Former Minister Beache, Senator Baptiste clash

Two days after former Government Minister Glen Beache denied having discussions with opposition senator Anesia Baptiste about the financial status of the National Commercial Bank (NCB), Baptiste is firing back with the warning that she will make more disclosures if pushed.{{more}}

Baptiste, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday evening, says that she has no reason to lie on Beache.

“If he bothers me, and I am telling you the truth, I will talk out more things,” says Baptiste.

Two weeks ago, Baptiste disclosed that Beache, who was the Minister of Tourism when she served that Ministry as Communications Officer, had encouraged her to withdraw her money from the NCB after claiming that he saw overdrafts at the Bank, which compromised its liquidity.

But on Monday, March 28, Beache commenting on the issue, said: “I never had any discussions with Miss Baptiste about anything with NCB bank. I have never seen NCB’s overdraft in my life; not as a Cabinet Minister, and now that I am CEO [Tourism Authority] even worse.”

He said if he had chosen to give advice to anyone that individual would have to be a personal friend, and “Miss Baptiste and I have never been that close for me to give that advice if it was true.”

Baptiste has refuted Beache’s claim and has said that she is shocked that he speaks of them as if they are complete strangers when he has told her in the past that he is not speaking to her as the Minister, but as a friend.

She said it was never her intention to disclose details of prior conversations with Beache, but when he went on radio a few weeks ago and claimed that she was dishonest, she defended herself by using that example to show that he had indeed confided in her and had no qualms about her.

Baptiste said after Beache gave her the information about the Bank’s financial standing, she shared the information with her husband, one of her brothers, and the treasurer of the Thusian Institute for Religious Liberty (TIRL), who is also the Associate Director of the institution.

She said she told the persons closest to her, because the church that she attends as well as TIRL had accounts at the NCB and she became “sincerely worried” after the conversation with Beache.

Baptiste claims that other persons were present when Beache had the discussion with her, but does not want to call their names, as she has no desire to get them involved.

“The point is, I took it that he was genuinely concerned,” said Baptiste, noting that she and her colleagues took a stance on Beache’s advice.

“Right now there is no money in the church account in NCB, because we took out the money. I am telling you the honest truth,” said Baptiste, adding that they were worried about the liquidity of the Bank as well and had fears that they would lose the monies lodged there.

“We would not have done that if I did not regard the information that Minister Beache…said to me as valid,” said Baptiste.

She said she chose to expose the conversation that Beache had with her about the Bank’s financial status, after he accused her of dishonesty on a radio programme, shortly after she had complained that her husband was hit by a police officer during one of the protests at the House of Assembly.

“I knew he was talking about me and I was very disappointed, because I said on the radio that day ‘He knows me. I worked with him. He knows that I am not a dishonest person. He knows my husband, too.’

“And that is when I said: ‘He should not be speaking like that because he of all persons knows that all is not well with the Government’ and I said for example, I remember when I was working there he actually warned me about banking with NCB and he said he was concerned about the overdraft at the Bank. … He asked me if I had an account there. I said ‘no Minister’ and he said ‘Oh because I was just going to tell you if you had one there, you should really close it because there is so much overdraft in the bank and I am concerned’,” said Baptiste.

“I actually took action based on what he said, and it is a matter of fact,” said Baptiste.