The Nassau Guardian
Millers owe BEC over $200,000
Despite railing against Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) employees who he claimed allowed the corporation’s delinquent accounts to mount by giving “breaks to their friends”, BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller and one of his family-owned businesses collectively owe the corporation nearly a quarter of a million dollars, The Nassau Guardian can confirm.
BEC records obtained by The Nassau Guardian show that a Harrold Road building registered with BEC in Miller’s name owes the corporation $46,373.77.
Those records also show that a Harrold Road bowling alley, owned by Summerwinds Investments Ltd., owes the corporation $193,159.56.
Both businesses owed BEC a total of $239,533.33 as of yesterday.
The Harrold Road business registered to BEC in the name Leslie O. Miller is also $45,289.09 delinquent, according to BEC records.
The records show that no payment has been made on the bill since October, 2013.
Those records also show that the bowling alley is $172,474.63 delinquent.
Harrold Road was renamed Tonique Williams-Darling Highway in 2005.
When initially asked by The Guardian in the foyer of the House of Assembly to respond to the findings yesterday, Miller said he would not discuss his personal business or the business of any other customer with the media, no matter “what the amount is or how insignificant”.
However, Miller later contacted The Guardian and acknowledged that both businesses owe BEC money, though he did not confirm how much.
Miller said his daughters, who manage Mario’s Bowling and Family Entertainment Palace, and their accountant, informed him that they have an “ongoing situation where they give them (BEC) a check every week”.
“They give [BEC] a minimum of $5,000 every week and they say they are getting ready now to give them a substantive check on the balance that is owed,” Miller said.
Asked why the arrears on Mario’s was so high, Miller said everyone’s accounts get high when the economy goes bad.
He said nearly every business in the country was hit hard as a result of the recession .
As for Mario’s, Miller said when parents are struggling they do not patronize the establishment, and it loses 80 percent of its patrons, who are teenagers and children.
“I think there has been financial hardship for most of [those types of businesses] in this country,” he said.
Miller said his family did not tell him how much Mario’s owes.
As it relates to Sunburst Paints, which occupies the building on Harrold Road, Miller said over the last several years he has not paid attention to it, especially after his business partner died in an accident.
“We are, in fact, just getting Sunburst Paints back on track again so that will be dealt with in short order,” he said.
Conflict
BEC’s accounts receivable are in excess of $130 million.
Last week, Miller blamed BEC employees for the more than 20,000 customers who are $5,000 or more in arrears.
According to Miller, homeowners are responsible for 75 percent of that figure.
He claimed employees have been giving “breaks to their friends”, which has contributed to the financial hemorrhaging at BEC over the years.
The president of the unions at BEC said they felt insulted by Miller’s charge.
They also said they found Miller’s comments unbecoming and out of line.
When asked whether he felt there is a conflict in making those statements, Miller said yesterday, “No. I don’t think so.
“Many, many people owe BEC large amounts of [money] and most of them do what you normally do, you make an arrangement and you try to bring yourself up to date,” he said.
“That is what everyone has been doing. I don’t think they (his daughters) did it because they didn’t know that whatever is due now, [was due] then.”
Campaign to collect arrears
Over the past two years, Miller has issued stern warnings to major hotels and commercial consumers to pay up or face disconnection.
His most recent threat came in June 2013, as the corporation reportedly clamped down on arrears.
At the time, Miller said the corporation could not allow major hotels and other companies to remain delinquent.
According to Miller, one company reportedly owed BEC $10 million.
During a press conference at BEC’s headquarters on Baillou Hill Road, Miller said BEC does not get much out of going after ordinary Bahamians who are struggling to make ends meet.
Yesterday, Miller maintained that some “major conglomerates” in the country, who have the ability to pay, owe tens of millions of dollars.
Miller has also gone after some delinquent residential customers who had significant bills.
In October 2013, nearly half the delinquent residential customers — around 200 — on Inagua were plunged into darkness for failure to pay more than $500,000 they owed.
He said at the time that many customers had not paid their bills in over four years, despite benefitting from bill reductions and several assistance programs.
With respect to Inagua, residential customers’ bills ranged form $3,500 to $13,000.
Disclosure
Miller was also asked whether he has listed Sunburst Paints and its liabilities as a part of his financial disclosures.
“You can see those things when we issue our public disclosures,” he said at the House.
He did not say whether the money the companies owes to BEC will be included in his financial disclosure.
Miller also admitted that he has not submitted his financial disclosures documents to the Public Disclosure Commission.
He said he expects to do so on Friday.
“The prime minister has indicated to all of us, members of Parliament, including the opposition and his party, last week Thursday, that we need to bring ourselves up to date and everyone has been committed to doing so,” he said.
“It is being done right now.”
The legal deadline for disclosure was March 1.
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