The Tribune

FNM party leader Dr Hubert Minnis has withdrawn his complaint against a PLP supporter who he claimed had threatened to kill him at an FNM Grill n’ Chill event at the Ingraham Park in Coopers Town, Abaco, on Saturday, September 15.

The suspect was arrested and charged by police the next day. However, this Wednesday morning, Dr Minnis appeared before the Stipendiary and Circuit Magistrate in Marsh Harbour to obtain the court’s permission to withdraw his complaint.

Dr Minnis made the decision, said Mr Carl Bethel, when “it became apparent that the defendant would lose his job as a result of the matter.” Dr Minnis told the court that he “did not wish to cause any hardship to the defendant,” Mr Bethel said.

Dr Minnis had just finished his speech on the night of September 15, when it was alleged that a man said: “Once I kill you, the FNM is dead.”

The man, believed to be a government employee, then walked away. Dr Minnis reported the incident to the police who questioned the suspect on Sunday morning, September 16.

The suspect later said that the “threats” were not meant to be taken seriously. It was only “political talk,” he said at the time. He told police that the exchange of words between himself and Dr Minnis was all in the name of politics and he had no intention of harming the FNM leader. It is claimed he told police that he and Dr Minnis are personal friends. They were engaged in a political debate, he said, when the threats were made.