Former faith-based tourism boss Andre Curtis claims to have spent $70,000 on last year's Joint Worship Service at the National Stadium — but star performer Bishop John Francis still hasn't been paid.

The Premier's controversial political campaigner was last night facing yet more unanswered questions over what has happened to the taxpayers' money which was given to his private firm to run the scheme.

After refusing to comment on faith-based tourism for months, last week Premier and Tourism Minister Ewart Brown produced a breakdown detailing how Mr. Curtis had spent $208,000 organising 12 events throughout 2007-08.

According to Dr. Brown, the biggest chunk of that cash — $70,024 — was directed to last October's multi-church celebration at the National Stadium.

However, none of that cash has found its way to Bishop Francis, of the UK, who yesterday said he remains massively out of pocket by Mr. Curtis' failure to reimburse him for thousands of pounds spent bringing singers and musicians to the event.

Yesterday, The Royal Gazette asked Bishop Francis' administrator Catherine Minott whether he was still waiting to receive his money from Mr. Curtis.

She replied in an e-mail: "Yep — I doubt if we ever will. We've just washed our hands of the case and will make sure that this will never happen to us again."

Asked whether Mr. Curtis had made any payments at all, Miss Minott responded: "We have received ZERO from Mr. Curtis."

This newspaper first reported Bishop Francis had not been paid two months ago, with Miss Minott saying the event had left a sour taste in their mouths.

"We believe that fellow Christians should operate in good faith and with integrity," she said at the time.

Mr. Curtis has not been returning our phone calls this week, but the last time he spoke about Bishop Francis, in April, he said: "He got it today. It was only a few dollars. He got it today. It was a mistake. That's between him and I."

Dr. Brown claims 52 tourists were lured to the Joint Worship Service, but Opposition MP Wayne Furbert says most of these were performers and others brought by Bishop Francis.

Overall, the Premier says 482 visitors came to faith-based tourism get-togethers — around a fifth of the 2,200 Mr. Curtis was supposed to attract to justify receiving $345,000 taxpayers' money.

If you subtract events to which Mr. Curtis directed no money, such as the Women of Vision conference in February, the number of visitors drops to 238. Mr. Furbert says if you don't count the performers themselves, the figure probably gets as low as ten.

Pastor Jamal Bryant, who flew from Baltimore to the Island for a performance last November, has also claimed he has not been paid by Mr. Curtis.

What do you think? E-mail tsmith@royalgazette.bm