Video: Premier Cox On Allegations
Premier Paula Cox spoke with us this afternoon [June 17] about the allegations levied during the Bolden trial, touching on international impact, her experience in Cabinet and the need to have a full investigation.
David Bolden and his wife were accused of stealing from their company Emerald Capital and earlier this week were found guilty of one count of misleading the Bermuda Monetary Authority, and acquitted on 18 charges of theft and money laundering.
While on the stand David Bolden made allegations in reference to former Premier Dr Ewart Brown, and the Police subsequently confirmed they have “commenced inquiries to determine whether any criminal offences have been committed.”
This morning the Premier hit back at OBA Leader John Barritt’s statement that the allegations “raise questions about the conduct of the Government of Bermuda,” with the Premier saying “it is wrong and unconscionable for the Opposition Leader to seek to impugn the integrity of the Government in that way.”
In response to our questions this afternoon, the Premier said, “I don’t think that the Government is taking any position with regard to Dr Brown, what the Government is saying in my comments this morning on the floor of the House, is that we have zero tolerance for infractions.”
“I was clear even when we were in Washington and I got a question by email through the Press Secretary, that the Government feels that any action that can be taken in terms of investigating, should be taken.”
“What hurts Bermuda is clouds over its reputation, and that’s the issue. It makes no sense me wandering up the corridors of power in Washington telling the Bermuda story, telling the story over and over again, about reputational credibility, about reputation, and how much we value our reputation, and that the only word you should put before haven when you think of Bermuda is safe haven.”
“I have to go to Brussels over the weekend, and they have been able to get me to speak before the Economic Council. You know and I know the issues that are happening in Europe. And many of them don’t know Bermuda, so when we have irrational and irresponsible comments made which do not do justice to Bermuda and what we stand for – that’s not helpful.”
“I think that the allegations are serious, they warrant further inquiry, they warrant further investigation.”
“…I like Agatha Christie novels, and you know what is the worst thing… is if four people were in a room, a person gets murdered, and 3 are left and there is nothing conclusive left who killed the person.”
“What does that mean. It tarnishes and follows each of those three people until they identify the murderer. You can say 3, you can say 13, you can say 12.”
“So as far as I am concerned, I want every effort to be made to make it quite clear, and make it abundantly clear there was no infraction and no issue. But I want an enquiry, and that is what I have said. I have nothing to hide from, all I can say though, categorically, is that there is no period of time that I served in a Cabinet of Bermuda, where any Cabinet action sanctioned any Minister taking anything that could be said to be a benefit in kind – like a kickback.”
“That is the allegation, that is certainly not something which is sanctioned as a matter of Government policy. And what we have to bear in mind is that these are allegations, and so that everybody, including the former Premier, in order for them to be cleared, for him to be cleared there has to be an investigation…” noted the Premier.
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“So as far as I am concerned, I want every effort to be made to make it quite clear, and make it abundantly clear there was no infraction and no issue. But I want an enquiry, and that is what I have said. I have nothing to hide from, all I can say though, categorically, is that there is no period of time that I served in a Cabinet of Bermuda, where any Cabinet action sanctioned any Minister taking anything that could be said to be a benefit in kind – like a kickback.”
Hmmmmmmm……
@the truth,Sure.http://bermuda.org.uk/the_scandal.htm
http://bermuda.org.uk/the_scandal.htm
WE NEED TO HAVE A LIE DETECTER FOR THESE POLITICIANS
I don’t see anything in the original reporting on the Bolden case were it was alleged or suggested that such action was sanctioned by Cabinet. Now that is raising the bar. The Premier is quite correct in stating Cabinet wouldn’t sanction corrupt actions, but her comments above appear to distort the allegations into making them against the Cabinet, when it seems they were made against the then Premier plus an MP. Maybe she needs a new press secretary.
“What hurts Bermuda is clouds over its reputation, and that’s the issue. It makes no sense me wandering up the corridors of power in Washington telling the Bermuda story, telling the story over and over again, about reputational credibility, about reputation, and how much we value our reputation, and that the only word you should put before haven when you think of Bermuda is safe haven.”
