Providenciales, 7 Nov 2014 – One resident lashing out and calling the charges against the Permanent Secretary of Finance Athenee Harvey wrong and the Integrity Commission’s process a kangaroo court… saying this is an undemocratic system set up by the British and that it is terrorizing the best of the best in the country; speaking about the now instituted Integrity Commission.
“Everyone who has dealt with Athenee knows she is gentle and kind and thoughtful. And now she is tarnished for no good reasons and so we are all tarnished and divided and the British can sit back as they have done for 100s of years, and see how their rules make us easier to control, even while it’s destroying innocent lives..” Harvey had apparently been under investigation by the Integrity Commission since August for allegedly refusing to pay customs duty on some items brought in on a cruise line to the Grand Turk Cruise Center.
This writer, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained that this is all bogus and even if she did do something wrong, there are ways to deal with matter. I quote again: “Customs’ has many rules and penalties it can impose on anyone from the Premier down if they think there has been a breach of the rules. Why were these penalties not imposed if there was something wrong? We go all the way to arresting a woman who has never had a traffic ticket, and destroy her reputation? Why?” Harvey, who has been in the Ministry of Finance for ten years and has been PS of finance for two years, will have to face two counts of violating the integrity commission ordinance in court on December 1st.
The writer concluded in that Thursday letter to media with encouragement for Athenee Harvey and a warning to the Integrity Commission to, “go lightly” as they put it.
