Page 12 - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer Issue-1158-06012017

Page 12 The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer. Friday January 6, 2017 LOCAL NEWS

Minister Liburd denies owning Cement Company;
admits to registering firm

By Loshaun Dixon da,” he said. “What feels to take the next step
is a cement compa- to apply for a business
Basseterre, St. Kitts- ny? Whether I license he has a right to
Minister of Public establish one is so do so.
Infrastructure, Urban far from the truth.”
Development and “So to peddle nonsense
Transport the Hon. Ian The Representative about cement, that
‘Patches’ Liburd has Government imports
denied rumors that he for Constituency cement? There are major
set up a cement and importers of cement from
building materials One said as a citi- timely memorial. TDC,
company, but admit- SL Horsfords import
ted to having regis- zens of St. Kitts cement from Trinidad
tered a business Cement LTD. That is not
process and manage- and Nevis, he has a lucrative business.
ment firm. That is nonsense,” he
right to register a declared.
In December rumors
began circulating that company and Liburd said if he was to
the Government take the next step, he
Minister had created a admitted to doing does not consider it to be
company to import a conflict of interest
and sell cement in the so. unless he uses the advan-
Federation and be in tage of his office for
position to win “I have been in the business gain.
Government construc- business process
tion contracts. management indus- “There is nothing that
try for almost 20 precludes me as a citizen
Speaking with mem- years. There are no from engaging in busi-
bers of the media, Mr. licenses procured ness, any business. As
Liburd slammed such from the Inland long as I do not use my
rumors as untrue. Revenue depart- office to bolster that
ment and to really business, then I have no
“Well I hope that you peddle the non- problem,” Liburd said.
haven’t in the media sense that has been “As I said there is no
come like those peo- peddle on the other business license pro-
ple who believe in side by those who cured, so to say your
their own propagan- have no moral entering the cement busi-
authority to do so,” ness is rubbish.”
he said.

He said he regis-
tered a business
process and man-
agement company
and stated if he

He also condemned the
Opposition that had
insisted it was corrupt for
him to set up a business
while holding his current
office.

“Let them present to you

the evidence of what I

have done. They talking

about corruption!

Corruption as they are

talking about as I know it

is the use of your public

office for private gain.

And if those on the other

side, including the for-

mer rejected leader, want

to speak about corrup-

tion, let us have a discus-

sion about it,” he said.

Liburd accused the for-
mer Prime Minister of St.
Kitts and Nevis Dr.
Denzil Douglas of nepo-
tism during his time in
office.

“ He appointed his com-
mon law wife or mother
of his children to the con-
sulate in Dubai as the
first and only consular
officer where they dis-
tributed passports of St.
Kitts and Nevis. If that
isn’t nepotism and that
isn’t corruption then
what is?,” he said.

CMYK