Opposition Leader to provide evidence against Nicholls

Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace says he will provide evidence that Rishatha Nicholls, the secretary he fired in March 2013, had taken money that belonged to late talk show host Elwardo Lynch.{{more}}

Eustace stated his intention yesterday on the New Times radio programme on Nice Radio.

His statement follows a declaration by former Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell at Lynch’s funeral on Saturday, that the talk show host had told him that Nicholls did not owe him.

“I visited Lynch several times and I made it my business when the confusion arose about payments to him.

“I said ‘E G (and I was there in the presence of others), tell me, I want to hear from you, how much money Rishatha Nicholls owes you?’ He said, ‘The lady has no money for me.’ I heard that myself,” Sir James said during his tribute to Lynch at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

Eustace took to the airways to refute Mitchell’s claim, saying that he has a letter written by Lynch which states that Nicholls “took money that belonged to him.”

“… (She) was paying it back to him monthly and a few days after she was fired she ran and paid him off the balance,” the Opposition leader hit back.

“But Sir James says … Lynch told him she didn’t owe anything, but I will deal with that in writing.”

Eustace had used this allegation against Nicholls as one of the reasons for dismissing her in March 2013.

He also stated in the dismissal letter that Nicholls had failed to prepare the Vote Book, and that he had lost confidence in her.

Six months after firing Nicholls, Eustace was ordered by the Labour Department to pay her $16,199.99 in compensation, as he had failed to prove that he had dismissed her for good cause.

Eustace said that he had chosen to ignore some comments made by Mitchell about him (Eustace) and the New Democratic Party that he (Mitchell) founded, but insisted that he would be circulating a letter in response to this recent claim by his former leader.

“What is the purpose of that statement he made about Lynch told him that she didn’t do anything… What is the intention in Lynch’s funeral of bringing that matter up?

“Is that to say that I am lying? Well the letter will prove that I am not lying,” Eustace said.

Nicholls received her severance payment from Eustace in April 2014.