The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

PRESSURE mounted from PLPs yesterday who demanded answers from government and the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest over damaging fraud allegations.

Yesterday, just after documents of a second case of allegations against Mr Turnquest emerged, Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis, issued another statement calling for Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, to address the matter.

On Friday, Mr Davis said Mr Turnquest should resign. If he did not, he said the Prime Minister should demand it.

Although not named as a defendant in a case alleging a $27m fraud, Mr Turnquest was accused of issuing “fraudulent loans” between companies on which he served as a director.

Since the allegations emerged there has been no comment from the Office of the Prime Minister or Free National Movement chairman, Carl Culmer.

“We have been waiting for some word from the Prime Minister on what his view is on the allegations of impropriety against his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance made by the law firm of Michael Scott, Chairman of the Hotel Corporation,” said Mr Davis in a statement released yesterday.

“The accusations of a conspiracy to defraud a foreign investor of $20m have been in the public domain since 19 November 2020. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Free National Movement Chairman has had a word to say in the deputy prime minister’s defence.”

“It is time to hear from the Prime Minister from the comfort of his beach holiday in San Salvador,” Mr Davis continued, as he took a swipe at the Prime Minister heading to San Salvador for the weekend. “Silence suggests that the Deputy Prime Minister does not have the Prime Minister’s support. We demand answers.”

Weighing in on the situation faced by Mr Turnquest, former PLP Cabinet Minister, George Smith, said the thing for him to do is just resign his position and hope that the courts will exonerate him.

“In the Westminster System when public figures, particularly those in charge, the political directors of a country, when charges occur what the politician ought to do is to tender his resignation and if the whole thing turns out that he is vindicated then he lives to fight in the political arena another day,” Mr Smith said.

“The matter is technically before this court. It is before the court in another jurisdiction, there is the public murmur and this individual has, probably in terms Ministerial responsibility, the most demanding job of anybody in the Cabinet, short of the authority of the Prime Minister to appoint and to dis-appoint Cabinet ministers.”

In terms of DPM Turnquest’s responsibility as a Cabinet minister, Mr Smith said there are few Cabinet posts that rival that of the Minister of Finance, particularly the way Cabinet portfolios are structured in The Bahamas.

“So the honourable course is clear and I think that most people would hope that, if what he claims to be the case is true, then he must have faith in the system and faith in the system suggests that if the case is unfounded, then the faith will lead to vindication,” Mr Smith said.

Former State Legal Affairs Minister Damien Gomez QC, also called on the DPM to resign as he felt the accusations of fraud have implications for The Bahamas.

“Mr Turnquest may well be innocent of the public allegations of financial misconduct and criminal acts contained in a published writ of summons filed by the firm of Mr Michael Scott, QC. While the deputy prime minister professes his innocence as he is so entitled, the public interest looms much larger than his personal issues,” Mr Gomez said.

“Surely, the government should at the very least make a public assurance that its relevant agencies have become engaged and that they are each performing their legal duties, including contacting the US Justice Department to ascertain what accounting evidence it or any other government department (such as the IRS) might have to assist our local functionaries in their investigation and making a similar request of the principal of the companies that have made these most serious allegations.”

Mr Gomez said this is not a matter that can be compromised, and the public has every right to expect the investigation to be transparent and fair to both the accused and the accusers.

He, too, raised concerns about the “deafening silence” of the government on this matter.

“The opposition has properly requested a public response from the government. Days have passed in deafening silence,” Mr Gomez continued. “In the meantime, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance ought to resign from Cabinet in accordance with the conventions of the Westminster system of government.

“Alternatively, the Prime Minister is obliged to dismiss his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the public interest. It is apposite to note the reputation of The Bahamas. We have relations with the FATF, the CFATF, the OECD, the IDB, the CDB, the OAS, ECLAC, the World Bank, the IMF, the EU, Canada and the USA. Our national and international standing is not a political football nor is this matter a game.”

Mr Gomez said the country demands no less from its political leadership and those charged with the duty to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour nor regard to the station of those alleged to be guilty of very serious criminal matters impacting the country’s standing in the financial services global environment.