A former consultant to two Premiers has hit back at House of Assembly claims he gained $450,000 from Government contracts.

PLP Human Affairs spokesman Rolfe Commissiong said the cash covered five years for work as a consultant to former Premiers Dr Ewart Brown and Paula Cox.

Mr Commissiong, who was away on Parliamentary business when Finance Minister Bob Richards made the claims in the House of Assembly, said: “I never had a contract longer than one year for every year.

“I think Mr Richards is dissembling in this matter and, more egregiously, he is mixing apples and oranges.”

Mr Richards made the allegation during a row over the declaration of interests in Government contracts prior to the last General Election. And he added that any business dealings he had fell under exceptions to the rule and that he was entitled to stand for Parliament.

He said he had not disqualified himself as a candidate due to a failure to disclose business links with Government — and took aim at members of the previous PLP administration who had benefited from Government business.

Mr Richards, who said PLP MP Walton Brown had received a $770,000 contract under the PLP, retracted the statement and clarified it as several contracts over several years.

Mr Commissiong said: “The debate was about whether MPs had any Government interests in the run-up to the General Election. Notwithstanding his error on the issue of the contracts, he mixed apples and oranges.

“That didn’t apply to anyone singled out in the House of Assembly. My final Government contract concluded approximately a year prior to the General Election taking place.”

Mr Commissiong added that he was overseas on Parliamentary business when the debate took place and was unable to defend himself in the House at the time.