NO SMALL FRY
Contractor Al Barrack saying Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley needs to apologise to the judicial system and then be “muzzled and put on a leash” by the Prime Minister. (Picture by Nigel Browne)
by TRACY MOORE
EMBATTLED building contractor Al Barrack has acknowledged receipt of some of the $60 million owed by Government, but denied that his claim was “frivolous and vexatious”, as claimed by a minister.
At a Press briefing yesterday at his Warrens office, Barrack also called on Prime Minister David Thompson to “put a muzzle and leash” on Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley, who had made the dismissive charges about his matter.
“How can [Lashley] go into the public domain as a politician and say this is a ‘frivolous and vexatious’ act with $60-something million,” he asked. “How can he do that as an attorney?”
Barrack said when Prime Minister Thompson was elected in January 2008, he had put aside $750 million for the debt left by the former Government with a sum specified for Barrack Construction.
“The Prime Minister mentioned [last Sunday] that he paid me a little bit of money,” he noted. “My lawyer and my accountant were there when they paid that little bit of money. . . but that money was put into the bank on Friday, November 13, I think, and by the Monday, a company [that I owed] had its money, which prevented its staff from going on strike.
“That money did not got into my pocket even though it was my money that I worked for. So I want Mr Thompson to tell Mr Lashley to stop talking a little bit.”
The contractor said that when Thompson was in Opposition he knew all that was going on in Barrack Construction.
“He was bombarded with the documents in writing. When we went to arbitration, he was bombarded with the findings of the arbitration even before the present Government got theirs. He knew about it, so Prime Minister Thompson should not abuse these words.
“Again, I respect him a lot . . . but I have to get my money. I must tell you the truth, I never expected that neither the former Government or this Government would have taken so long to pay me. I never thought that it would take this long.
“I couldn’t tell C. O. Williams Construction when I had to pay them $200 000 a month for steel, Rayside Construction $80 000 for concrete, and ReadyMix $120 000 for concrete, that the National Housing Corporation (NHC) couldn’t pay me,” Barrack stressed.
tracymoore@nationnews.com