The Clifton Review
The Clifton Review is a bi-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires, the links to unsavory characters, the use of the courts for personal agendas, the involvement of the Government opposition party (the FNM), and the attacks on the Government of The Bahamas.
What Is The Truth Behind the Bacon-Nygard Battle?
For years now we have been watching the unfolding of the Clifton Saga that has evolved into a billionaires’ battle in The Bahamas. It has been mysterious, intriguing, and entertaining—to say the least. But, circumstances have now taken a perilous turn.
How dare Louis Bacon, under the guise of Save The Bays, attempt to interfere with our democracy, control the voices of the people’s representatives and, force his will on a sovereign nation? How dare they disparage the characters of our government leaders and defame our country’s good name? How dare he think that he can use our courts for his own agenda and that his billions can buy whatever he wants from Bahamians? As a citizen of this sovereign nation, it is high time I stand up, speak up, and say my piece.
But let’s review the facts and the chronology of events:
• 2004: The challenge to Peter Nygard’s access to Nygard Cay
Bacon started denying Peter Nygard access to his property at the tip of Lyford Cay by blocking the road that leads to Nygard Cay.
• November 2009: The Nygard Cay fire
A mysterious fire burned down Peter Nygard’s house at Nygard Cay. A certain individual is suspected of starting the fire.
• July 2010: The ‘Easement’ Court Battle
Peter Nygard took Bacon to court to force Bacon to grant Nygard access to his own property. Peter Nygard won the court case and Bacon was ordered to allow Nygard access to his own property—Nygard Cay.
• 2010: The Request for Government Approvals
Peter Nygard submitted an application for permits to rebuild his house after the fire and a request to be deeded land that bordered his property from the ocean through accretion.
• January 2013: The Formation of Save The Bays
The Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay, later renamed Save The Bays, was incorporated in the Bahamas as a non-profit environmental group by lawyer Fred Smith. Louis Bacon is its financial backer.
• May 2013: Save The Bays court injunction against the Government.
In one of its first acts, Save The Bays filed a court injunction to stop the Bahamian Government from granting approval to Peter Nygard to rebuild his house on Nygard Cay.
• February 2015: Bacon’s secret plot to frame Peter Nygard.
Bacon’s representatives paid Bobo & Toggie to give false evidence about Peter Nygard and to secretly record conversations in an attempt to frame Peter Nygard.
• February 2015: The FNM’s role in the set up-
Michael Pintard was present when Bobo & Toggie were paid by Bacon operatives to give false evidence against Peter Nygard. He instructed the criminals to secretly record Peter Nygard, according to a transcript of a tape recording of the meeting later submitted to the court.
• June 2015: The plot against Peter Nygard is put into action.
Bobo and Toggie arrange for a meeting with Peter Nygard and secretly recorded him. Peter Nygard is recorded refusing their offer to break the law.
• July 2015: Bacon’s defeat in New York court
A U.S. judge dismissed 105 of the allegedly 135 defamatory statements at the heart of Bacon’s lawsuit against Peter Nygard.
• November 2015: Peter Nygard calls for a truce.
Peter Nygard released a statement before Christmas suggesting that all parties involved in the dispute, including Bacon, agree to set aside their differences and stop wasting money on an unnecessary battle and instead put those resources toward helping impoverished Bahamians.
• March 2016: A sham lawsuit leveled by Save The Bays as a part of the plot against Peter Nygard.
The secret recordings of Bobo and Toggie were used by Save The Bays, Louis Bacon, Fred Smith and others to falsely accuse Peter Nygard and his lawyer Keod Smith of plotting crimes against them. Bobo & Toggie failed to get Peter Nygard to hire them to carry out crimes against Bacon. Still, Bacon’s operatives submitted the tape recordings supplied by Bobo and Toggie even though it confirms that Peter Nygard never took part in any such plot.
• March 2016: Bobo and Toggie admits Bacon’s operatives paid them
Bobo and Toggie signed sworn statements that were filed in the court case. The statements stated that after Bobo and Toggie’s initial meeting with Bacon’s operatives and Pintard, Bacon’s operatives paid them to provide false evidence against Peter Nygard. Also included in the filing was a tape recording and transcript of the February 2015 meeting that revealed that Michael Pintard was involved in the framing of Peter Nygard and was present when the two characters, who demanded $5 million for their roles in the plot, received the initial $50,000 in cash.
