BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – FORMER Ambassador to the United Nations, Delano Bart is accused of being paid millions by the SIDF for providing legal services to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis while receiving a salary from taxpayers’ money.
This accusation was made yesterday (Apr. 28) by Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris while responding to a question during his Monthly Press Conference in the Parliamentary Lounge at Government Headquarters.
The Prime Minister said that yesterday he wanted to know who the people were that benefitted from the SIDF and was astounded to lean that Bart was among them.
Armed with a pile of paper from which he insinuated lend credence to his allegation, Dr. Harris said: “While serving as an Ambassador to this our beloved country, Delano Bart and his confidante or associates were able to do legal work. So, imagine you put a man all the way in New York, put him in an expensive house or condo, giving him free car, free driver, free drinks and wine, and you giving him a big salary, and yet while in public service that same individual could then still be making money at the expense of the taxpayers of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Delano Bart, for example, submitted on February 9 an invoice seeking monies, US$134,550.”
He pointed out that the above stated amount is in a document written to the then Prime Minister by Bart, informing him of his legal fees. “This was a case to do with the Hon. Sam Condor and Shawn Richards versus the Rt. Hon. Denzil Douglas. And he was claiming from the purse $134,550.”
Dr. Harris, at the time of making this information public, in a passionate demeanour asked a number of questions to which he provided an exclamation.
“Did he take a leave of absence with respect to his Ambassadorial duties? Why the interest was being enhanced through the provision of legal fees? What was happening to those duties, important duties, at the UN? The question I asked, that doesn’t have to answer!”
He said the incontrovertible evidence of Bart’s financial deals lies in a document given to him by a senior member of the SIDF.
“And then when I look to the SIDF I see, in relation to Delano Bart, and this is information provided to me, that on September 12, 2013 Delano Bart got a cheque of $1.779million from the SIDF. This is what has been provided to me by the CEO of SIDF.”
The Prime Minister also said that on July 16, 2013, Delano Bart and Company received from the SIDF a cheque to the tune of $126,389.25 for legal services rendered in the resale and purchase of Nevis Airport.
“...And for the year 2014, according to this report, Delano Bart and Company received $2,201,635.80,” Dr. Harris added.
He further said that Delano Bart and Company had travelled to South Carolina via Miami to provide legal services for the resale of SIDF’s Shares and were paid a hefty sum of $1.16M.
Dr. Harris is adamant that the monies paid to Delano Bart and Company, especially that for legal services of Nevis Airport, should have been given to one of the many young lawyers in the Federation. “Some of whose parents went through a hard time putting up their houses and land to see them through the fulfilment of their legal education.”
He emphasised that there were failures of public policy when Bart, a functionary in the Government and in receipt of public funds, could also offer private services to entities over which the Administration had control and ownership.
He asked: “Could this have happened in the UK? Could this have happened in Trinidad without the Director of Audit providing this information somewhere? Because, in Trinidad system that I recall when I was a student doing my Masters, if you are in the Government and you are doing private work for the Government, there have to be a disclosure.”
PM Harris was very critical of the way the SIDF functioned and cast the blame on the former Prime Minister.
“SIDF did many things, some badly done, some well done. SIDF was a creature of Denzil Douglas, a creature steeply lacked in accountability, which year after year we criticised. How come four years after you can’t know what happened in 2012 by way of an audited report with respect to the operations for that year? And we don’t know about 2013, and we don’t know about 2014, and we are in 2015. That is the lack of accountability that was there.”
He claimed that the SIDF was a place where Dr. Douglas’ friends went and remained, noting that among them were Joseph Edmeade and Hermia Morton and questioning what were their “call to fame”.
