A live address to the residents of TCI last evening by Premier Michael Misick. The Premier announced adjustments to his cabinet as he steps down as leader of the party.
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos (AP) — Premier Michael Misick said Friday he will step down as leader of the Turks and Caicos at the end of March, citing a lack of support for his scandal-plagued PNP government.
The surprise announcement came hours after the Caribbean nation’s deputy premier and finance minister resigned, citing differences with the colorful Misick, whose jet-set lifestyle has helped turned the Turks and Caicos into a celebrity hotspot but has fueled corruption allegations.
“What the country and our party needs now more than ever is stability and certainty,” Misick said during a press conference in his office. “I have tried in recent weeks to create this. It now appears to me that the divide within the party is too deep.”
HOME Affairs Minister Galmo Williams sensationally resigned from his Cabinet post on Thursday afternoon after announcing that he would be joining the battle for leadership of the PNP party.
Just hours later the Premier revealed that feisty former Health Minister Lillian Boyce would be taking over the role.
Michael Misick fired Boyce last month after she accused him of lying and being “absolutely dishonest” in his actions.
Misick said he would step down as party leader on Feb. 28 and resign as premier on March 31.
Misick’s financial dealings are the focus of a British investigative commission that concluded hearings this week as it probes a range of corruption allegations, including that Misick and other officials profited from the sale of government-owned land.
Misick was elected in 2003 and is serving his second term. He also is the island’s tourism minister, and since he took office, the gross domestic product in the territory of 22,000 people has more than doubled to $750 million — largely through a resort-building boom.
Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and a top lawyer had reportedly advised embattled Turks Premier Michael Misick to resign or risk being fired in disgrace and shame by the British rulers of his nation last year. The Premier then battled to try to shake off a rape case scandal and serious allegations of corruption.
Misick, 42, denied raping a gal-pal of his Hollywood actress wife Lisa-Raye McCoy, 41. But the FBI is investigating the rape claim after the woman filed a sexual-assault complaint on her return to the U.S.
Now Misick dare not go to the U.S. Misick claims that the U.S. woman willingly had sex with him at his home in Provo, Turks. In addition to the rape scandal, Serious Fraud Squad detectives of London’s elite Scotland Yard police unit went to Turks investigating allegations of corruption against Misick.
Misick is a cousin of PLP MP Obie ‘SNITCH’ Wilchcombe. The ‘SNITCH’ was best man at Misick’s wedding to Lisa-Raye. Misick reportedly sends money regularly to help certain family and friends in The Bahamas. Premier Misick also likes to visit the casinos in The Bahamas.
Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. Let this whole corruption mess with Misick sort out before pointing fingers. This is a fine tourist destination with new developments. At a time when the economy of the world is slumping, here is an opportunity for economic development. Now that Misick is gone, things are getting back to normal and his dealings are still being sorted out. It makes me upset when a so-called journalist such as TCI Journal’s, Malcolm, gets himself in the center of a media blitz with an agenda. He clearly thinks that he has rights to crown property and wants to attack businessmen and land holders. He should really reveal his agenda before writing libel things about good people, like Dr. Kinay. This is not an investigation of property owners. Tourism is a great economic opportunity and provides jobs for the residents. Let’s keep our eye on the prize.
Should have done this before he took office.
Everyday a new idiot is discovered!
I feel totally disappointed that the government has come to this. My parents are from Turks and caicos and reside in the Bahamas for over 40 years, now. Recent trips to Provo and North Caicos, they will always come back bragging about how Turks has elevated and is on par with the Bahamas. I hope that The Turks & Caicos bounce back and continue in a positive path to recovery. Black persons need to stop letting money, fame and other
things stand in the way of decent morals, and a good reputation. Good luck Turks………..
PM Misick, did the best thing for himself and his country. Those islands were known for its beauty,tranquility and banking for the rich and famous. Now its known for scandals, to include allegations of rape and political greed. It just seems like TCI were going to hell in a golden chariot.
I know the country has been going through political corruption for a while now, but I still blame some of the spiral down fall to the ‘delilah spell’..take heed Mr Ingraham. I hope with the resignation things can be repaired and the country can move forward.
