Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis declared in April 2007 that he had no contracts with the government, despite the fact that the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) was renting his company's building for $7,500 a month. In a statement released to the media yesterday, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Roberts attached Minnis' declaration dated April 12, 2007. "Dear Sir, this is to certify that I, Hubert A. Minnis, of Nassau, Bahamas, Tropical Gardens, have no contract with the government of The Bahamas other than agreements with government corporations for the supply of utilities, including electricity, telephone and water," Minnis signed. According to the Public Disclosures Act, the penalty for not disclosing or providing inaccurate information is a $10,000 fine and or two years in prison.

Minnis argued last night that his company, which he said is a separate legal entity, had a contract with the government and not him. "Hubert Minnis had no contract with the government," he told The Nassau Guardian. "A company is a separate entity. "I did nothing wrong and I remained within the bounds of the law. "Check every politician's [declaration], who has had a contract with the government and it would say the same thing straight across the board. "This is nothing more than detractors far and wide seeking to besmirch my character."

While Minnis said in his 2007 declaration he had no contract with the government, he said on Wednesday night that when he became minister of health he disclosed his interest to the prime minister and the prime minister (Hubert Ingraham) told him to have the government move out of the Stat Care facility. Minnis said he told the PHA to do accordingly, but it continued the arrangement on a month-to-month basis while it was looking for another facility to rent. Minnis is the beneficial owner of Leechez Investments Limited, which owns Stat Care. On Monday, Roberts threatened to reveal documents that will expose the full extent of Minnis' conflict.

"In my statement of August 12, I placed some questions to the leader of the opposition regarding his involvement in a lease of the premises at Nassau and Delancy Streets to the Public Hospitals Authority during 2007 to 2012 and whether the minister was guilty [of a] conflict of interest and abuse of his office," Roberts said. "Dr. Minnis denied the allegation and called me a political dinosaur amongst other things. "Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Senator Michael Pintard came boldly to the defense of his leader and challenged me to bring proof I claimed to possess. "I am delighted to respond to his demand."

Conflict Minnis has repeatedly denied he was involved in a conflict of interest as the agreement predated him becoming a member of the government. Leechez signed a two-year lease with PHA in May 2005. The lease was in the amount of $180,000. Hubert Ingraham Chambers is named as the attorney on the 2005 lease. The $7,500 monthly payments to Minnis' company continued while he was minister. Though the lease expired in 2007, PHA has continued to engage Leechez on a month-to-month basis. Minnis said when he as minister advised the PHA to end the arrangement, "their response at that time [was] they would look for such a facility that would be adequate for them as opposed to undergoing hundreds of thousands [of dollars] of renovations". In response to Roberts' threat, Minnis invited him to do so and challenged him to reveal the contracts and the dealings when he (Roberts) was at Ministry of Works. He said he will not be threatened by Roberts, Prime Minister Perry Christie or anyone else.

Yesterday, Roberts asked, "For five consecutive years the PHA ignored Dr. Minnis' directive to relocate to another premises? "Does Dr. Minnis expect any reasonable person to believe such a claim? He said Minnis, by his own admission, allowed the PHA to continue renting his company's Stat Care building for years instead of ensuring as the owner of the company and minister of health that the PHA moved out. Instead, he continued to benefit financially from renting to the PHA while he sat in Cabinet, Roberts asserted. But Minnis said last night that the PLP and Roberts have realized that they cannot beat the FNM in the next general election with him as leader and they have resorted to "attempting to beat me in public opinion by attempting to assassinate my character".

"Bradley Roberts is a dinosaur and a relic of the past, and should go back in the past," he said. "The next election with me leading the FNM, the PLP will be in the past."

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