Mark: Smith should repay $150,000

OPPOSITION Senator Wade Mark said former sport minister Darryl Smith should repay $150,000 of taxpayers’ moneys, paid for a wrongful dismissal suit arising out of sexual harassment claims against him. Mark brought up the issue as a matter on the adjournment in the Senate yesterday.

The settlement of $150,000 was paid to Smith’s former personal secretary Carrie-Ann Moreau for wrongful dismissal after she made sexual harassment allegations against Smith, who was moved from the sport ministry to housing and then fired a day later by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Mark, in the Senate, asked what was Government’s policy on using taxpayers’ money to settle sexual harassment claims. He said the public official should be personally liable and pay the money out of personal savings and not the taxpayers’ purse.

Mark also said he did not have confidence in the three-person committee chaired by former permanent secretary and human resource expert Jacqui Wilson, which was set up by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to investigate the issue. Mark also questioned the role (if any) of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi in the matter and the non-disclosure agreement.

“The country is calling for answers,” Mark said. AG Al-Rawi, in response, said sexual harassment was not new and referenced allegations under the previous People’s Partnership administration. He said Government has no policy to use taxpayers’ funds to settle sexual harassment claims and none of the three ministers in the Office of the Attorney General were involved in the case in question. Al-Rawi said payment for unfair dismissal should not be confused with payment to settle a sexual harassment suit.