The Tribune

LAWYERS for Philip "Brave" Davis have denied statements made in a letter written by Amir Weissfisch claiming that he and his elder brother "would get an extremely attractive deal and price with a land development project which he had in mind" provided they donated to his 2002 election campaign and the PLP won the government.

"This is completely untrue. It never happened," wrote Wayne Munroe, of Munroe & Associates, in a letter sent by e-mail to The Tribune.

The letter complained of - written by Amir Weissfisch, under the heading "Brave and his link to Salsa Beach" - was published in The Tribune on Friday, May 4.

"This allegation is false, scandalous and disparages our client in his office as attorney-at-law, a member of parliament and as the deputy leader of Her Majesty's official Opposition," wrote Mr Robert Adams, head of the litigation department at Graham, Thompson & Co. This letter was hand delivered to The Tribune after 10pm on Saturday by a partner of the firm.

According to Amir Weissfisch in his letter: "Over the course of the next few weeks (in 2002) companies for which Philip Davis was a trustee and director donated approximately $200,000 to the PLP, including the value of buying and shipping 22,000 polo shirts to be distributed to their supporters."

Mr Weissfisch claimed that after the PLP's 2002 election victory, "Rami (his elder brother) had several meetings with Philip Davis to discuss various potential projects in the Bahamas." The property in question consisted of more than 6,000 acres in the Winding Bay, Half Sound and Hatchet Bay area of Eleuthera.

The Bahamas, wrote Mr Munroe, has been Rami Weisfisch's home for many years.

"While he has assisted his friends in political campaigns he has never done so in return for favour but only out of friendship. My client has given contributions to his friends who are members of the FNM, the PLP and the DNA. He does not give contributions to political parties.

"The assertion that any contribution my client gave was given in return for a political favour is defamatory as it is designed to and would tend to lower him in the estimation of reasonable thinking persons in this society as well as in the international business community."

Mr Munroe said that "while the letter suggests a political favour was exchanged for a campaign contribution the contents of the letter would disclose that three years after the PLP won the elections in 2002 no special deal had been delivered to our client or was any ever delivered. This in and of itself should have alerted you to the fact that the letter by Amir was probably untrue and malicious."

Mr Munroe also pointed out that Mr Davis "was never a government minister in the former PLP government".

Mr Munroe said his firm had been "instructed to commence proceedings against Amir Weissfisch for libel and documents are being drawn up for service".