BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PEOPLE’S ACTION MOVEMENT Deputy Leader Eugene Hamilton has condemned allegations made by Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil Douglas as “unfounded and untrue”, and attributed them to his fear that Labour would not be victorious in the upcoming general elections.
At his monthly press conference on Wednesday (May 27), Douglas criticised Hamilton’s ability to hold public office due to rumours that he had mismanaged funds when employed at the National Insurance Company (NIC) and during his current position as General Manager of British American Insurance Company (BAIC).
“[The Blom-Cooper Report] clearly identifies [Hamilton] indeed mismanaged the funds. He allowed funds to be used for compensation on the fire at the Democrat Printery when it was not insured. There are also allegations he overcompensated the Hon. Sir. Dr. Kennedy Simmonds on claims he made on his property for damage by a hurricane,” Douglas said.
Speaking exclusively to SKNVibes, Hamilton labelled the allegations as “completely without merit”. He insisted he had done nothing improper and that the Report, instead of criticising his actions, actually reinforced his claims of propriety.
“The Prime Minister said I had overpaid Simmonds’ claim. That is completely untrue as I did not assume my position at NIC until October 15. By that time, his claim had already been paid. In fact, Bertrand Doyle Ltd. out of Trinidad handled the claim...I had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
“In regards to the Democrat Printery issue, the Report states that although the Printery was not insured at the time, it was in the process of being insured by NIC and there was sufficient evidence for an unwritten contract. The Prime Minister cannot say we had no obligation to compensate the company when the Report clearly shows we did,” said the PAM Deputy Leader.
Hamilton admitted he is considering pursuing legal action against Douglas, but said he would not be distracted from the issues of the day.
“When you cannot talk about issues, you talk about people. Douglas’ assessment of this year’s elections does not give him a good feeling and so he’s trying to inflict whatever damage he can. It will satisfy the base of his party, but it won’t have the same effect on voters in the middle who want something of substance,” Hamilton declared.
The Blom-Cooper Report can be accessed at www.cuopm.com
