Former chairman of the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Frank Smith yesterday denied charges that he abused his position by extorting $65,000 from a woman who held a contract with the body.
Smith, 52, was arraigned on 13 counts of extortion, one count of attempted extortion and one count of bribery when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.
Prosecutors allege that Smith, who served as a
senator in the former Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) administration, demanded that Barbara Hanna pay him $5,000 per month for his assistance in helping her get a contract with the PHA.
According to the prosecution, Smith received 13 extortion payments from April 2016 to April 2017.
Smith is accused of attempting to extort $5,000 from Hanna during May 2017.
Smith pleaded not guilty and has elected to be tried before a magistrate.
Ferguson-Pratt has not determined who will hear the matter and has set a status hearing for August 18.
The magistrate noted that the names of the proposed witnesses in the case were not listed on the docket.
Smith's lawyer, Damian Gomez, QC, said he was not even aware of the identities of the proposed witnesses.
She said, "The defendant must know the case against him. At the moment, he doesn't know."
Anthony Delaney, chief counsel in the Attorney General's Office, said that the witnesses' names had not been listed due to concerns over witness intimidation.
However, he said disclosure would be made in due course.
The magistrate did not have the jurisdiction to grant bail and Smith was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.
However, Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs granted him $50,000 bail an hour later.
Smith's wife, Sharlyn, his father-in-law Sir Franklyn Wilson and mother-in-law Lady Sharon Wilson, along with other family, friends and PLP supporters, including former Minister of State for National Security Keith Bell and former PLP Chairman Raynard Rigby, supported him in court.

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