• March 2016: Senator and FNM Chairman, Michael Pintard, disgraced.
The unsuccessful attempt to frame Nygard using Bobo & Toggie and tie in the PLP backfires. Pintard was forced to resign as Senator and Chairman of the Free National Movement political party after revelations that he was a part of the plot, or at the very least, was present when Bobo and Toggie were paid to carry out the plot against Nygard.
• March 2016: The PLP discovers the truth about Save The Bays and Louis Bacon.
Some Members of Parliament disclosed information confirming that Louis Bacon was the sole funder of Save The Bays, and that various persons were being paid between $100,000 and $250,000 to launch attacks and a smear campaign against Peter Nygard and the Government of The Bahamas.
• March 2016: Prime Minister of The Bahamas condemns Save the Bays
Prime Minister Perry Christie accused Save The Bays of trying to perpetuate a lie against him and of spending $20 million to undermine him.
• March 2016: Attorney General calls on help from US Feds.
Minister of Education Jerome Fitzgerald told Parliament that Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson will ask the IRS, FBI and Justice Department to investigate the tax deductions taken by Bacon’s US charity, Moore Charitable Foundation, to determine if they are legitimate. It is believed that the US charity is how Bacon finances Save The Bays, which Fitzgerald called a political organization disguised as an environmental group that is trying to destabilize the Government. In a previous interview, Fred Smith, director and attorney for Save The Bays admitted that Save The Bays is a political organization.
• March 2016: Peter Nygard fights back on efforts to frame him.
Peter Nygard filed a writ accusing leaders of the FNM, Save The Bays, several prominent law firms and the Tribune of trying to frame him on criminal acts.
• April 2016: Fred Smith moves to silence free speech and the freedom of information.
Following the revelations about Save The Bays in the House of Assembly by the Members of Parliament, Fred Smith used the courts to issue a writ against ‘persons unknown’ preventing any information from Save The Bays to be published through the media.
• April 2016: Fred Smith’s move to interfere with Parliament’s Privilege
Fred Smith used the courts to attempt to silence the Members of Parliament from talking about Save The Bays and not allow them free speech in the House of Assembly as Parliamentary Privilege allows. Justice Charles issued an injunction against Members of Parliament, which challenges their right to Parliamentary Privilege thus creating a constitutional crisis.
• April 29th 2016: Attorney General Allyson Gibson moves in the Supreme Court to set aside the injunction.
So, this leaves many questions to be answered:
What is the real reason Louis Bacon and Save The Bays don’t want Mr. Peter Nygard to get permission to rebuild his Nygard Cay home?
What is the real reason Bacon and his cohorts seek to destroy the character of Peter Nygard in the minds of the Bahamian people and erase the good he has done in The Bahamas?
What is the real reason Save The Bays was formed and where are their supposed environmental projects?
What is the real reason various Save The Bays’ cohorts have fought against and continue to fight so vehemently against Peter Nygard?
Why didn’t Bacon agree to a truce with Peter Nygard instead of spending millions of dollars on this fight?
How could Bacon operatives get away with a plan to pay Bobo & Toggie millions of dollars to frame Peter Nygard and with paying Bobo & Toggie to give a false affidavit?
Why did Michael Pintard and the FNM get involved and how could they allow Bacon, Fred Smith and associates to use them in this way?
How could Save The Bays and Fred Smith be allowed to use the courts with a sham lawsuit as a part of the plot of framing Peter Nygard and get away with it?
What is the real reason a writ was taken out against “Persons Unknown” concerning payments from Louis Bacon to Save The Bays and its cohorts’?
How can a Supreme Court Justice injunct a democratic parliament making privilege statements?
Why is Bacon, a foreign national, being allowed to establish a political organization to destabilize the Bahamian Government, and what does the United States IRS, FBI and Justice Department have to say about this and Bacon Save The Bays’ 501c3 status?
What’s the truth behind all this? Let’s examine these questions together—from the beginning to the end, one question at a time. Let’s explore the issues and what it all means. More importantly, let’s stand up, speak up, and not allow anyone to attempt to control our government for their own personal agenda. Any foreign persons found engaged in such attempts should be considered persona non grata and asked to leave forthwith.
By P. J. Malone
