Permell: Imbert targeting me

Permell in a statement yesterday as head of the group said he has followed with “great consternation and dismay” the repeated attempts by Imbert to “discredit the legitimate cause of the over 15,000 Clico EFPA policyholders (including myself) who accepted the Government’s offer in 2012 in a Hobson’s choice take-it-or-leave-it scenario.” “Notwithstanding, the fact that all, we as policyholders are simply seeking to do is to get what is contractually due to us from Clico, not the Treasury.” He said this strategy has manifested itself in statements made by Imbert at the weekly post-Cabinet media conference on Thursday and then repeated in a Ministry of Finance media release on Friday. In the release, the ministry reported its records indicate that on May 22, 2012, Permell accepted the former People’s Partnership government’s offer for purchase of his Clico policies by virtue of deeds of assignment and declarations of trust in respect of two executive flexible premium annuities.

The ministry said Permell received the sum of $75,000 in cash for each policy with the rest being paid in bonds and in full and final settlement in May 2012, Permell relinquished all claims to these policies. The ministry also said Permell signed a clear and unequivocal waiver of all future claims against Clico with respect to these policies and it had been advised that Permell no longer had any contractual relationship with Clico.

Permell in response had said he was neither a Clico nor a CLF shareholder but maintained that he was a Clico policyholder.

In Permell’s release yesterday he speculated on why he being “targeted.” “It would appear that the sole purpose of this strategy is to target me, personally, as a citizen of this country with the goal of intimidating and muzzling me for speaking out and raising legitimate concerns about the controversial steal of a deal transfer of No Man’s Land from Clico to the Government at $10 a square foot, among other things. An issue, I might add that is one of national importance, affects all Clico policyholders and will not go away anytime soon.

The irony, however, is that by targeting me the ‘honourable’ minister has now unwittingly provided our group with a opportunity and a broader national platform from which to highlight the very issue that he is raising as to whether this group of policyholders are still contractually due any money from Clico once the Government is repaid.

“However, the bigger question for the national community and Prime Minister Dr Keith Christopher Rowley is: Has Minister Imbert crossed the line? Since as an elected official of the Government, he has now placed in the public domain by way of media release the private and confidential details of an ordinary citizen like myself by identifying not only the number of policies that I have with Clico but the payment made to me in respect of the Government’s offer, thereby not only placing me at risk but also the members of my family.” Permell said Imbert has also not done the Rowley administration any favours “since his actions would invariably have the knock on effect of undermining (some may say further undermining) confidence and trust by the public in a key institution of State such as the Ministry of Finance.” “Has this Minister now crossed the line?... In other words, if this minister is allowed to do this to me what about you my fellow citizens, can your private and confidential information also end up on the streets?...”