In Barbados news. “It’s not easy for the titled elites to act on principles that conflict with their vanity”
Some 23 years ago, Sir Hilary Beckles was more than vexed at the Barbados Mutual insurance company – rightly accusing the elites of the day of raping policyholders’ funds and using them for their own schemes and personal wealth-building.
Professor Sir Hilary Beckles. Photo courtesy www.caribarena.com
Beckles recently recalled the time and said “It had exploited them. It took their money, it took their investments and they were used as a pool of resources to assist the elites of this country,”
And how is that so different from what we saw with the CLICO and CL Financial collapse? The now dead Prime Minister David Thompson and his DLP were thick as thieves with Leroy Parris and sucked the CLICO well dry so there was nothing left for little policy holders. Don’t forget, former PM David Thompson was Clico’s lawyer, and he signed a secret contract and kept it secret from the Oversight Committee he later appointed as Prime Minister! (See BFP’s Leroy Parris has no shame)
David Thompson money-laundered 3.3 million dollars from CLICO International Life Insurance Limited, but the money was actually destined for former CLICO executive chairman Leroy Parris. Oh… by the way – Parris is godfather to Thompson’s child and turn about too! (see BFP’s Former PM David Thompson law firm money-laundered millions from CLICO to Parris: How much came back to Thompson & DLP?)
People go to jail for less in other countries.
But this is Barbados. David Thompson, the same lawyer who helped set up the CLICO employment contract in 2005, received secret “campaign donations” from CLICO and Parris. After Thompson was elected Prime Minister, CLICO got land use approvals and Thompson had the use of the Clico executive jet.
The late Hon. David Thompson. Photo courtesy nationnews.com
Then when the CLICO – CL Financial house of cards came tumbling down, Thompson fought off judicial management of the company, appointed some toothless “Oversight Committee” without real authority or power to do anything, and gave Parris a nice job in charge of the Caribbean Broadcasting Company – managing what news the public heard about the CLICO debacle.
Prime Minister David Thompson knew about the secret agreement because he witnessed and signed it. He probably set it up as Leroy’s lawyer. Then years later when the “Oversight Committee” that Thompson appointed couldn’t find any contracts with Parris, Thompson stayed silent to protect his friend and himself.
Where does Beckles stand on that rape by the elites of Barbados? We don’t know because SIR Hilary is one of the elites now and, as he says, he’s adopted a more moderate tone. Heh heh…
He is now 58 and the fiery rhetoric has given way to a more moderate tone, though he made it clear: “Your strategy changes, your methodology, but not your intentions.”
($3,333,000 cheque money laundered by Prime Minister David Thompson for CLICO’s Leroy Parris. Where is Sir Hilary Beckles’ outrage?)
But he also pointed out: “The work that I do now carries a greater sense of political and diplomatic responsibility.”
… from Stabroeknews.com
It took a few years, but firebrand Beckles changed. His rage at injustice mellowed as his circumstances improved. Positions on the boards of Cable & Wireless, Clico and Sagicor worked wonders, as did huge investments in his precious Cave Hill. When Sagicor wanted to demutualize, lessening the value to the policyholders and transferring control and benefits to the elites, Beckles sided with the elites because he was now one of them.
And now with his empire building at the University of the West Indies, handsome salary and position as a titled elite, Sir Hillary had and has nothing to say on the rape that is CLICO.
No, it’s not easy for the titled elites to act on principles that conflict with their vanity.
Article written by Just another Destroyed Policyholder courtesy http://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com. Title photo courtesy jamaica-gleaner.com
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