Former Prime Minister Perry Christie defended the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) tenant who was recently ensnared in controversy surrounding a decision by the Nassau Airport Development (NAD) Board to write off a sizable chunk of her $3.3 million debt.
In an interview with Our News on Thursday, Christie maintained that the tenant -- Pat Mortimer of the Patmor Group of companies -- was treated unfairly and suggested that Tourism Minister Dionisio D'Aguilar was trigger-happy when he addressed the matter in the House of Assembly.
While contributing to the budget debate last month, D'Aguilar said the entire NAD board was summarily dismissed after it was revealed that it wrote off $1.2 million of the tenant's $3.3 million debt under the guidance of the political directorate.
D'Aguilar said the tenant, who operated five stores at the airport, had not paid any rent over a five-year period.
But Christie said D'Aguilar's version of the story are different.
The former prime minister said the tenant paid over $4.9 million in rent during the five-year period. He said it was a "misstep" for D'Aguilar to suggest otherwise.
"Why would you want to call a business woman's name and have the press call her Christie's crony... and say Christie had her paying no rent for five years when she paid over $4.9 million in rent?" Christie asked.
"[There was] no reason to do it that way at all. No matter what level of enthusiasm they had about winning... it's a misstep to go and mischaracterize, or to take people's reputation and put it out to the pubic in that way."
Mortimer's attorney Wayne Munroe also denied that she received favorable consideration from the PLP government or any government.
"The first point is that the leases for the news agents were the subject of a competitive RFP (request for proposal) process in 2009 when the Free National Movement (FNM) was in power," Munroe said.
"Our client was made to compete for the lease of four locations notwithstanding that everyone else apart from the restaurant lease acquired by [another tenant] were grandfathered.
"The next point is that the RFP was for four stores together as a unit. It was a winner of the RFP... There was, therefore, nothing sinister about our client ending up with those four stores."
As it relates to D'Aguilar's claim of non-payment on the part of his client, Munroe also said she paid approximately $5 million in rent over the last five years.
"It is difficult to understand how this fact could have not been known," he added.
Opposition Leader Philip Brave Davis explained last month the tenant's arrears grew because of a miscalculation by NAD.
"The issue was that NAD fees and rent were predicated against their (NAD's) undertaking that 3.8 million travelers would be passing through the airport, and that being the case, the rent was pegged at 38 percent," Davis said.
"NAD acknowledged that they never met their undertaking, but, yet, still they continued to charge her 38 percent and continued to charge others 10 percent."
As a result, the tenant filed a dispute.
Following an independent forensic audit, NAD eventually agreed that the charges were miscalculated and came to an agreement with the tenant, which in part called for her to pay the sum of $800,000 within 90 days after execution of the deed of settlement, in addition to giving up one of her stores.
The tenant is also required to pay her arrears over a period of time.
Former Board Chairman Anthony McKinney maintained that the board was not fired. He said most, if not all, members resigned. Despite McKinney's claim, D'Aguilar said he stands by his statement.
Munroe said he finds it disturbing that ministers of the "present government see it fit to attack private citizens and companies in the House of Assembly where they have the benefit of absolute privilege from actions for defamation".

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