Well you should have thoguht about that as you failed to check the excesses of your predecessor.
Here is what I see as questionable. You have a man/wife convicted of wrong doing in 1 of many counts brought against them. They were found NOT GUILTY in the vast majority of charges but they certainly weren’t (as can be seen from court data) to be trusted stewards of the companies funds and of their partners. At the very least they were dishonest but just not criminally dishonest.
So why would anyone take what these people have to say as the gospel?! Its quite apparent that it would seem they were trying to save their collective butts during the trial and would have said anything to deflect, defend, to oppose a conviction. But I guess we will see what the outcome of this investigation shows, so we all have to wait.
I am NOT defending the former Premier because I don’t know the facts, I will wait for the investigation’s outcome. But it would seem pretty stupid of the man to try what these people have stated and think he could get away with it, and he isn’t a stupid man. To me, it just doesn’t make sense.
The thing is, why make that sort of brash allegation if it’s totally unfounded? We all know Ewart Brown has the means to hire the best lawyers money can buy, who can then file a defamation counter-suit. I’m not going to pass any judgment on this without knowing the facts, but I don’t personally see what Bolden has to gain from this by randomly bringing Ewart Brown’s name into it? He could have brought anyone’s name into the mix, hell pick a random minister or parliamentarian. But he specifically brings up Brown, who’s 8 months out of office. The simple question is, why?
MONEY!
I find this whole situation kind of funny. You got Brown daring them to make these allegations outside of court ’cause he says they would not be protected from anti-defamation laws outside court, but then by saying these things IN COURT they exposed themselves to being tried for perjury. Why, when you are tryin to get off from something, would you perjur yourself so spectacularly? To me that shows there must be some truth to it…
We don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but i would bet my last bottom dollar that the two parties have been in deep conversation long before it came out in court. Now it’s just a threat of “COME ON, BRING IT ON” Unfortunately the Boldens don’t have the means to bring it on.
Paula Cox…..you reap what you sow. Don’t blame others for that. And so long as Bermuda has a free press, Bermuda will speak her mind!!
@3:00 The Hon.Premier can’t hide her elation that a full investigation has commenced against the accused , and for her to invoke the experiences of Turks and Caicos is very powerful .
Paula has a lot to answer to…and she knows it….also she does not have the backing of her cabinet….and why was the delegation from Nigeria bought to Bermuda ??? it was said that they were here to help us !! I wonder how in hell this poor country can help us.
The street lights all over Bermuda are out and I understand that Belco are not rsponsible it seems that brother Derek is in charge of these lights being brought in to the Island, how come ?
You jokers are just sitting there with bated breath hoping that they could prove that the “previous” premier attempted to bribe the Boltons. Note should be taken of the fact that the Boltons have been convicted of lying and deceiving the Bermuda Monetary Department and are awaiting sentencing. How do we know that they are not trying to take the focus of themselves by presenting this information and trying to get a favourable response from the judge? Just a thought.
Why do you jokers always think of Brown as a Saint.
’cause then they’d be going down for perjury, also. maybe they will. ahhh entertainment
Premier Cox is correct!! Technically, what Mr Bolden has alleged at this point is all “here say”. There is no evidence to suggest otherwise. Why call Dr.Brown’s name during his trial was it a strategy to take the focus of his case? Why not during the case did Mr Bolden provide evidence as to whom what and when? Also, why now and not when it supposed to have taken place? For example, “someone tells you they saw “Tom,” taking the money out of the milk truck last Friday. For all you know this could be a made-up story or hoax to get Tom into some difficulty. There was no evidence that proves this is the case.
The Hon. Premier Cox is correct, we must let the investigation take place first to determine if Bolden claims are rightful or untrue before we start accusing or hang a person for doing something. If the investigation proves that Tom did take the money, than let the chips fall where they must. But I think the law says “A man is innocence until he is proven guilty”. In this particular case, the rage towards Dr.Brown is likely to go on as the same individuals still hold their bitter feelings towards him. The jury is still out……
Let’s analyze what your position.
