HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – The main Opposition, One Bermuda Alliance (OBA), is calling on the Attorney General, Kathy Lightbourne-Simmons, to explain to the public how she considered it appropriate for her husband to have been given a US$13,000 monthly consultancy with her office.
In a statement, the OBA said that while “on the face of it, there is no legitimate justification” for the appointment, she needs to “explain to the public how she considered it appropriate for her husband to be placed on the David Burt administrations’ payroll.
“What consulting services are provided to enable Mr. Simmons to receive taxpayer funds? How was it determined that only her husband could obtain this undisclosed role?
Who decided to pay $13,000 a month to the Attorney-General’s husband?
What role did the Attorney-General have in this affair?” the party asked.
The Royal Gazette newspaper reported that Simmons, a former senior Crown counsel in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, ended his employment as a civil servant on March 31.
“There was a request by the advisory section of Chambers to engage him as a consultant to assist them in maintaining continuity in advisory functions and efficiencies while they conclude recruitment,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Reform told the newspaper.
“Some provisions allow for the appointment of individuals or companies in specialized fields to provide temporary consultancy services.
“All the requisite rules and procedures were followed by the Public Service to approve the positions shared in answer to parliamentary questions on May 19, 2023.,” the spokesman added.
Premier David Burt revealed the contract for Simmons on May 19 in answer to a parliamentary question from the Opposition. He told legislators that 70 consultants had been appointed since January 2022 with the approval of the Head of the Public Service.
Simmons was listed as “counsel” with a contract worth $13,721.96 monthly from April 1 to June 30.
In its statement, the OBA said, “It is seldom, if ever, appropriate for a politician to engage their family member to “consult” for the Government.
“There better be a rock-solid reason why this family member was preferred over every other Bermudian, assuming the role existed and was available to others rather than specially created for her husband.”
The OBA questioned why the appointment had been kept “hidden and not publicly disclosed,” adding, “The Attorney-General has some serious explaining to do if she is ever to regain the public’s trust.”
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