By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Deputy Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Perry Christie was “absolutely amazed” to learn he owed the Water and Sewerage Corporation more than $23,000, telling The Tribune yesterday he was never informed of such arrears and wondered how it was possible to accumulate this debt.

While he questioned the legitimacy of the claim – which he said he only found out about through The Tribune’s reporting – Mr Christie said he “could pay it” if it is found he owes the money.

Meanwhile, WSC has expressed disappointment that details about the “alleged outstanding bills of its customers” were published in The Tribune, adding those found responsible for the “illegal” leak of customers’ private information will be dealt with “severely” once found.

As prime minister from 2012 to 2017, the former Centreville MP explained there were staff members who handled paying his utilities and they would at times query water usage because of leaking toilets. In these instances, Mr Christie suggested $23,432.51 in water bills had not come up for discussion.

The former prime minister said during his time in office, he was required to disclose his debts, suggesting had he known, this would have been declared in his financial disclosures.

He questioned whether the bill in question was connected to Davis & Co, the law firm he once practised with but left in 2002. Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis now heads the firm.

Both the firm and Mr Davis’s Westridge home were included on WSC’s “confidential list” with bills of $22,603.33 as of March 31 and $2,334.21 as of April 5 respectively.

Mr Christie tops this “confidential list” at WSC, which allowed politicians and elites to accumulate arrears and not be disconnected. There were two accounts in his name.

The document, dated June 13, shows that a payment of $57 was made on July 25, 2014 on a West Bay Street account in Mr Christie’s name, leaving a balance of $23,432.51. It is unclear if other payments were made on the account after that. Another West Bay Street account in the former Centreville MP’s name, which he shared with his wife Bernadette, had a balance of $514.55 as of May 1.

“I was absolutely amazed,” the retired politician said. “Initially I said it had something to do with the law firm that I left in 2002.

“As prime minister, the bills were paid by my staff. Utilities and all of that (was handled).

“And from time to time you have queries for use of water through leaking toilets. But to have a bill of $23,000 or whatever that amount is?

“I called a gentleman who is involved in customer relations and he said he will move immediately and then I called Mr (Glen) Laville, the general manager of the corporation, to ask him how is it possible for me to owe that money (and) nobody write me about it (or) nobody talk to me about it.

“I’m required to disclose my debts. I have not disclosed any such debt because I know of no such debt. How do you put me in a position like that to find out in a newspaper that this is the situation that the water corporation is maintaining?

“That is the sum total of my knowledge of it I must say.”

He continued: “And so it is something obviously if I owe it I could pay it, it’s not a question of that. I have just never been told about it at all and so therefore during the course of the day I would be told what it’s about.”

Asked to respond to criticisms lists like this that give the perception that elites and politicians are exempt from paying their bills while the poor struggle, Mr Christie said: “I am out of it right now. Quite frankly my job is to ensure separation from public life and I have been trying to do that by staying out of sight, staying out of comments, with the view to ensure that things could go on normally. So to be confronted by this now requires a public explanation and I am in the process of trying to determine what it is really to the extent to which there is legitimacy to this claim.

“I don’t know how you build up a water bill of $23,000.”

“If it’s commercial then I knew I had an association with a law firm and if its 10 (or) 20 years ago, however long it started. I have no idea. Therefore I’m liable. I have no idea, none whatsoever,” Mr Christie said.

For its part, WSC noted the list obtained by The Tribune “was neither officially nor formally released by the corporation.”

WSC said it “will not comment on the integrity of the information nor on their clients’ accounts publicly.”

WSC General Manager Glen Laville added: “We take very seriously the release of customers’ information to the public. Those responsible for illegal disclosure of private records to the media will be dealt with severely once found. This action does not reflect the values of our organisation or our commitment to our clients. We sincerely apologise to our valued customers and assure them that this is not a practice that WSC engages in.

“As a matter of courtesy, we employ a number of methods to contact our customers about outstanding balances. We do not have a ‘no disconnect’ list.”

However last week, WSC Chairman Adrian Gibson confirmed the existence of a special list for the well-connected, saying it held 221 accounts, with a combined total of $175,000 for the period ending June 2017.