You start off by stating that this is all hearsay and that there is no evidence to suggest otherwise but you also state that we must let the investigation take place first to determine if the boldness claims are right or untrue before we start accusing…
Surely you can see the contradiction here.
To address your point on evidence. This is a separate matter, a separate case and whatever evidence that may or ma not be available is being investigated as we speak. Which is why no e idence was produced during the Boldens trial.
The Premier is leaving out the heart of the issue. It is not enough to say that the Government didn’t sanction any malfeasance or corrupt activity. The real question is if members of the PLP knew of malfeasance or suspicious activity but certain senior members of the Government and subsequently turned a blind eye. No one would expect that Premier Cox would co-sign a kickback. That is why she can categorically state that. What is the multi-million dollar question is whether or not people looked the other way when questionable deals were being put together and executed.
her comments sound shockingly similar to what she decided to lambaste the opposition leader for…..
both brown & bolden should do lie detector tests & present the results to the public than everybdy will know who is lying
a. David under oath states “a minister” does not name the minister but names whom the allegations are about? is this 2nd party hearsay? Why wasn’t the minister named?
b. One of the lawyers David hired is SCrockwell
c. How much did David defense cost? Were there any concessions made for defense expenses?
d. Who has the most to gain from DBolton’s accusations?
e. What did DBolton get convicted of? Lying to BMA, wasn’t it?
f. Who defended EB in the weegers fiasco and now in the Bolton fiasco?
g. What do they all have to gain? Electorate don’t be fooled!
Summation: Lots of people will eat crow over this one, trust me.
Have got to ask….how was the allegation relevant to Bolden’s defence? Why did Bolden not name the Minister who approached him? or why was that name not reported? There’s something more than meets the eye here. Any legal eagles on this board can perhaps throw some light on it?
I would feel comfortable with an external team of investigators
Hmmmm, how about, ” as far as you’re concerned do want every effort made to abundantly clear”, who is responsible in anyway for the spending of Bermuda’s public purse, Ms. Finance Minister, was not your signature or at least your input required for each and every one of OUR Bermudian dollars spent? YOU SHOULD HAVE SPOKEN OUT 1.2 BILLION DOLLARS AGO!…to be continued…
@TROUBLED BELIEVER, she is just CHBing
If she had spoken out she would not be where she is today!
Ok,so you are speaking out of sarcasim or support, I’m not reading you sorry? Where exactly is she today then,do u mean sitting in two well paying positions? WHat does the Premier make,$260,000 or something a year, how much more than her average citizens is that and she and most of if not all of the rest of all the seated ministers do or would oppose a pay cut but expect us as A People to be understanding n come together to help take up the load during OUR counry’s financial depression!?!?! So she’d rather sell out all of us to be making herself a good buck then blow the whistle on EB and his destructive leadership? Come on, had she stopped all that money from being spent so frivolously, I would actually be in support of our Premier. Its too late to be taking these kinds of steps now, OUR economical wounds are too deep and large for these superficial bandaid fixes!
I should’ve been in her position then or her position now, then I’d have opened my mouth in representation of all he Hard Working Citizens and their tax dollars and, now, I’d make and take substancial pay cuts relative to the amount of each payed position of all Ministries and lead by example instead of protecting or freezing my pay check and show the People we are actually in this all together and its not just shepperds herding livestock for profits.
I could go on forever with this and so much more but I won’t. For now… I’ll just say, I SHOULD BE PREMIER!!!
Politicins should be classed as magicians because they deal so well in smoke and mirrors…
And what would she be saying to the Economic Council in Europe? Advising them how to run things? Another photo op? A waste of time and money? Saying how nice Bermuda is for business? It takes 5 months to get a work permit. This island is closed to business, and part of the problem is exactly the international impression created under EB. Call for a Royal Commission and get on with it: we’re on the way down,. so why not go for broke? Money where your mouth is.
