The Tribune

SAVE The Bays (STB) chairman Joseph Darville yesterday said the environmental group has “never made a financial contribution” to any political party or politician.

His statement came after speculation arose that STB may have contributed to the opposition Free National Movement (FNM). In a statement, Mr Darville said the group is “disappointed” in the “weak, half-hearted” response from the FNM to the “malicious rumours”.

Earlier this month, Brensil Rolle, who was acting FNM chairman at the time, told The Tribune he was unsure whether the party had received money from the environmental lobby group but noted the organisation did receive a donation from the law firm of one of its top directors, Callenders & Co.

STB Director Fred Smith is a managing partner at Callenders & Co.

When asked about the speculation, former FNM Chairman Michael Pintard said earlier this month: “Not to my knowledge, no cheque [from STB] has ever passed through to the FNM. For people to make the connection from Fred Smith - he has given to the FNM campaign and individual members of the PLP for some 35 years.”

However, Mr Darville has strongly refuted the rumours.

“I hereby state unequivocally and for the record that the social and environmental advocacy group known as Save The Bays has never made a financial contribution of any kind to any political party or individual politician in The Bahamas or elsewhere,” Mr Darville’s statement said.

“The suggestion that STB is or has ever been a funder of the opposition Free National Movement is totally unfounded and, we believe, nothing more than a calculated attempt by certain agents of the governing party to smear our organisation, the FNM, or both with some vague hint of impropriety, all for political gain.

“At that same time, I must say that we have been disappointed in the weak, half-hearted response of the FNM to these malicious rumours, which should have been condemned in the strongest terms from the outset.”