ACTING FNM Chairman Brensil Rolle yesterday denied that party Leader Dr Hubert Minnis and former Chairman Michael Pintard are locked in a bitter battle over party donations, branding the allegation as “not true” and “damaging” to both men.

He was contacted to explain the basis of an earlier statement sent out by the party, which said that there is no conflict over financial matters between Dr Minnis and former Senator Pintard.

The statement came in response to a recent tabloid article that alleged the men were fighting over donations that Mr. Pintard is allegedly holding for the party.

Mr. Rolle told The Tribune that while the party normally does not respond to tabloid reports, the claims made in the article needed to be addressed.

The tabloid article further claimed this alleged conflict was the reason why Dr Minnis compelled Mr. Pintard to resign as chairman and senator last week. This came after it was revealed that he was named in a lawsuit filed on March 9 against Peter Nygard and his lawyer Keod Smith by four Save The Bays (STB) directors - Joseph Darville, Romauld Ferreira, Fred Smith and billionaire Louis Bacon - and Reverend CB Moss.

Last week Monday, Dr Minnis told The Tribune that he asked Mr. Pintard to resign because the party doesn’t “need any deflection” and has to “concentrate on moving the PLP.”

“An article was published in the tabloid paper we thought was damaging to the leader and Mr. Pintard,” Mr. Rolle told The Tribune. “It talked about monies collected as in donations to the party being the reason for this alleged conflict.

“The fact is the statement was not true and we thought it was important to state category that it is not true. There is absolutely no truth to it.”

Earlier, the party released a statement to address the matter saying the allegations were a part of a smear campaign and an invasion of privacy against Mr. Pintard.

An earlier statement from the FNM read: “Mr. Michael Pintard, former chairman of the Free National Movement recently resigned as chairman and senator following a vicious assault by the PLP on his reputation and that of the FNM party after videos surfaced in which Peter Nygard asserted that he contributed millions of dollars to the governing PLP party’s last election campaign (in) 2012 with expectation of certain promises being fulfilled.

“By resigning, Mr. Pintard followed the honourable path so as to ensure that the baseless allegations made against him by the PLP and others would not be a source of distraction for our FNM party as we seek to replace the PLP and create a new and better Bahamas. We fully expect that the vicious accusations against Mr. Pintard will in time be shown to be completely false and politically motivated.”

The statement continued: “Despite having done the honourable thing and resign so as to address the rumours and innuendos in the public domain, our former chairman continues to be the object of a relentless smear campaign, attacks and invasion of his privacy.

“Among the wide range of lies and false innuendos directed at Mr. Pintard has been the outright lie about the FNM being in conflict with Mr. Pintard concerning financial matters. This is not so and there is absolutely no truth to this suggestion.”

The lawsuit filed by STB alleges that Mr. Nygard engaged in a murder-for-hire scheme with criminals Livingston “Toggie” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma, and paid them to stage several hate rallies and commit such criminal acts as arson and harassment. It was revealed that the criminals were tracked down with the help of Mr. Pintard.

After the story broke, audio recordings were circulated on social media of Mr. Pintard negotiating payment for the two criminals for their testimony. Mr. Nygard has since denied the claims and filed court documents claiming Mr. Pintard and Mr. Bacon conspired to implicate him in an alleged murder plot.

According to sworn statements from Bullard and Davilma, filed on behalf of Mr. Nygard, the two men alleged they were paid for false testimony against the fashion mogul. The pair further alleged that Mr. Pintard negotiated the payoff. STB has since filed a second affidavit alleging that Bullard and Davilma were paid by Mr. Nygard to give “false evidence” to his attorneys in Canada last year.

The two men also claimed, in the latest court filing, that they were “coached” to make allegations about Mr. Pintard and Save the Bays.

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

Bahamian distance runner Benjamin Najman got a drama-filled gold medal at the 45th CARIFTA Games in St. George's, Grenada this past weekend. He walked off the track after the finish line official signaled him to go on a bell lap. In the end, the official turned out to be wrong as Najman had indeed completed the 12 and a half laps and finished the race. (Photo: File)

In what turned out to be the most drama-filled gold medal at the 45th CARIFTA Games, and perhaps ever, Freeport native Benjamin Najman is the new junior regional champion in the open boys 5,000 meters (m).

In the event final, Najman completed the required 12 and a half laps around the track at the Grenada National Stadium in St. George's. However, the official rang the bell signalling that he was to be embarking on his final lap. Knowing the distance he covered, Najman stopped, raised his hand in victory, and started walking off the track. The bewildered crowd in attendance went into an uproar. Fans of track and field, particularly the Bahamian contingent, urged Najman to continue. Some shouted, "one more lap!"

Showing no signs of concern at all, Najman pleaded his case to the officials, and then waited patiently for the final outcome. Meanwhile, the two Jamaicans behind Najman, continued on their way as the finish line official signaled the bell lap for them. They were a couple of the few runners who hadn't been lapped by Najman, but as it turned out, ended up doing an extra lap.

In the end, Najman was exonerated as the official replay confirmed that he did indeed run 12 and a half laps around the track. It was the event that everyone was talking about afterwards, and the feeling among all was one of complete amazement. Hardly anyone had ever seen anything like that in the history of track and field.

"I ran the race so many times, I know what 5,000 meters are. I knew that I was finished," he said. "I knew that they would eventually watch the video and come to the conclusion that I was finished, so I wasn't worried. I had no doubt that I had finished the race."

Najman was eventually proclaimed as the gold medalist, taking the tape in 15:24.25. Shane Buchanan finished in 16:51.76, albeit taking an extra lap. His teammate Garfield Gordon won the bronze in 16:59.05, which too was inflated. Najman said he has no idea how a mistake like that could be made, particularly at such a high-profile junior regional meet.