I fully support the Premier for doing the right thing.Our PM should follow suit as he has broken the law in firing civil servants and proposing to change the Constitution in the House and not by Referendum.Unfortunately for his Cabinet they are following him down a dead end road so bear collective responsibility.In the case of the FNM Govt.none of them are men or women enough to be feisty and demand fairness for all Bahamians,so resign now. Independence does not mean recklessness and non accountability.Since Toomy Turnquest has taken over the day to day operation of the Police Force who can we turn to?
I have been following the testimonies via the internet and the revelations were absolutely shocking!
In light of the stance previously taken by Misick, I fear what would have happen to those islands if they were independent like the Bahamas.
Haitian Residents Robbery and Car Chase in TCI. Sounds like Nassau ech?
By Samantha Dash
A BRAZEN daylight armed robbery on Monday resulted in a high speed chase and an exchange of gunfire between four masked bandits and PDM MP Arthur Robinson.
Gloved, masked, dressed in black T-shirts and armed with three guns and a machete, the quartet allegedly robbed Robinson’s Petro Plus gas station on Millennium Highway, Providenciales, after holding his employees at gunpoint.
One of the gunmen forced a pump attendant to the ground and held a gun to his head while two of his accomplices, wielding a gun and a machete, entered the mini mart and demanded cash.
The gunman struck the cashier twice in his head with the gun shouting in Creole “vini la” which translates “come here” while the bandit with the machete chopped the counter top further intimidating the terrified employee.
After emptying the cash register the four thieves fled in a silver Toyota Cursor car.
Unknown to the gunmen, Robinson’s wife was in an office situated in the food mart and witnessed the entire episode.
She called her husband who immediately rushed to the scene.
On his way there, he saw a car with four masked men going in the opposite direction and gave chase in his dark red Ford Explorer.
He eventually rammed the getaway car from the rear causing the bandits to lose control of their vehicle.
They swerved and skidded off the road slamming into the wall of the Catholic Church obliquely opposite the Myrtle Rigby Health Complex on Leeward Highway.
In a frenzied rush to escape, the gunmen exited their vehicle and ran into the nearby bushes with Robinson in hot pursuit.
During their escape bid, there was an exchange of gun fire which resulted in one of the robbers being shot in the left cheek of his bottom.
The police, who had arrived on the scene by then, captured three of the gunmen and scoured the nearby bushes but did not find the fourth thief who was the driver.
Peter Collins, a Canadian national, claimed that bandits broke into his house in North West Point the night before and stole his credit cards, computer, $3,000 cash and car keys. They fled in his car.
He told the Weekly News he was turning onto Millennium Highway hours later when he saw his car speeding past him and he decided to follow it.
In the vicinity of the Catholic Church his car collided with the rear of a beige Toyota Corolla forcing the car to careen off the road and into the trunk of a coconut tree.
The driver, Cadet Nocius and his female passenger, Magalie Belliard were both seriously injured.
Nocius’ left leg was amputated from the knee and Belliard suffered a fractured pelvis.
Police spokesman Sergeant Calvin Chase confirmed that a fourth suspect was arrested on Wednesday.
The police continue to express their heart-felt thanks to the public who continue to assist in the fight against crime, Chase said.
Corruption “endemic” in TCI’s public life
By Gemma Handy
CORRUPTION in the TCI has become “endemic” with bribery reaching “monstrous proportions”, say British investigators.
Commission of Inquiry counsel Alex Milne spoke of a culture of “serious dishonesty” and warned that the road ahead would be “difficult”.
“Money has distorted and corroded the political fabric of this territory,” he said in his final submission on Wednesday.
He pointed to a “widespread disregard” for the law among Ministers, saying: “Corruption has been accepted and encouraged from the highest level and has become endemic in public life.”
And he had astringent words for the ruling PNP Party which, he said, operated on cash gifts bearing all the hallmarks of “bribery and extortion”.
“It is a multimillion-dollar enterprise, bought and paid for by a small number of rich individuals, many if not most of whom appear to have prospered under the current Government.”
In a frank and candid address, the attorney referred to the “tensions and conflicts” sparked by the arrival of the UK team conducting the probe.
“We understand the concerns of those who view our intervention as humiliating and intrusive.
“It has not been our intention to embarrass or to ridicule anyone.”
