Former minister of Public Works (PWD) Willmoth Daniel, whose portfolio once included the Antigua Public Utilities Authorities (APUA), said he’d welcome any probe into the running of the two during his time in those positions. Daniel is confident that any investigations into his handling both institutions would rid him of corruption claims.
“I would like to see an inquiry into Willmoth Daniel during his tenure of APUA and Public Works from 2004 to 2009 because they will not find nothing in terms of Daniel being corrupt,” Daniel said on state-owned television yesterday.
“I am not involved in any corruption. I have done more for this country in roads than any government that has been there before me; I have introduced concretes roads.”
He however admitted being offered bribes, but said he steered far away from accepting any.
“People have come and said that they will set up a business on the side and I tell them I’m bad lucked,” the now health minister said.
The denial comes months after Trevor Walker, the minister who’s now in charge of both state departments, revealed that some contracts for road rehabilitation had to be cancelled after investigations revealed that work had not been done or was not completed.
Daniel did acknowledge that he used his influence, in minor instances, to secure contracts for some individuals, but lamented that he was not responsible for choosing contractors, nor did he benefit from establishing contracts for private companies.
“That is done by the director, the engineer and the PS,” he noted. “There are times when I see a local Antiguan and I’ll say, ‘See if you can help them out,’ because surely I would like to see people get a break.”
(More in today’s Daily OBSERVER)
