Ninety per cent of the PLP’s cabinet ministers have come directly or indirectly to Iranian businessman Mohammed Harajchi for financial or strategic assistance, it was claimed yesterday.
Mr. Harajchi made the statement at a news conference held at his $10 million Paradise Island estate where he provided the press with a number of documents, including a lie detector test conducted on himself, and several copies of cancelled cheques.
This assistance given to ministers and PLP in general, said Mr. Harajchi, contributed to their landslide victory in 2002.
The businessman said that his contributions to the party, including refurbishments made to the PLP headquarters, contributions to candidates, bills he paid for rallies and various other things, totalled around $10 million.
He claims that this large contribution ot the PLP in 2002 was not to influence the soon-to-be government so that it would return the revoked licence of his bank, Suisse Security Bank and Trust, but was done in the name of justice.
While he admits that government ministers as far back as the government of Lynden Pindling have been coming to him for donations, more ministers from the PLP than any other administration have come to him for help.
However, he would only go into detail in relation to some of these contributions saying that the “rest will be for another time”.
Among the documents released to the press was a bill paid to ‘The Singing Bishop Prophet’ Lawrence Rolle on behalf of the PLP for two mass rallies at Clifford Park in which the Singing Bishop’s group participated for $1,000; a $100,000 cheque made out to the ‘PLP Leadership Act’, and two invoices paid to ‘Fireworks Unlimited’ – one for a 20-minute $35,000 fireworks display at Clifford Park on May 1 last year and the other for a $40,000 fireworks display on April 2 last year in Freeport.
Source: Rupert Missick, The Tribune