Mr Milne spoke of the importance for elected officials to formally declare their financial interests – mandatory by law – to ensure openness and accountability.
The apparent lack of willingness to do so formed a large part of the month-long hearings.
“The picture which emerged from these declarations is of a wholesale and widespread disregard for the requirements of the ordinance.”
He had scathing remarks for Housing Minister Jeffrey Hall whose annual returns to the Registrar of Interests he described as “lamentable”.
“He either left whole sections blank or he wrote in ‘nothing to declare’ when there was a considerable amount to declare.
“The sanguine and casual approach that has apparently been taken to the application of the law would be a matter of concern if the Commission was simply considering middle or low level executive positions.
“We are, however, considering the highest elected officials in the territory who are ultimately responsible for the passing and implementation of legislation.
“The responses of most Ministers, even whilst evincing regret for their slapdash approach, have been: it is no big issue.
“You are wrong. It is a big issue. It is a very big issue indeed.”
Mr Milne condemned Premier Michael Misick’s evidence that no Ministerial code of conduct was yet in force – despite having publicly announced its implementation last summer.
“To boast of a code when it suited him and to deny its effect when his behaviour was held to its standards…is the plainest form of hypocrisy.”
Mr Milne went on to say that the lack of financial control by the ruling administration “would have shamed a roadside conch shack”.
He expressed concern about the “sheer volume of money” that washes through the system with no accompanying paperwork.
The senior counsel accused Ministers of bribing constituents by dishing out cash “loans”.
“The voter may not believe that he or she is being bribed; the politician may not say ‘remember to vote for me’ but in any environment where poor people have to turn to elected officials for basic financial help, one would have to be profoundly obtuse not to see that the voter will vote for the most generous benefactor.”
He said the vast sums of cash donated to the PNP Party did not correspond to the small pool of less than 7,000 voters.
In the last three months of 2006 – just before the last general election – the PNP received a staggering $1m.
“A further $2.9m arrived in the following first three months of 2007.
“Those sums alone amount to more than $550 for every registered voter in the territory.”
Mr Milne criticised Party chiefs for deliberately concealing the extent of its debt from members – something Treasurer and Deputy Premier Floyd Hall admitted to.
“This amounts to an admission of serious collective dishonesty on the part of all concerned and it gives one great concern as to what other matters have been concealed or misrepresented by these same individuals.”
Referring to the Party’s refusal to name major donors, he said: “The PNP is no private enterprise.
“It cannot demand privacy to be eccentric in its own private way.
“This is the party machinery behind a majority Government, which has helped to fund and promote the current TCI Government and to ensure its recent re-election in 2007.
“It acts as a conduit for large amounts of unregulated and undeclared cash from individuals to politicians.”
A handful of donors were eventually declared by the Premier’s brother, Chal Misick.
They included $500,000 from Cem Kinay, developer of Dellis Cay and Joe Grant Cay.
Mr Milne said most donors had some form of business arrangement with the Government.
“These donations bore all the hallmarks of bribery and/or extortion.
“The commercial concerns would hope to have a sympathetic ear in Government because of their generous and often massive donations.
“The pretence that those corporations are deeply committed to the political aims of a Party is precisely that, pretence.”
A dubious land deal over a 20-acre site in North West Point which implicates the Premier along with three Ministers was dubbed a “classic example of abuse of Crown land policy”.
“The principle of land for Belongers for a home or a small business is being subverted by the simple device of Belongers applying for land and then passing it on to non-Belongers for a much higher price.”
Multi-million dollar “loans” to the Premier and the “elbowing aside” of alternative tenders when awarding a health care contract to a firm run by a friend and business associate of the Deputy Premier also incurred the attorney’s wrath.
Mr Milne closed his submissions with remarks about the controversial development of historic Salt Cay.
It was revealed during the proceedings that developer Mario Hoffman had been given a 99-year lease for land for a golf course for just $1 per acre.
“The provision of the golf course to Mr Hoffman…is the clearest possible case of the exploitation of the power of his office by the Premier for personal gain.
“It is, in a word, corrupt.”
My goodness what a SHAME! If it isn’t the PLP it’s the PNP. When it isn’t the SNITCH, it’s his cousin Misick. GEEEE WIZ!
Bahamas Press/Editor
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