In sunny Turks and Caicos, 'political amorality' forces Britain to retake control
She said they used a private jet to take personal vacations to Africa, Europe, and the United States and that she was led to believe the Gulfstream G-1159 belonged to them, and had even designed a family crest to be embroidered into its carpet. In fact, the public treasury of this territory of 32,000 people was paying for the jet, which was leased for $100,000 a month from a company owned by the country's US lobbyist, Jeffrey Watson, a personal friend of Misick who stayed at their $8 million Providenciales home.
After coming to power, Misick's salary and allowances doubled to $288,000 a year, which investigators pointed out was more than that received by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. ("I submit I have done more for Turks and Caicos than Gordon Brown has done for England," Misick responded at the inquiry.)
While in office, the prime minister, a real estate broker, continued to collect real estate commissions and, according to investigators, received $20 million in personal loans from banks, political appointees, and developers, many of which he conceded under questioning that he had not yet been required to make payments on.
"He was giving control of the country to developers," says Robert d'Arceuil, a Providenciales attorney who says the government had become "authoritarian and dictatorial," squelching opposition politicians' access to the media and "stealing" public land and resources.
British direct rule a necessary evil?
