Prime Minister Perry Christie and Loretta Butler-Turner.

By KHRISNA VIRGIL | Tribune Staff Reporter

LONG Island MP Loretta Butler-Turner yesterday questioned whether Prime Minister Perry Christie flew on an airplane owned by Resorts World Bimini for a recent trip to Jamaica where he officially opened that country’s Stock Exchange.

However, Mr. Christie responded saying: “To the best of my knowledge (the answer) is no. I don’t know what Resorts owns in the world but it is a company other than Resorts World.”

He later stated that during the House of Assembly’s lunch break he confirmed that the six-seater airplane he flew on was owned by Apollo Jets and booked through sources in The Bahamas.

Earlier in the House of Assembly session, during his wrap up of debate on the resolution for a $33m Public Financial Management System and Performance Management Project loan from the Inter American Development Bank, Mr. Christie referred to previous comments by the Long Island MP in which she was critical of his trip to Jamaica.

He said: “The member of Parliament for Long Island critically observed that I went to Jamaica and how I got there. I really wanted to tell her I swam. How do you expect prime ministers to get (around)? Planes take you there and I charted an airplane.”

Mrs. Butler-Turner later stood on a point of order calling for Mr. Christie to clarify his comments.

“The prime minister in answering the question to me in his contribution first of all it was quite insulting him saying he should have answered me by saying he was swimming,” she said. “But in any event he then went on to say he went on a charter plane and I would like for the House to know very clearly from the prime minister if in fact that charter plane was owned by Resorts World International.”

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