Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister said yesterday there is nothing in the government's files that can exonerate the Christie administration from any of the claims he has made.
Bannister was responding to former Prime Minister Perry Christie's defense of the revelations about his administration's "fiscal mismanagement".
In his first public statements since the Progressive Liberal Party's (PLP) May 10 defeat, Christie defended his administration against claims of misfeasance and its handling of the relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.
He said the Minnis administration will find the answers it seeks in its own files and maintained that his government did the "right thing" while in office.
Speaking to The Nassau Guardian, Bannister said, "I don't take lightly the things that I say and I am not out there to destroy anybody's reputation.
"I am not out there to negatively impact anyone or hurt anyone.
"So anything that I said, if they wish to take issue with, Mr. [Philip] Davis is the shadow minister; [they can have] access to the information that I have.
"...I have no proprietary interest in it and I have no interest in defaming anyone.
"But I am very confident, extremely confident, that there is no answer to the matters that I raised, and you would see that Mr. Davis was in the House and he did not attempt to answer me, because I am very careful at what I do.
"[I am] very careful in checking all the facts and very careful in ensuring that I do not destroy the reputation of anybody without having the information to support it."
During his contribution to the budget debate, Bannister accused the Christie administration of misfeasance -- the wrongful exercise of legal authority.
He cited a 2011 Caribbean Court of Justice ruling that gave the go-ahead for the attorney general of Belize to take legal action against two former cabinet ministers for monetary losses suffered by the state as a result of misfeasance.
Bannister pointed to the Christie administration's "mismanagement" of the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI), the STAR Academy, and a primary school in Lowe Sound, Andros, as examples.
During his contribution to the debate, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis pointed to $8 million worth of hurricane cleanup contracts the Christie administration gave to a single vendor.
He also pointed to millions of dollars in contracts given to PLP supporters without proper procedures being followed.
Attorney General Carl Bethel has said there was nothing said by anyone that raised any criminal concerns.
Bannister maintained yesterday, "I don't have any difficulty opening files up to them and if they feel there is something on those files, like Mr. Christie said, that can exonerate them from any allegations that I made, those files are open to them.
"But they will find, if they come and check those files, that there is nothing, nothing, that can contradict the allegations that I have made.
"I'm very, very serious about that."

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