Dear Editor,

I have no idea who the lawyers for Sarkis Izmirlian are, but whoever they are, it is clear in my view that they are giving him potentially bogus legal advice as it relates to the possible claw back of Baha Mar. What appears to be a valid contract, approved by the joint liquidators, the courts and the relevant parties, cannot just be abrogated at his request. Of course, he and his corporate entities would have a legal interest in the same, but not sufficient enough to overturn that contract.
The Minnis administration would be well advised to let this play out on its own without direct governmental intervention. If Minnis were even to attempt to touch this toxic matter, he would be sending the wrong message to potential investors, especially the foreign ones. In addition, it would leave a very sour taste in our collective mouths if he were to do so, because many Bahamians, inclusive of myself, believe that Sarkis, et al, contributed generously to the FNM election coffers. Mind you, there is no definitive proof, but there are three Cabinet ministers who would have been closely allied with him and his corporate entities prior to the elections.
If Sarkis feels aggrieved by the situation with Baha Mar, all he has to do is to take out legal proceedings to ensure that he is protected from an equitable position. No doubt, if he has a credible claim, it would be recognized by our courts. It is highly unlikely, however, that the Minnis administration, much less the courts, would simply shut down operations at that property pending the legal resolution of the salient issues. With close to 2,000 Bahamians currently employed down there and the inflow of assorted fees and charges into our public treasury, it is inconceivable that anyone would dare to interfere with the smooth operations of Baha Mar.
The appearance of Sarkis and his father at the swearing in of Dr. Minnis and some of his Cabinet colleagues at Government House several weeks ago was a bad public relations exercise. While they are legal residents in our wonderful nation, the acrimony generated over the past two years and the naked hostility between them and the former prime minister would result in great speculation and assumptions that would not bode well for our new prime minister and his team. Minnis must remain focused on the bigger picture and the real business of the people of The Bahamas.
The average Bahamian could care less about who is the actual owner or operator of Baha Mar. We want the property to remain open and to succeed, big time, for the benefit of all of us, inclusive of whoever the real owners might be. We have collectively invested too much into Baha Mar to allow it to fail or to permit hot heads and their advisors to scuttle this massive, on-the-ground investment.
The FNM was elected on three major issues: employment, crime and healthcare - no more, no less. The tolerance level of the average Bahamian today is not at all like that of our forefathers. The startling revelations about possible malfeasance on the part of the Gold Rush Administration have caused many of us a degree of discomfort and unbelief. It literally wasted our money and gave us the bird and slap on the buttocks in the process. I am certain that there is more to come. One must keep in mind, however, that it is highly unlikely that there will be any criminal charges, as most of us know that Bahamian crooks, except via an armed robbery or bank fraud, do not leave paper trails. The pirates may have been expelled, but some of them are still around parading in coat suits, white shirts and neck ties, and carrying brief cases.
If Sarkis, et al, believe that they have legal grounds on which to re-position themselves with Baha Mar, by all means, pursue the same within a court of competent jurisdiction and not via badly crafted press releases and public threats to our political directorate. The government of any country is sovereign within the limits of its constitution. As a trained lawyer, I am confused and incapable of understanding just what the hell this man is talking about. It is a given that loose lips are known to sink ships. Fool's gold is fake gold. It is possible that the former administration, now mercifully defunct, led Sarkis down the garden path. Whatever it did do, however, was done with eyes wide opened. To God, then, in all of these things be the glory.

- Ortland H. Bodie, Jr.

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