Senator says he received no campaign funds, mum on salary

Friday, March 15, 2013

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

WHILE Senator Jerome Gomez yesterday insisted that he received no campaign donations from the Bahamas Petroleum Company, he refused to disclose how much he was paid as their resident manager.

When asked by The Tribune how much his privately owned financial and corporate service company – Global Corporate Management Ltd – was contracted for, Mr Gomez said the firm was compensated in line with what their services were worth. He did not give a dollar value.

That agreement, he said in a press statement, commenced in October 2006. On April 30, 2012, just one week before the May 7 general elections, the contract expired. Mr Gomez ran for the Killarney seat against Opposition leader Dr Hubert Minnis, but was not successful.

He said both entities were in the process of severing ties since January of 2012.

Mr Gomez was responding to FNM Chairman Darron Cash who on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Perry Christie, Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and himself to make a full public disclosure of their dealings with BPC.

Mr Christie admitted last year that he was contracted to consult with BPC about oil exploration in the Bahamas on behalf of Davis & Co before coming to public office.

“Mr Cash no doubt,” Mr Gomez said, “wants to create the perception that there was something unscrupulous or corrupt in this affair. I wish to assure the Bahamian people that there was nothing underhanded in this matter.

“My firm was chosen because I was a former executive at Shell and had some insight of the oil industry.

“I believe that BPC choose Davis & Co because that firm had the most experience with oil companies that had an interest in exploration in the Bahamas. Nothing untoward there.

“I have not now or in the past owned shares in BPC. I hold no brief for BPC. It does not matter to me, which oil company drills for oil in the Bahamas as long as the Bahamian people benefit greatly from the activity.”

As resident manager for BPC, Mr Gomez noted that he hosted meetings with several political figures and operated with high ethical standards.

“I was privileged to sit in meetings with ministers Leslie Miller, Marcus Bethel, Phenton Neymour and Earl Deveaux. None of these good gentlemen, can accuse me or BPC’s executives of unethical business behaviour or practices.

“Never during my tenure as resident manager did I sit in meetings with Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham or Prime Minister Perry Christie, so I had no influence on the approval process. BPC’s licenses were renewed under the Ingraham Administration,” Mr Gomez said.

Comments

TalRussell says...

We have to take the good senator at his word but there is no denying that oil currency might have traveled a lot deep into the PLP.

Why is it that the Christie administration seems to be gearing up for licensing to drill in Bahamaland's waters? But then again the original license was not granted by the PLP but by the Hubert administration? Wasn't the license also renewed nearing the end of the Hubert administration, before being "temporarily" placed on hold leading up to the 2012 General Election. Seems like a pretty smart election-time reasoning to me?

PM Christie decided to first move forward quickly with the numbers rackets and now oil drilling has grabbed his attention. Both we know had strong connections to influential PLP's. And, yes this has to concern Bahamians of all political leanings.

Let's hope some consultant isn't go'in start pitching that there might "possibly" be some that thick oil sludge worthy of drilling for under the Bay Street roads and stores of our Nassau Town?

Unfortunately, the days have long gone to even dare to dream of a return back a Blind Blake's vision of our Nassau.

Could it soon be my dear Comrades that when the boats goes out they will be now be laden down with huge sludge drilling apparatuses, designed to penetrate and interrupt the peaceful bottoms of Bahamaland's prized crystal clear waters? It is clear this is the intent of both the gold and red shirts, regardless what the red's are now pretending in their make-over press releases.

Like I said, the oil currency cup has the ability to runneth over in both of our major political parties. We all know the numbers rackets cash also ended up in the campaign offices of "both" political parties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSE4ObP0…

http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2013…

Posted 15 March 2013, 11:36 a.m. Suggest removal

Philosopher_King says...

Here we go with the smoke and mirrors show, the FNM will waste countless days and months and years trying to give the Bahamian people the perception there is some sort of inherently corrupt dealings by the PLP here. All the while when their conflicts of interest arise from their financial benefactors and traditional merchant class big law firms getting the choice clients they see nothing wrong with it. The PLP’s frontline politicians and few well placed cronies are now feeding at the trough, when for 5 years the FNM's big money local and foreign backers ate like hogs they were silent. All the while one sided deals that really don't benefit one iota the average Bahamian and small to medium business owners keep getting cut by both of them. Let's stay focus on the ball folks, for IF oil is there to be discovered we should be concern about:
1. What % of each barrel extracted are the Bahamian people going to get in royalties?
2. Will there by a sovereign investment fund established to manage and grow said receipts?
3. Will Bahamians be trained in technical high paying fields to get more than just token employment from it?
4. What emergency contingency plans and funds will be put in place to combat an accidental spill and what automatic punitive damages will be triggered and assessed to any oil company responsible so as to compensate for damage to the environment and/or economy (don’t want to be haggling over that after it happens)?
5. What kind of regulations will be passed to govern this industry and who will be brought in and eventually train Bahamians to be responsible for enforcing them.
6. Will any residual LNG or refined oil products be made available for local markets eventually so as to lower or eliminate our dependency on imported energy sources?

Once these basic questions are answered I’ll be satisfied, because whether it was or will be Davis & Co., Gibson & Co., Graham Thompson, Alexiou, Knowles & Co., Higgs & Johnson. Mckinney, Bancroft & Hughes, PWC, Deloitte, Baker Tilly Gomez, Grant Thornton etc…. none of us everyday folks will be getting any of those exorbitant legal and consulting fees anyways.

Posted 15 March 2013, 12:13 p.m. Suggest removal

Deputy Prime Minister Philip Edward "Brave" Davis was born June 7, 1951 in Nassau, Bahamas is a lawyer. "Brave" was formerly a partner of Christie, Ingraham & Co. with former PM Hubert Ingraham and present PM Perry Christie as the two senior partners.

Posted 15 March 2013, 12:33 p.m. Suggest removal