The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY Keod Smith has vehemently denied allegations stacked against him in a lengthy Supreme Court writ filed by Lyford Cay billionaire Louis Bacon and several Save The Bays directors.

Mr Smith, a former PLP MP, accused Mr Bacon of using his "massive wealth" to abuse court process in an attempt to punish his courage in exposing Mr Bacon's true character.

Save The Bays directors Joseph Darville, Romauld Ferreira, Fred Smith and Mr Bacon and Reverend CB Moss have filed a writ in the Supreme Court against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard and Keod Smith.

The men allege that Keod Smith assisted Mr Nygard as he orchestrated a two-and-a-half-year campaign of fear and violence to “kill or scare off” activists he saw as opponents to development plans for his Lyford Cay property.

In a statement to Forbes magazine on Thursday, Mr Nygard’s spokesperson, Sharon Clarke, said: “Mr Nygard absolutely denies such preposterous allegations. The matter is presently under review by his lawyers for appropriate action.”

On Friday Keod Smith said: "I issue this statement to firstly defend my professional, ethical and humanitarian integrity against the vicious and patently false assertions and allegations.

"I deny in their entirety, the assertions and allegations that either in my personal or professional capacity, I have been involved or I am involved in any criminal conduct and behaviour against the persons identified in the stories that appears in the two referenced publications.

"I deny most vehemently the insidious and reprehensible assertions and allegation that I “hired hit men” to “kill” the persons identified in the referenced newspaper stories."

Keod Smith pledged to defend his integrity and innocence vigorously "in every court of law on Planet Earth". He called the allegations fraudulent and untruthful.

The allegations are detailed in the affidavit from John Joseph DiPaolo, a Fort Lauderdale investigator paid for by Save The Bays. Mr DiPaolo, along with a team of retired FBI, Scotland Yard and Bahamian investigators, concluded that Mr Nygard paid Livingston “Toggie” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma to harass the organisation and commit criminal acts.

According to the court documents, the plaintiffs compensated Mr Bullard and Mr Davilma for being whistleblowers in exposing Mr Nygard’s alleged criminal activities. The pair claim that Keod Smith worked with them to stage several protests against Save the Bays.

Keod Smith denied any association with the men.

"I have never been associated with nor have I ever met with to discuss in any shape or form, or otherwise have any conversation with the two men identified in The Tribune as being “paid thugs” and “criminals”, and the persons behind the Affidavits that are referenced in this abuse of the process of the Court.

"If Messrs Louis Bacon, Fred Smith and their associates were and are so afraid of these men for their personal safety, how is that these two men became their bosom buddies and private house and business guests?"