Kirk Lamb thought he was going to get a house, not build them
Kirk Lamb has re-emerged to counter some of the accusations and questions raised by his former boss, Anthony “Boots” Martinez, on Wednesday. Today he told reporters that while he may have well signed “contracts” to build and repair houses for the Southside Poverty Alleviation Project as confirmed by the Ministry of Works, he never actually did any work. He repeated that he simply withdrew the funds for each “contract” and personally handed the money to Martinez, never receiving anything beyond his base pay as a caretaker.
Kirk Lamb, Denies Being Contractor
“I sign fi something, but I never did get no contract in my life fi build no house. When the check come in my name, I go collect it – we go da Treasury and collect it and he deh deh so and wait for the money and I give the money to him. I noh get know contract fi seh – I noh even know why…I mi think da my house I sign fa.”
Reporter
“But you can read? Did you read the contract?”
Kirk Lamb
Kirk Lamb
“At that moment I was so confused I neva did read it; I di be real, I neva read no contract. I think I mi di get my house. If I be a contractor, I supposed to have a license, and all kinds of tools to be a contractor; I neva build a house yet in my life; nobody know me – I does be caretaker for the building and security; I neva get no contract fi say build no house or get material.”
Reporter
“The Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Works, Errol Gentle, says that you built some houses, at least four houses and stuff like this in 2015.”
Kirk Lamb
“From I know myself, like I di tell you again, I neva did get no contract fi seh fi get material fi build no house, none at all. I gahn sign fi da thing deh weh he se I sign fa, and he gi me contract – deh neva did give me no contract in my life and you could ask anybody in the community if I am any contractor. I does go da Treasury first and pick up the check, and when I pick up di check I might go change it da bank or JL’s [Quick Loan] and sometimes he would be in the pickup outside waiting on me, and I gethe money and put it in the envelope and give it to Boots Martinez. I noh control no money and I noh control no material and I neva get no contract. I might gone sign da thing fi wah contract but I neva get no contract. I noh play with no money, I give the money to him.”
Reporter
“And he give you a fifty dollars out of it?”
Reporter
Just a fifty dollars?”
Kirk Lamb
“I noh wah tell you no lie: dah no no lot a money; Boots get all the money, he dah di boss.”
Reporter
“You were employed by him, right?”
Kirk Lamb
“That’s right, ma’am.”
Reporter
“So would he put a cut in your pay, maybe you get more pay?”
Kirk Lamb
“My salary weh I does get da two hundred dollars a week. I have a loan right there at St. John’s Credit Union. So when I get my pay, fifty goes toward my loan weh I got and twenty-five goes towards my shares I have, so when I get mi pay I only get one [hundred and] twenty-five [dollars].”
