful about sullying each other’s reputations, especially when we know people are working very hard for nation building and giving public service at great sacrifice for a thankless job,” she told this newspaper. “I’m honoured to have the position as attorney general, to have the confidence of the prime minister and the Bahamian people and I would never compromise that.”
As attorney general, Mrs Maynard Gibson has often been the government’s chief liaison with Baha Mar, the Export-Import Bank of China and the China State Construction Company as those parties attempt to work through their differences and push the project forward.
Yesterday Dr Minnis said Mrs Maynard-Gibson’s revelation was indicative of the philosophy of the PLP to look out for “friends, family and lovers.”
“In a matter like this, there should have been disclosure well in advance,” Dr Minnis said. “When things like this are done in the darkness, that is an overt conflict.”
He said he wants to know who provided the funding for the stores in question and asked if there was any competitive bidding process.
“Are there a lot more PLPs who will disclose that they have stores also? Is this the tip of the iceberg? This form of cronyism must stop? Is this the first of more to come and how high does it go?”
His statements came a day after Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins said that it would be an indictment on the Christie administration if a sitting member of Cabinet had ownership interest in Baha Mar.
His comments were among a variety of reports suggesting that some parliamentarians have interests related to Baha Mar that have not been declared.
“Further to the subject of negotiation, members of the government’s negotiating and Cabinet teams must be seen to be honest brokers who lack any conflicting interests in their efforts to negotiate a settlement,” Dr Rollins said.
“They cannot effectively represent the interests of the Bahamian people if they are simultaneously protecting their own.
“It would be an indictment on the entire government and an embarrassment for the country if any Cabinet minister, even worse one directly negotiating on behalf of the government, is found to have an ownership interest – direct or indirect – in the Baha Mar project.
Asked yesterday about suggestions that Cabinet members have not all been forthcoming about their interests related to Baha Mar, State Minister for Legal Affairs Damian Gomez said he was unaware about any such accusation.
“I don’t know what (Dr Rollins) is talking about,” Mr Gomez told The Tribune. “Everybody would have to speak for themselves. It’s a matter of conscience. I certainly would have declared an interest if I had any. That is what would be required.”
Comments
Regardless 8 years, 8 months ago
Blatant " All for me Baby" arrogance. Just like dad.
Wideawake 8 years, 8 months ago
Must have inherited the "greed gene".
ED 8 years, 8 months ago
Ha-ha-ha....now that is funny! Did we really expect anything more from this government? It's all one big conflict of interest, the only interest this government is looking after is their own. What a crazy mess! It just keeps getting worse, and I'm sure that's not the extent of it. Wait till those secret calls and communications come out! They're worth a lot of money.
TalRussell 8 years, 8 months ago
Comrades, while there is nothing I've heard or read to suggest the Attorney General, has done or participated in anything against the law, she does have an obligation as a senior ranking cabinet minister of the crown, to perform her official duties and arrange her private affairs in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny.
This is such an important obligation that it cannot be fully discharged by simply acting within the law.
I would hope the AG, did not wait to "inform" the PM, after the fact, that her young-adult children were involved in business dealings with Baha Mar.
Wideawake 8 years, 8 months ago
Tal, you finally said something I can agree with!! Perhaps the scales are falling from your eyes!!
What next? Will you wake up at last, and finally realize that The (Chinese) Emperor has no clothes on???
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 8 months ago
It's not good enough to tell the PM alone. Any cabinet minister or MP who has, or who's family member has, a personal or beneficial stake in any major development or government contract, should be required to reveal their involvement to parliament for scrutiny by the opposition. The bidding process for Any such deveopment should be public
Sickened 8 years, 8 months ago
"She later told NB12 that there was no conflict because she was not benefitting as attorney general of the Bahamas from the situation."
She should know better. If her immediate family member is benefiting then she is benefitting. It's like saying "the number's guys gave my daughter two million dollars but that's between them and her, it's nothing to do with me." Sounds stupid right???
Hell, the immediate family of staff at McDonald's can't even play the friggin' monopoly game because of a potential conflict!
Are we sure this woman is qualified to be AG?
Islandboy323 8 years, 8 months ago
Ummmmm, what about the bigger conflict of interest being, as AG - the head of the judiciary - negotiating between parties that will ultimately be subject to a legal ruling???
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 8 months ago
Maynard-Gibson aka the Wicked Witch sounds just like Leslie Miller aka the Mangy Mutt when the latter says: "All of those businesses run by my family that have big past due bills owing to BEC belong to members of my family and not me.....so as Chairman of BEC I ain't gat no conflict wit dat situation." But we all know the Wicked Witch is no better than the Mangy Mutt and is as conflicted as conflicted can be when it comes to all matters pertaining to Baha Mar!
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
And what about Christie's autistic son who got the contract for all of the swimming pools and waterways ? Subsequently sub-contracting them out. No conflict there either presumably. So everyone covering everyone else's arse. I mean ! Recall what these same people had to say about the UBP and the Bay Street Boys. It was wrong for Stafford Sands but its A. o.k. for Allison Gibson, because it ain't in her name. It just ain't that far away. Where did the daughters get the money to invest in something like this ?. You all should be impeached for wholesale corruption. Animal Farm foretold this eventuality ! The Pigs are more equal now than the rest of the animals. And we are the Animals.
Chucky 8 years, 8 months ago
I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest we as a nation must be on the verge of financial ruin, bankruptcy or something; what else could drive such nonsensical attacks against and investor?
We must need this online now, and without it we can't make our debt payments? Why else would they attack an investor, as if we drive one investor of this caliber away, we will never get another one.
One thing our political fools are not considering is how well the worlds elite stick together. Izmerilain can lead a charge to crush our nation if we're not careful!
