Bunting recants - Apologises to Shaw
May 22, 2008
PETER BUNTING, Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, yesterday retracted statements he made last week accusing Finance and the Public Service Minister Audley Shaw of misleading the House with his claims about a so-called "sweetheart deal".
In a statement to the House, Bunting said there was a "misunderstanding on my part as to the transaction the minister was referring to".
In that regard, the People's National Party (PNP) general secretary said he was withdrawing his earlier claims that "no such transaction occurred", and that the minister had misled the House.
Bunting told his colleagues he regretted any confusion his pronouncements had caused, adding that he had not intentionally set out to mislead the House.
Earlier this month, lines were drawn when Bunting rebuffed Shaw's claims that the company he previously chaired was involved in a sweetheart deal with the former PNP government. At that time, he said Shaw had breached the Standing Orders of the House and demanded he withdraw his remarks or face sanctions.
Documentary evidence
However, Shaw returned to the House with documentary evidence of the transaction between DB&G and the then government.
In attempting to explain the misunderstanding yesterday, Bunting said: "The minister's words were fairly interpreted by me as referring to the outright sale by FINSAC (Financial Sector Adjustment Company Limited) of its residual share of the collections from the bad loan portfolio administered by the Jamaica Redevelopment Foundation (JRF)."
Both MPs had earlier accused each other of misleading the House, an offence that could attract sanctions from the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
But a motion was moved in the House on Tuesday, which paved the way for the neighbouring MPs to resolve the row on the floor of Parliament, without having to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee.
Sweetheart deals ...
Author: Edmond Campbell
Source: Jamaica Gleaner
