And while the political intrigues continue to swirl – we have an interesting side-note. Dwain Davis may be the first man to be charged by press conference with a media prosecutor doing the cross examination. Don’t follow? Here’s how it works. You know how you just heard him tell Keith Swift that he did nothing wrong? Fair enough – that’s the thing to say at court – but that’s now what he told us on July thirteenth when Jules Vasquez asked him about making cash payments for amounts grater than fifty dollars. To go over it again, here’s what we asked and what he said.
[July 13th 2009]
Dwain Davis, Director of Finance
“Whether it is accepted or not, I really don’t know but it is a term that I’ve seen used here from the time I cam here. A number of things were paid out with that. As I said before there are times the council finds itself in a position, we can’t write a check, because the bank account is to its hilt.”
Jules Vasquez,
Mr. Davis is there not a regulation that stipulates all payments from City Council over $50 have to be made by check, you are talking about cash.
Dwain Davis,
“Yes there is such a stipulation but as I said you, there are times, many times, we cannot write a check and then what do we have, people standing up out here quarrelling for their money because that is going to happen. So we try to pay them off.”
Jules Vasquez,
But sir that is not just a invention, that is the City Council Act that stipulates that payments over $50 must be by check. So at least you’re aware of that part of the law was being systematically ignored.
Dwain Davis,
“Yes I am aware.”
Now that’s more than just a cool “gotcha” moment fished from our news archive; that’s actual evidence! Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Lynn Branker Taitt today confirmed that those remarks are the basis of the charges for failure to comply with City Council Regulations.
