The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement officials yesterday pressed the Davis administration to say what it is doing to identify the person described in a recent United States court filing as “Politician-1”, warning that if the person is among those being sworn in to Parliament today, they should not be allowed to take the oath until the allegations are fully investigated.

The demand came as pressure mounted over allegations that an unnamed politician met inside the House of Assembly with people believed to be members of a drug trafficking cartel, a claim opposition figures said has stained the country’s reputation and raised urgent questions about whether the person could be returning to Parliament.

The government has said it has received no official information from US authorities identifying any public official in the matter – that it does not know the identity of the person known as ‘Politician-1.’

However, FNM figures pressed the administration to say whether it knows more than it has disclosed, what steps it is taking to confirm the politician’s identity, and whether anyone facing such allegations will be allowed to sit in Parliament.

In a video circulating on Facebook, FNM Deputy Leader Shanendon Cartwright said the allegations had brought “disrepute not only to this institution but to the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

“The government must stand up and let the Bahamian people know who is this politician who was in this house, is it someone who, in fact, will be sworn in tomorrow to come back in this house?” he said.

“The question is today, why is the government so silent on this issue that has brought reputational damage not only to this institution but to the people of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. There's a collective cry throughout this country, the people of this country are demanding answers.”

“How could it be in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas that someone who is sworn to protect the constitution of this country and who should be a lawmaker, not a lawbreaker, how does this happen?”

Mr Cartwright noted that the FNM has called for a commission of inquiry into the allegations.

Party chairman Dr Duane Sands added: “...the country has been rocked by allegations that Bahamian government officials and a high-ranking politician are complicit in a trans-national multi-million dollar drug trafficking scheme.” He added: “Simply put, this politician was meetings in the halls on parliament trying to swing a $30 million drug deal. International press has picked up on this dark story . But it feels like we back in the 1980s when our Bahamas was a ‘nation for sale,’ because the PLP was letting drug dealers poison the bodies and spirits of the country’s sons and daughters, with coke.

“We were overrun with drug money, corrupting our country and government at every level. And sadly today, the press is reporting on the ‘cocaine files’ with the most sickening allegation about government officials.”

He asked if there were ‘one, two, three or more people’ in the Prime MInister’s government ‘selling out our Bahamas to cocaine cowboys. The Bahamian people are demanding plenty answers from Philip Davis. Is he investigating the matter or will he simply ignore the allegations made by the US government? Why is the prime minister jeapordising our relationship with the United States? The allegation suggest that one of his cabinet minister gave government contracts to Eric Gardiner. The allegations further suggest that the drug money may have been laundered through these contracts.”

He demanded to know of any business dealings and contracts the government had with Gardiner, now under arrest in the US having been charged with drug smuggling offences.

Long Island MP-elect Dr Andre Rollins said he believes the Davis administration knows the identity of the politician referenced in the US court documents.

Dr Rollins alleged that, to limit further embarrassment, the administration excluded the politician from Cabinet and did not reappoint the person as a parliamentary secretary.

“Th PLP politician in question has brought shame and disgrace to our country and our parliament,” Dr Rollins said. “He has caused people to once again be reminded of the 1980 drug era when international media notoriously labeled our country as “A Nation For Sale.” This was the badly tarnished reputation that the FNM, under the leadership of Hubert Ingraham, fought valiantly to change.”

“Rather than allow this matter to bring even further embarrassment to our country, this individual should do the honourable thing, which is to not take his seat at the opening of parliament tomorrow. If he lacks the moral compass to guide him to do the right thing, the PLP, in the national interest, should force him to do so.”

Dr Rollins pointed to a press release from West Grand Bahama MP-elect Kingsley Smith, saying it did not explicitly deny involvement. He said Mr Smith should directly answer whether he met in Parliament to discuss a $30m cocaine transshipment.

Former FNM candidate Heather Hunt also called on the government to say what it knows about the identity of “Politician-1” and what steps it is taking to establish who the person is.

“Who the hell is politician number one?” she said in a Facebook Live. “Who is it? If the government of the Bahamas does not know who it is, the Prime Minister needs to be saying to us, the Bahamian people, that he's going to move heaven and earth to find out who the hell is politician number one, who had the audacity to sit in our sacred house, strike a deal with DEA agents, get recorded, and bring shame to our nation once again.”