I'm not even gonna mention or suggest what it's possible for him to do or have done to the leaders themselves..............I'm sure many people are worrying about this!
BahamaPundit 8 years, 8 months ago
This, of course, is outrageous aka nothing new for the PLP. Whether you profit or lose from a deal, the mere fact that you or your family are invested means that you are conflicted. This throws the whole Government charge of winding up the company into disarray, because it is no longer a question of what's best for the Bahamian people but what's best for her two daughters. One must ask which is more likely: that her daughters are big time business tycoons or that they are merely fronting for her private investment.
Wideawake 8 years, 8 months ago
Psst...........Fronting!
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 8 months ago
Disgrace. That's all I have to say, absolute disgrace.
Wait I have more, how can these people look you dead in the eye and make these comments? How can she perform as an independent mediator when the child she spent 9 months carrying, took personal care of for the first 12 years of her life is being hurt?
Wideawake 8 years, 8 months ago
A duck dressed in a chicken costume is still a duck!! It still walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck!! It's a DUCK, it's a DUCK!! If it wasn't so outrageous it would be hilarious!!
The_Oracle 8 years, 8 months ago
Immediate family also. Not the cousin's uncle's daughter's boyfriend, HER FRIGGING DAUGHTER who probably wouldn't have gotten in the door without her MOMMY paving the way and putting her forward! I have no doubt this is only the tip of the Iceberg, as MOMMY probably called the bank manager and guaranteed loans to fund it! Now multiply this scenario by the # of cabinet ministers and the real picture comes into focus. These people have no sense of propriety, no shame. Keep digging people, you'll find the bodies!
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 8 months ago
For her children and the PM's son to have been awarded contracts through and independent bidding process would be like lightening striking the HOA seven times during the rendition of redemption song
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 8 months ago
.....no sense of probity....
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 8 months ago
She referred to judges as "HER" judges in this evenings news report. She owns the judges? They report to her? What is going on????
Reality_Check 8 years, 8 months ago
The Wicked Witch also refers to Christie as "My Prime Minister"! It's as if she's never heard of the pronoun "Our". But then again, she's been brown-nosing Christie a whole lot lately in the hope that he allows her family to recover their millions of dollars in losses from investments made in annuities issued by (or through) CLICO Bahamas by establishing a bail out fund using the tax dollars of honest hardworking Bahamians. Maynard-Gibson is as greedy and evil as they come!
asiseeit 8 years, 8 months ago
And pigs fly as well! This woman needs to be investigated and charged!
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
High time now for a full blown Commission of Inquiry to investigate all of this stuff that is Baha Mar, CCA, China Exim Bank. Maybe the Chinese going to do an inquiry now though and find out where the missing money is. The Trib editor says "God Don't like ugly" !!! Plenty ugly here, and I don't mean facial looks !
MonkeeDoo 8 years, 8 months ago
Kisses go by favour too. To keep it all above board, John Bull got the master contract for Baha Mar shops, so some evidence may be forthcoming from that corner.
asiseeit 8 years, 8 months ago
The Bahamian people do not hold any confidence in this woman, she is crooked!
birdiestrachan 8 years, 8 months ago
When Brent Symonette was a part of the Government and was awarding himself millions of dollars Government contracts there was no out cry. Her daughter like every other Bahamas have their God given right to invest in the Bahamas . Why the Out cry.?
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 8 months ago
Clear case of Alzheimer's. Mr Symonette put up the same weak defence, his children benefitted but he didn't, so no conflict. There was so much outcry that he ended up resigning. I think Hubert Ingraham asked for his resignation. So good example to follow. Bad behaviour followed by Accountability and punishment
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 8 months ago
Birdie believes the Biblical saying "An eye for an eye" is no different than "He stole so you should be able to steal". The only problem is, Birdie obviously missed attending church that Sunday morning when the sermon was all about that one commandment which says "Thou shalt not steal"! In fact, the whole damn Christie-led PLP cabinet must have missed attending church that same Sunday morning!!
birdiestrachan 8 years, 8 months ago
Leave Mr: Christie son alone. There is no reason to bring him into this. Mrs: Maynard daughters renting stores has nothing to do with what is going on at that resort.
ThisIsOurs 8 years, 8 months ago
Leave Mr Christie son alone??? Nobody attacked Mr Christie's son. According to reports, contracts were awarded in the son's name and subsequently subcontracted. So if you really want Mr Christie's son out of it, you'd have to speak with Mr Christie or whoever put the contracts in his son's name.
Why can't you see birdie? I don't get it. Conflict of interest arises when you have the POTENTIAL to profit from transactions where you're privy to internal info not available to the public, also you cannot pass such info onto family so they can profit. Just because you didn't make a penny doesn't change the conflict.
For two sitting members of cabinet to have been awarded contracts is highly unusual.. Now if it's the case that they were the only ones who bid on contracts that were publicly tendered that's different. But the only way you'd know that is if the details of the bidding process were made public. That's what people are asking for. Do you have a problem with transparency?
As to whether it has anything to do with what is going on at the resort, wrong again. It has everything to do with what is going on at the resort. Clearly poor management processes, bad decision making and bending the rules are the cause of ALL of Bahamar's issues.
TruePeople 8 years, 8 months ago
das how politricksters does fool people over and over 'this is ours', people don't even know what things like 'conflict of interest' mean... PLP does take all y'all for idiots, juss know that
Well_mudda_take_sic 8 years, 8 months ago
Re-post: Birdie believes the Biblical saying "An eye for an eye" is no different than "He stole so you should be able to steal". The only problem is, Birdie obviously missed attending church that Sunday morning when the sermon was all about that one commandment which says "Thou shalt not steal"! In fact, the whole damn Christie-led PLP cabinet must have missed attending church that same Sunday morning!!
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