Grand Corruption

Bahamas PM asked to probe bribery report
Published on December 31, 2014
By Travis Cartwright-Carroll Nassau Guardian Staff Reporter NASSAU, Bahamas -- Former Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) chairman J. Barrie Farrington charged on Monday that there is a “traitor in our midst”, and said the Bahamian official who allegedly accepted over $300,000 in bribes from a French power company must be revealed and “made to pay a price for this unforgiveable transgression”. J. Barrie Farrington Farrington was referring to allegations that an official from Alstom SA paid bribes totaling $325,000 to swing BEC contracts to Alstom between 1999 and 2003. “I am outraged that such an official could criminally manipulate the system for personal gain,” he said in a statement. “In the process this person brought shame upon our country and its people, as well as on the members of the board who served faithfully during their time. “This matter must be pursued relentlessly. I am today writing to the prime minister (Perry Christie) to request an appointment of a non-partisan commission with all essential powers to fully investigate this matter and to make recommendations on how to bring conclusion to this unwanted stain on the country’s reputation.” Alstom struck a plea bargain with the US Department of Justice after it sued the French company for breach of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. As part of the plea agreement, the company paid a fine of nearly $780 million and also detailed its corrupt practices. Farrington had previously told Guardian Business that if someone did receive a bride, “it was nobody on that damn board”. Other members of the board were Philip Beneby, Loretta Butler-Turner, Sharon Brown, William McDonald, Brian Moree, Wendy Warren and Vincent D’Aguilar. Former deputy prime minister Frank Watson was the minister at the time responsible for BEC. He told Guardian Business that the decision to award the contract to Alstom was a Cabinet decision that involved no bribery. Watson insisted he was unaware of any claims that a bribe had been paid with respect to the award of that particular contract. Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson said The Bahamas has requested information from the US regarding the allegations, including the identity of the alleged bribe taker. One of the alleged corrupt practices outlined by Alstom was the retaining of consultants in various jurisdictions -- including Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, as well as The Bahamas -- whose true function was to allegedly pay bribes to government officials in order to swing lucrative government contracts Alstom’s way. According to the plea agreement, Alstom “disguised in its books and records payments to Bahamian officials to obtain or retain business in connection with the power projects for Alstom and its subsidiaries”. The agreement said that in connection with the bidding on power projects, Alstom retained “Consultant I” who, as certain Alstom employees knew, was a close personal friend of “Official 8”, a board member of BEC. The names of Consultant I and Official 8 were omitted from the recorded agreement. “Consultant I's primary purpose was not to provide legitimate consulting services to Alstom and its subsidiaries, but was instead to pay bribes to Official 8, who had the ability to influence the award of the power contracts,” the agreement said. “Consultant I was a US citizen, was based in the United States and maintained a bank account in the United States.” The agreement said that around 1999 to 2004 Alstom and several subsidiaries began bidding on BEC power projects. When they were successful, Alstom allegedly made payments to Consultant I for the purpose of paying Official 8 in exchange for his assistance in awarding the projects to Alstom and its subsidiaries.

Source: http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Bahamas-PM-asked-to-probe-bribery-report-24225.html