Prime Minister Perry Christie has ordered Minister of Labour and National Insurance Shane Gibson to provide an explanation on the turmoil that has gripped the National Insurance Board (NIB), but the affidavit of NIB Director Algernon Cargill indicates that Christie ignored his appeal back in October to intervene. Cargill notes that he wrote the prime minister on October 8 regarding "several troubling matters at NIB", and specifically NIB Chairman Gregory Moss' "attack" on the character and good name of NIB executives. Cargill asked Christie for "an urgent meeting". "I have not received a response to this communication to date," says Cargill in his affidavit filed November 28.
Cargill also filed in court the letter he wrote to Christie raising concerns. The affidavit was filed in support of Cargill's lawsuit against Moss and the National Insurance Board. He is suing for defamation, wrongful and unfair dismissal and breach of the Data Protection Act. Cargill says in the letter to Christie he is especially concerned about comments Moss made in the presence of Board members and Minister Gibson during an emergency Board meeting called by Gibson on Sunday, October 7. "During this meeting, Chairman Moss stated several times that in the future, if any member of the management team follows a directive of the minister and not a directive of the Board of Directors, that he will immediately convene a special meeting of the Board of Directors and request that the management employee be terminated," Cargill wrote.
He also wrote to the prime minister that he was concerned about several other troubling matters, including an "assailment on my capability, character and professional integrity, and that of my executives, specifically with regards comments made by Chairman Gregory Moss in writing to all members of the Board of Directors on September 18, 2012". Cargill pointed to statements allegedly written by Moss in relation to a contentious issue that arose surrounding NIB's general insurance contract. In his letter to Christie, Cargill included "an exact quote" from Moss, who, in a September 18 email, who wrote that there had been "ineptitude" shown in relation to the insurance matter, and various NIB executives had been complicit in "presenting the Board with misleading, distorted and materially inaccurate statements" in relation to the NIB insurance issue.
Cargill advised the prime minister that Vice President of Investments at NIB Phaedra Mackey-Knowles informed Minister Gibson in writing that she has referred this matter to her attorneys. Cargill wrote "...we are both concerned that the reference is to one or both of us. I have requested that Chairman Moss withdraw and/or substantiate these matters and I have not received a response to my formal request of September 18, 2012." He said no previous Board has ever complained about the quality of information the team of executives has provided.
"Honorable Prime Minister, these and other matters that I will expound on during our meeting are very concerning to me and the members of the executive team and I urgently request a meeting with you to discuss these matters," Cargill wrote. "I also wish to inform you that this entire matter has been discussed with my minister (Gibson) at length and he has given his approval for me to make arrangements to meet with you on these various matters of concern at NIB." The letter to the prime minister was copied to Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis and Minister Gibson. Among other documents, Cargill filed in court a copy of an October 9 letter written to Moss by Phaedra Mackey-Knowles' lawyers, who wrote to Moss: "You have made very serious allegations against persons, including our client, who through years of study and hard work have built a professional reputation among their peers and colleagues.
"Your actions are made that much more egregious by the fact that you have not sought to substantiate your claims." On Friday, the prime minister noted his concerns regarding the turn of events at NIB. "What I've asked for is for me to have a formal explanation because I can't act on allegations or even court documents, so I have to have an understanding," he told The Nassau Guardian. "And it is an important matter, sufficiently so for me to be concerned about and I have indicated to the minister responsible that I'd like a full report on the matter so that I may be able to report to Cabinet with respect to what is taking place. "Any allegation is something to be of concern about. The point that I wanted to make when I commenced this government is that unless there is a perfectly reasonable explanation, we have to be concerned about any kind of behavior that has a negative impact out there on people's perception as to what we are all about."
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