In fairness, I’ve had lawyers, captive managers, and partners at the major accounting firms tell me that they’ve seen an uptick in interest in Bermuda from potential clients since Dr. Evil stepped down. The simple fact that Paula is seen as less hostile to IB is being credited for much of that.
However, the belief about EFB and his government is still rampant (fact is, it doesn’t even matter if it’s true, people both on and off island believe it). The only way that Paula et al will ever put this one behind us is to insist on a complete investigation of all the questionable activities of her predecessor and we all know that isn’t going to happen.
That is why the Auditor Generals have no support, they tread the mine fields on your own.
She got herself into this situation. Now, typically of the PLP, she is thrashing around trying to blame somebody else for her own predicament.
Being the daughter of Eugene Cox is about played out. She did nothing to stop the antics of Dr 10%. Time to be accountable for her lack of action.
I do agree. whomever holds the “public purse” is the one to be blamed for the big deficit and overspending. Blame on her and Brown. And lets not all be wrapped up in this scandal too much. If evidence does prevail, nothing will be done, becuase somehow someone will be sweeping it under the rug. I doubt the Bolden’s did lie like this and putting Dr. Brown out to be “witch hunt”. But in all light, if all the allegation are true, westgate will be finally be put to good use.
To catch a rat you must outsmart it, in order for the truth to prevail.
Premier Cox says, “I want every effort to be made to make it quite clear, and make it abundantly clear there was no infraction and no issue.”
She doesn’t say I want to get to the truth.
Odd choice of words.
Hon. Premier Cox’s statement in the house of parliament was on target! What a brilliant speech, not a sound could be heard in the house when she spoke !! There are a lot of questions that need careful analyses. One must read beyond headline news!
What was the relevance of Mr Bolden bringing forward this information during his trial? The information was not related in any way to his case? Why did he not report this during the time this did happen? In addition, why did the Judge allow this information to enter the case in terms of its relevancy? Was this attempt for certain individual to seek out Dr Brown? Finally, to say” WOW we got him now”? This situation must be reviewed, free of one’s emotions and bitter feelings towards Dr. Brown?
The Judge failure to keep the information confidential, until an investigation was conduct to determine: (1) Is this case just mere allegations (2) Is there any validity to the allegations. As a result the judge has damage this case to be trailed in fairness and with impartiality. So it raises the question? How can the Hon. Dr. Brown be given a fair trial if this matter was to go before a court of justice? Information has been prejudice against him, by allowing the media to write on proposed allegations. It looks as if the Judge’s management of this case needs to evaluated and not just Dr. Brown. Let’s be fair, and real regarding his case, and leave our prejudices at the door of justice! Allow fair Due process of the law, and let the chips fall where they fall !! Stop “HearSay” !!
You would think that Paula knowing all the controversy attached to her predecessor (even before she took his place), would not have expected certain “things” to come to light. H*ll the Auditor General is still finding financial discrepancies in some (if not all) of the ministries he oversaw… I think the more investigation the better.. WE (the people) need to know how… and where the Gover(n)ment spends OUR hard earned $$$
It was quite obvious to me that Premier Cox was going to take the Premiership.I think she probably regrets not taking it sooner rather than later. How intelligent was she not to know what was going on in her administration? Her head was in the sand, now its in the dirt trying to get us out of this mess we are in. Unfortunately she had adopted the same philosophy as Dr.Brown. “THIS TOO SHALL PASS”
“…all I can say though, categorically, is that there is no period of time that I served in a Cabinet of Bermuda, where any Cabinet action sanctioned any Minister taking anything that could be said to be a benefit in kind – like a kickback”. Our Premier should be careful making bold statements like this that may come back to make her look foolish. She might indeed speak for herself, but it is clear that she may not know about what others have been up to behind the scenes.
There is half a million dollars unaccounted for still remember? There are also plenty of rumours circulating about the good Dr having meetings with potential purchasers of our tourism properties who have been asked not so subtly “so what will be in it for me?” Where there is smoke there will often be fire. I look forward to an unbiased enquiry.
Wait and see how many others will come out with similar claims.