Richards in the clear, PLP mute on eligibility issue

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11: Finance Minister Bob Richards has effectively been cleared of any wrongdoing in a pre-election row over declaration of business interests with Government, the Bermuda Sun can confirm.

A spokesman for the Parliamentary Registrar declined to comment on the controversy. But he added: “The matter is closed.”

Mr Richards said yesterday: “I don’t have any comment other than the fact that we followed the rules. If somebody wants to say something different, it’s up to them.”

Mr Richards declined to comment on the motives for the allegations  — made by the PLP only days before the country went to the polls on December 17.

He said: “It’s all in that past and we really need to get on with trying to fix this economy. It’s water under the bridge.”

The row did not affect Mr Richards’ performance at the polls — he increased his majority in Devonshire East over the PLP’s Neville Tyrrell to 120 compared to 27 in the 2007 General Election.

The row was sparked when PLP chairman Anthony Santucci issued a statement calling into question Mr Richards’ eligibility to stand for election, as well as another OBA candidate.

Mr Richards had made a full declaration of his business interests in the Parliamentary Register of Interests, which is open to public inspection.

But the PLP said he had not declared an interest in his Bermuda Information Technology Services’ contracts with Government by “means of a notice published in the Gazette or in a newspaper published and circulating in Bermuda”, according to Constitutional rules.

But the OBA hit back that the party had taken legal advice and that had backed Mr Richards’ view that he had done nothing wrong.

Mr Richards could have faced a retroactive review of the constituency result by the courts, which could have been lodged by any member of the public or the PLP.

The OBA statement at the time said that the attack was part of “the continuing PLP campaign of distortion, lies and spin in a desperate attempt to distract voters from the real issues facing Bermuda.”

The PLP was first contacted for comment on the issue last week, but had not replied by press time.