The Government is considering launching a full investigation into corruption allegations against Free National Movement Leader Tommy Turnquest.
This is said to be a direct result of Mr. Turnquest angering Prime Minister Perry Christie earlier this week when he accused the Progressive Liberal Party of using “narco dollars” to fund its election campaign last year.
“He’s a politically dead man trying to come back to life,” one high-ranking governing official told the Bahama Journal. “We need to shut him up once and for all.”
Upon hearing the government’s plans, Mr. Turnquest said Thursday that, “I would be happy for any investigation that the government would wish with respect to the Ministry of Tourism’s air conditioning contract and once and for all, we will put an end to the half-truths, lies and innuendos that continue to swirl around the public.”
Mr. Turnquest said he was satisfied that the corruption allegations against him were adequately addressed.
“The matter was dealt with at the highest level by the Cabinet of the Bahamas ,” he said.
It was the Member of Parliament for Grants Town Bradley Roberts who, prior to last year’s election, drew the “sinister” link between the awarding of government contracts to an air conditioning company and a party that was thrown at the home of Free National Movement Leader Tommy Turnquest on August 16, 2001 .
Mr. Turnquest, the then Minister of Tourism, was forced to defend himself against allegations that he abused his office to award substantial contracts to Smith’s Air Conditioning and in return the proprietor footed the $31,000 bill for a party that was hosted at his Harrold Road home.
Mr. Roberts also disclosed that six days before the FNM leadership election, Smith was also awarded another contract for the installation of another air conditioning system at the Ministry of Tourism.
At the time, Mr. Roberts drew a link between the proprietor of the company, Cecil Smith, who he claimed was the Assistant Treasurer of the FNM, and a party that Mr. Smith was billed for in August. Mr. Roberts, who was the PLP Chairman at the time, tabled a copy of a banquet event order from Atlantis Paradise Island in parliament.
When the corruption charges first came to light, Mr. Turnquest branded them “absurd” and “obscene.”
He strenuously denied any wrongdoing and any implications between the awarding of the two contracts to Smith and the party that was hosted.
Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham promised to give a full public accounting of his internal investigations into the charges against Mr. Turnquest and others against FNM Deputy Leader Dion Foulkes. But that never materialized.
Mr. Ingraham said that he asked Mr. Turnquest to pay for the party himself, which he reportedly did.
A litany of corruption allegations were levied against Mr. Foulkes, former Minister of Education, in the awarding of government contracts for repairs of public schools.
Some PLP officials are now saying that they are “shocked” that Mr. Turnquest is “brazen enough” to accuse the PLP of corrupt practices when charges against him were never properly dealt with.
The official also told the Journal that Prime Minister Perry Christie was angered when he returned from Atlanta this week, only to be met by reporters asking him to respond to “desperate” allegations made by Senator Turnquest.
The FNM Leader said he had evidence that drug money was used to finance the PLP campaign, but he has apparently not produced it as yet, although he said he would before the end of the week.
“I think that the prime minister will have a lot of questions to answer. I just advise him to keep his cool and to act becoming of a prime minister and to stay tuned,” Mr. Turnquest said.
ﾠBut some PLP officials believe that the FNM leader is the one who has a lot of questions to answer.
Attorney General Alfred Sears said in the House of Assembly some months ago that, “We are in the process of reviewing some of the information with respect to putting some of these matters before the court.”
Some of his Cabinet colleagues reportedly told him this week to pick up the pace and deal with the charges against the former FNM Cabinet Minister.
Months ago, Minister Sears said that the allegations were a “very important concern as there was believed to be evidence of “misuse, theft or abuse of public funds.”
“The matter will be taken to the court and the matter will thereafter take its course,” he said.
But Mr. Turnquest today seems undaunted by the possibility that the government may unearth the charges that seems to have been buried in the post election era.
The Bahama Journal
