info@plp.bm
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Dear
Mr. Brown
I have
been sent the e-mails currently circulating signed off ‘Son of the Soil’
which contain information, allegations, apparently contained in a ‘leaked’
police report about the BHC scandal in respect of which I understand you
are named as a suspect. Whether or not the content of the e-mails is
correct is unknown to me. I have considered the e-mails and to enable me
to consider their content would appreciate your responses to the following
questions. I have, where possible, tried to ensure that the answers are a
simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I trust, as a public servant in Government office,
you will have no hesitation answering the following:
1.
Who,
to your knowledge who is ‘Son of the Soil’?
2.
In
2001 were you having financial challenges or financial difficulties?
3.
Are
you, or were you, listed in Island Construction Service's loan schedule as
a 'Borrower';
4.
Are
you, or were you at any time, a stakeholder and / or shareholder and / or
investor in a company setup to secure the Government contract to export
asbestos to Cuba?
5.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above did you and / or (to your knowledge)
Nelson Bascome (then Minister apparently responsible for exporting the
asbestos material) disclose your stake-holding in the asbestos company to
Parliament and / or your Cabinet colleagues?
6.
If
not, why not?
7.
To
your knowledge, where are the cedar beams missing from the St George's
Post Office?
8.
Have
any cedar beams from the St George's Post Office been installed in a
residence currently or previously owned by you?
9.
Did
you, either independently or with others pressure anyone to allow yourself
and / or another run the Southside Project?
10.
Have
any monies that you (directly or indirectly) owed to a construction
company for work undertaken on any personal property owned (currently or
previously) been hidden in the Southside project?
11.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above, what was the sum ‘buried’? If you are
unprepared to provide a specific figure, or unable to do so, do you
believe the sum to be more or less than $422,000?
12.
How
much did it cost to install the residence main gate at your
A.P.
Owen Rd. residence?
13.
Who
paid for the main gate at your
A.P.
Owen Rd. residence?
14.
If it
was the Ministry of Transport who paid for the gate, why?
15.
Have
you ever submitted an application to the Department of Planning to
subdivide your Flatt's property?
16.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above was the application ever rejected and if
so why?
17.
If the
application was rejected, was the decision ever overturned, if so by whom
and why?
18.
Did
you sell a property that facilitated the parking for your Flatt's property
guest and residence to the Bermuda Government?
19.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above, for how much did you sell the property
to the Bermuda Government for? If you are unprepared to provide a specific
figure, or unable to do so, do you believe the sum to be more or less than
$200,000?
20.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above, what was the property to be used for?
21.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above and the property was sold to the
Government, did it become public property?
22.
Is it
the case that the property continues to display signs indicating that the
property, apparently a parking lot, is private, if so, why?
23.
Did
you, either directly, or through an entity or individual, such as your
real estate agent, apply pressure to any person in the Bermuda Housing
Corporation's to purchase your Flatt's property?
24.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above for how much did you attempt to sell the
property to the Bermuda Government (BHC) for? If you are unprepared to
provide a specific figure, or unable to do so, do you believe the sum to
be more or less than $500,000?
25.
Did
any person associated with the Bermuda Housing Corporation's refuse to
purchase the Flatt’s property and if so why?
26.
Did
the purchase of your Flatt’’s property fall within the sphere of the
Bermuda Housing Corporation's policy?
27.
Have
you ever dined with Mr. Dill of the BHC at Newstead?
28.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above did you, at any of those meetings, carry
with you a Sales Agreement for your Flatt's property?
29.
Have
you ever, whether at the lunch or otherwise, attempted to pressure Mr
Dill, or any other, into signing a Sales Agreement to purchase your
Flatt's property?
30.
Have
you ever, whether at the lunch or otherwise, asked Mr Dill, or any other,
to sign a Sales Agreement to purchase your Flatt's property?
31.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above, on how many occasions did you ask Mr
Dill, or any other, to sign a Sales Agreement to purchase your Flatt's
property?
32.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above (@ 30), on how many occasions did Mr.
Dill, or any other, refuse to sign a Sales Agreement to purchase your
Flatt's property?
33.
Have you ever met with Mr. Dill in the Senate?
34.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above,
did you, in the Senate, ask Mr Dill to buy the Flatt's property?
35.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above, what was Mr Dill’s response?
36.
Has
anyone, whether acting on your behalf, or with your knowledge, spoken with
Mr Dill and instructed him to put your Flatt's property into the BHC's
rental housing stock?
37.
Who renovated your Flatt's property?
38.
What was the cost of renovating your Flatt's property?
If you are unprepared to provide a specific figure, or unable to do so, do
you believe the sum to be more or less than
$157,000
39.
Who
paid for the renovation of your Flatt's property?
40.
At any
time was the Flatt's property's mortgage being called in i.e. was
settlement being sought by the lender?
41.
If you
have responded ‘yes’ to the above question, why was the mortgage being
called in?
42.
How
much did Mr Dill (BHC) pay for your Flatt's property
43.
What
did you believe the Faltt’s property to be worth at the date of sale?
44.
Is it
the case that you received substantially more for the Flatt’s property
than it was actually worth?
45.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above question, how do you as a Government
Minister justify receiving excess public money from a Government quango?
46.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above question (44), what are you intentions
with regard to the monies you obtained substantially in excess of the
property’s worth?
47.
In
what respect do you, a Government Minister, believe the purchase of your
Flatt’s property by the Government quango to be ‘at arms length’,
transparent and ethical?
48.
Are
you or have you ever been a
consultant to a company owned or operated by a Mr. DeSilva?
49.
If you have answered ‘yes’ to the above question, on what basis did
you believe it was ethical and appropriate for you, as a Government
minister, to be a consultant of Mr. Desliva’s company?
50.
If you were a consultant to a company owned or operated by a Mr.
DeSilva, how much were you paid for the consultancy?
If you are unprepared to provide a specific figure, or unable to do so, do
you believe the sum to be more or less than
$1,500.
51.
If you
were a consultant to a company owned or operated by a Mr. DeSilva do you
believe that you should have disclosed this income?
52.
If you
were a consultant to a company owned or operated by a Mr. DeSilva, did you
disclose this income?
53.
Is it
the case that during the period 1999 and 2001, you benefited from the
Government purse over and above your salary and ministerial perks?
54.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above question
how
much were you paid
over
and above your salary and ministerial perks?
If
you are unprepared to provide a specific figure, or unable to do so, do
you believe the sum to be more or less than $1,246,000?
55.
If you
have answered ‘yes’ to the above question (@ 53)
how do you justify this?
56.
Have
you ever embezzled Government and / or public (tax payers) money?
57.
To
your knowledge, did the Acting Director of Public Prosecution, Mr.
Kulandra Ratnesser, propose that civil action be taken against you for the
recovery of the monies you acquired from Government and / or public (tax
payers) money?
The
questions can be located at on the web site
www.bermudapolice.com, a site
that displays a number of ‘leaked’ police documents but which Bermuda has
permitted me to display. I
am keen to receive your response to enable me to consider the merit of
posting the ‘Son of the Soil’ e-mails and to address questions already
raised on the site.
My
thanks in anticipation.
P
Swift
cop@bermudapolice.com