Disgraced Disaster Reconstruction Authority Managing Director Kay Forbes-Smith was able to build and complete a lavish house in Grand Bahama during the Minnis Administration’s four years in office thanks to her many incomes.
The gated home, named “Lakay”, sits on a vast landscaped property and features high ceilings and an outdoor chandelier on the front porch.
It’s no wonder Forbes-Smith is suing the Davis Administration in an attempt to hold on to her bloated salary and many allowances.
In December 2019, Then-Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis appointed Forbes-Smith as DRA chief with an annual salary of $110,000.
Under the four-year fixed-term contract, Forbes-Smith also received a $30,000 housing allowance each year, an annual duty allowance of $15,000, a monthly fuel allowance of $250 and 15% gratuity.
Before she faced pressure to relinquish one of her government-appointed roles, Forbes-Smith was also pulling in a salary as Senate President - which also came with perks.
Under the FNM government, she was also appointed the local consultant and advisor for Carnival Cruise Line, which came under scrutiny following reports that its ships unlawfully dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of treated sewage and more than 8,000 gallons of food waste in Bahamian waters in 2017.
Did Forbes-Smith need a mortgage to pay for the lavish Lakay or was she able to fund the fast construction of her new abode through those multiple incomes secured under the former government?
She is one of several prominent FNM members who have built pricy homes over the last four years.
Former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Lanisha Rolle, who resigned following a scathing audit of her ministry, is in the final stretch of construction on a massive multi-level home in the luxurious gated community, Lake Cunnningham Estates.