FNM tells PM fire Gibson

Tue, Apr 25th 2017, 12:53 AM

The revelation that Labour Minister Shane Gibson accepted thousands of dollars in "contributions for community projects" from Canadian fashion tycoon Peter Nygard between 2012 and 2013, is grounds for the minister to be fired, according to the Free National Movement (FNM).
The latest scandal comes amid a hailstorm of political leaks as the general election nears.
"While Bahamians struggle to put food on the table, Shane Gibson [was] receiving payments from an eccentric, foreign billionaire," charged FNM Chairman Sidney Collie yesterday.
"Once again, I and the FNM demand that Prime Minister [Perry] Christie fire the whole lot of his Cabinet members for their inexcusable scams.
"If Christie does not act at once, this is the final straw for his leadership.
"...It's time he goes into the sunset, so we can bring prosperity back and be rid of this pox on our country."
Information obtained by The Nassau Guardian shows that Nygard International Partnership made direct payments of US$5,000 per month into the Bank of America account of Gibson prior to the general election in 2012 and into 2013 when he was a minister.
The earliest payment appears to have been made in July 2011. The last payment shown in the leaked records was in early 2013.
When asked to explain the contributions from Nygard, Gibson told The Guardian on Sunday that the contributions went towards his 2012 election campaign and the debt incurred at the time, as well as aiding in the continuation of community initiatives, including a scholarship program.
Gibson noted that his Bank of America account is disclosed in his annual disclosure and added that the account was closed more than two years ago.
There are no laws governing campaign finance and, despite repeated pronouncements while in opposition that his administration would address the issue of money and elections, Christie has not done so, and budgets introduced in the last four-and-a-half years have been void of election funding for parties and individuals running in a general election.
This revelation is the latest in a series of leaks during the election season revealing scathing financial dealings of political candidates.
Among these was the revelation that Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald had solicited contracts from then Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian for his family's business.
Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson has also been scrutinized for her family's interest in Baha Mar, which she acknowledged in 2015.
The FNM has called for the termination of Fitzgerald and Maynard-Gibson for their involvement in Baha Mar.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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