apartment has refused to shed any light on the situation.

Former tenant Shane Simmons recently told The Royal Gazette that Planning inspector Gerald Tuzo abused his position to make money.

And The Royal Gazette received confirmation from another tenant that Mr.

Simmons' complaints about the house were right on the mark.

A woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she lived in the lower section of the building for less than a month before cockroaches and mildew drove her out.

She confirmed reports by fellow tenant Shane Simmons and declared flatly about the residence: "It's a dump.'' "There was no hot water in the bathroom and the only lights in the house were in the kitchen and the bathroom.

"The windows don't open and the second bedroom is really more like a closet,'' she added.

"I didn't see any mice, but there were insects there -- I don't even know what they are.'' "I left because I have a son and it's not the kind of environment that I wanted,'' she added.

The woman said the rent was $1,000 per month for the apartment. But she said when she called Rent Control to find out if the amount was fair, she was told that she needed to find out what the last tenant had been paying.

She was unable to obtain this information.

When The Royal Gazette contacted Mr. Tuzo, who had been away, he refused to comment on the allegations made against him.