"I just put it in God's hands and let Him have His way," said Najman. "I ended up with the gold and that's all that matters. It feels great to win the gold. The Bahamas hasn't traditionally done well in the distance races, so it feels great to win. I hope to go very far with this - make an impact in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), and on the world scene."

Najman, a sophomore at Florida State University (FSU), has experienced tremendous success in the 5,000m this season. He has developed immensely from a year ago.

The 18-year-old Bahamian distance runner set a new junior national record in the open boys 5,000m at the Ryan McCall Invite at the University of Tampa, in Tampa, Florida, earlier this season. He became the first Bahamian junior to ever run under 15 minutes in the event, clocking 14:59.11. That seed time at the CARIFTA Games this past weekend was the only one under 15 minutes. He was at least 100 meters ahead of the nearest competitor in the event at CARIFTA, before he stopped running after completing what most thought was the penultimate lap.

"I'm just happy for the win. A win is a win, and I'll certainly take it," said Najman.

Traditionally, Bahamian athletes haven't fared well in distance events. Najman is the exception. He won the silver medal in the under-18 boys 1,500m at CARIFTA in Fort-de-France, Martinique two years ago, but missed last year's games. Initially, it was thought that he might go after the 1,500-5,000 double at CARIFTA this year - a feat last done by Jamaica's Orane Wint in Hamilton, Bermuda, in 2012 - but he decided against it.

"Well, my coaches wanted me to take it easy. I've been focussing much more on the longer stuff this season, so I felt that was my best chance to win a gold," he said. "I knew that I could have still done well in the 1,500, but it would have hindered my training a bit. I'm looking forward to more success in this event going forward."

Najman returned to The Bahamas yesterday with his gold in tow, and will now head back to Tallahassee, Florida to continue his collegiate career at FSU.

By Sheldon Longley
Guardian Sports Editor

According to a press release issued yesterday, several teams of volunteers under the Change Movements Our Carmichael umbrella have mobilized to address the concerns within their community on a daily basis. One of these teams is the Our Carmichael Job Agency, which offers free services and training to help unemployed residents in the Carmichael area connect with employers both of the area and nationwide.

Teaming up with the St. Ambrose Parish located in the Carmichael community, where classes were held, the job agency recently completed its first class of participants, who will be further assisted by the job agency in locating suitable employment with their renewed passion and skills, the release said.

According to the organizers, the vision of the job agency is "to create an environment for candidates to learn, grow, be empowered and inspired while partnering with employers to become the agency of choice for human resource personnel". Its mission is, "Changing one home at a time by providing assistance for achieving self-reliance and empowerment through employment or entrepreneurship".

"The aim of the job agency's training is to assist each applicant to be successful, both in the work place and their personal lives. The training's focus was the provision of essential soft skills to ensure success in any work environment. Facilitators passionately engaged all participants with charisma and enthusiasm, as they relayed their information, to a captive group of candidates," the release said.

Some of the courses and training offered by the agency's volunteer facilitators include Stress Management, Customer Service and how to Dress for Success. Other classes include Social Media Presence and Presentation, Effective Communication, Setting Career Paths and Goals, Telephone Etiquette, Resume Format and Presentation, and Financial Planning and Budgeting Skills.

Facilitators included professionals who volunteered their time and experience, each an expert in their field and profession.

This session of training included facilitators such as Kedar Clarke, Erica Watkins-Laing, Jessica Robertson, Simmone Bowe, Janell Cambridge, Vernelle Swain, Kim Welcome and Nadia Moss. The participants even had a surprise motivational speaker and guest in the form of Julien Believe.

All topics were aimed at helping each resident in attendance to become a qualified and employable prospect as well as a motivated representative of themselves and the companies that will hire them.

One resident in attendance was so inspired from the training that she redid her resume and was hired during the training program due to the skills that had been imparted on the residents, according to the organizers.

The job agency offers employers the opportunity to pick from well-trained candidates and the opportunity to send their own staff to be a part of the training and courses at no cost to them. Individuals are invited to the next job fair this Saturday, April 2, 2015. The location will be John Chea #8, Carmichael Road, between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Employers are invited to post availabilities at no cost on the job agency's website.

For any individual who is interested in being a part of any of the initiatives or joining any of the Our Carmichael teams they can learn more via the website www.ourcarmichael.wix.com/est2015 or call 603-2326.

Companies are also invited to view the job agency's website at ourcarmichaeljobs.wix.com/agency, where they will be able to directly upload job openings for the monthly graduates of the program.

A contract valued more than $2.6 million was signed yesterday between the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and The Beck Group to start the development of a master plan for a new Freeport Community Clinic.

The Beck Group has served as the lead designer on the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Critical Care Block project and is in an advanced stage of planning for the redevelopment of PMH.

During a press conference, Minister of Health Dr. Perry Gomez said the contract signing is another demonstration of the government's commitment to the extension of health services on Grand Bahama.

The renovation of the Freeport clinic is a step forward to improving access to quality healthcare services, particularly primary health care services, according to the minister.

"It encompasses design for a 61,000-square-foot, one-storey comprehensive public health center on a 50-acre 'greenfield' site," said Gomez.

The health facility will provide space for residents to access general practice clinics, family medicine clinics, maternal and child health, mental health, and adolescent and school health services.

"The execution of this proposal between the Public Hospitals Authority and The Beck Group represents another significant investment in public health for the people of Grand Bahama, and when completed it will result in a facility that meets the demands of Grand Bahama and the Northern Bahamas not only today, but for decades to come," said Gomez.

By K. Quincy Parker

Guardian Business Editor