Tall Pines MP Leslie Miller yesterday threatened to reveal more information to support the government's claim that Save The Bays (STB) is seeking to destabilize the Christie administration, and said a lawyer's request for him to turn over confidential documents related to STB was "a joke".
However, Miller told The Nassau Guardian that he left the requested document on his desk in the House of Assembly, and would have no problem turning it over to Ferron J. M. Bethell, of Harry B. Sands, Lobosky & Company when the House reconvenes on April 25.
Bethell represents Fred Smith, QC, and Zack Bacon, the brother of billionaire hedge fund manager Louis Bacon.
Louis Bacon, Smith and several others claimed in a lawsuit filed on March 9 that Peter Nygard, Bacon's wealthy neighbor at Lyford Cay, and attorney Keod Smith hired hit men to murder them.
Both Nygard and Keod Smith have denied that claim.
On Friday, Bethell wrote Miller as well as Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, who revealed an email thread of several STB members in the House of Assembly on March 17.
MPs have parliamentary privilege when they speak in Parliament, but Fitzgerald's decision to reveal the emails has sparked controversy.
Earlier, Miller revealed what he claimed are the salaries of people connected to Save The Bays. He alleged that five members of Save The Bays take home a combined salary of $740,000.
Yesterday, Miller told The Nassau Guardian where he got the information.
"When I got to Parliament, a friend of mine showed me some documents and I read over one of the documents that was on my desk," he said.
"And after reading it I realized what was afoot here. There was obviously a situation where some people felt that because the government of The Bahamas was not inclined to ask Mr. Nygard to leave the country or to put him on the stop list, their view was that if the government [doesn't] get rid of him then it's better for them to get rid of the government.
"But they just wanted him out of there, out of Lyford Cay, and after reading that, when I got up to speak that's why I went into it; I was the first speaker.
"I mentioned what had taken place. And the list had all the names and salaries. I noticed that one of the entertainers (Kirkland 'KB" Bodie) came out on your show last week, and in fact said he got paid the six figures and that he is worth it.
"And I'm sure he is worth every penny. I love the guy. He is one of our best entertainers and I simply indicated what had happened."
Miller supported a claim made by Fitzgerald during the mid-year budget debate in Parliament that STB is really a political organization disguised as an environmental group.
The education minister said the sole purpose of STB is to destabilize the Christie administration. Miller told The Nassau Guardian that the group has tried to "degrade" the government. It's a claim Louis Bacon and other members of Save The Bays have strongly denied.
"It doesn't matter to me, this whole charade that they are comingwith," Miller said. "It's so asinine these two fellows out Lyford Cay. One makes a worthwhile contribution to our country by assisting all the sporting activities and everything else (Nygard).
"The other one is trying to, in my opinion, it appears to me, trying to get his way by getting rid of the fellow who he feels is a pain to him and the government is caught in the middle of it ... I think they (STB) have enough problems of their own rather than fooling around with a fellow like me because I don't want to go back to Parliament and really get into some things that I wish not to say."
Miller was referencing a recent statement in the House by Fitzgerald that the government of The Bahamas has asked the Internal Revenue Service of the United States to look into whether a U.S. entity was working with Save the Bays to orchestrate the downfall of the Christie administration.
Miller also said he takes exception to a recent statement on the matter of the email disclosures made recently by Data Protection Commissioner Sharmie Farrington-Austin. Farrington-Austin said the tabling of private correspondence in the House of Assembly is a "dangerous trend and opens the society up to chaos". While recognizing that she has no jurisdiction over Parliament, she cautioned public officials against tabling private documents in Parliament.
Miller suggested that Farrington-Austin should have remained quiet on the matter.
"... I don't know how it got to be in [her] purview as if [she is] trying to ostracize us or keep us in check," he said. "[She doesn't] have the authority to keep Parliament in check. We are the representatives of the Bahamian people elected to bring matters to the public to protect their livelihood and the destiny of our country ...".
Giorgio Bain
Guardian Staff Reporter
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