By Clint Chan Tack Saturday, October 3 2009

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I have proof: Independent Senator Michael Annisette supports his statements with documents in the Senate on Thursday night. ...

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Annisette claimed Rowley received a $500,000 donation for his 2007 General Election campaign from NH International Caribbean (NHIC) chairman Emile Elias. He also slammed Rowley for saying he should not participate in debate on the Bill and either resign from Udecott’s board or resign as an Independent Senator.

In response, Rowley declared: “That statement (by Annisette) put in the Parliament that I received support (from Elias) is an outright lie.”



Stating he never received any $500,000 campaign contribution from Elias, Rowley said the budget for his 2007 election campaign in Diego Martin West was nowhere near this figure. He explained the funds were raised by his campaign team “Friends of Diego Martin West,” through a series of fund-raisers and by contributions from friends and relatives.



Rowley said for an Independent Senator to come to the Parliament and make such an accusation under the cloak of Parliamentary privilege, demonstrates the person is unfit to hold such a position and reflects the destruction that is taking place in a critical institution like the Parliament.



Stating he has no personal animosity towards Annisette, Rowley explained his submission to the Uff Commission of Inquiry regarding a company in which Annisette was a director was simply him performing his duty as an elected Member of Parliament and not an attack against the senator.



He said his submission had to do with Udecott and trying to determine whether that company was a beneficiary of Udecott’s largesse.



Rowley also took “strong objection” to Annisette’s references to the Landate housing project. He reminded the senator that all allegations of corruption regarding that project were the subject of a commission of inquiry and an investigation by the Integrity Commission.



Rowley added it was public knowledge that all the relevant authorities which investigated that matter have since “deemed it to be dead.”



He said if Annisette needed further clarification, he had in his possession a letter of exoneration from the Integrity Commission regarding Landate.



Rowley declared that while his own character has been “most examined” during his career in public life, today he “stands unblemished.”



Asked if Annisette should be referred to the Senate’s Privileges Committee, Rowley said the Senate was Annisette’s forum while his was the House of Representatives and he would speak there if necessary.



Elias said there was no truth to Annisette’s statements and he would make a full response once he obtains a Hansard copy of Annisette’s contribution and studies it in detail.