The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

OPPOSITION Leader Dr Hubert Minnis last night named Deputy Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis as the mastermind behind an alleged “set up” of former Free National Movement (FNM) Senator and Chairman Michael Pintard amid allegations of a murderous plot orchestrated by Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard.

Afterwards Prime Minister Perry Christie questioned whether one of two men named in court documents as being hired by Mr Nygard to allegedly commit crimes, made a threat on his life after leaving a meeting at Dr Minnis’ west New Providence home.

Mr Christie several times questioned what was discussed between Dr Minnis and Livingston “Toggie” Bullard during these meetings. He also chastised Dr Minnis for not calling the police when told of the allegations, adding that the Killarney MP allowed his chairman “to go and be set up”.

On Monday, Dr Minnis admitted to The Tribune that Mr Bullard, a self-professed “gang member”, asked to meet him to warn Mr Pintard he was about to be “set up” by members of government. He previously said he did not discuss Mr Nygard in those meetings but met with Mr Bullard twice more, when the criminal brought him fish.

Last night in Parliament, Dr Minnis referred to the Deputy Prime Minister, linking him to the alleged plan and read portions of sworn statements from Mr Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma. However these comments were not allowed into the record of the House.

He said after Mr Bullard came to his home and explained that “Davis and them planning on setting up your chairman”, he did not inform police, but instead called Mr Pintard and told him not to attend any meeting. He said Mr Pintard defied his request.

“Mr Bullard came by my residence, a constituent, and he said to me and I quote utilising his exact name, that ‘Davis and them planning on setting up your chairman Mr Pintard’. Mr Speaker, the words he said was ‘Davis and them planning on setting up your chairman’.

“I subsequently called my chairman and I said to the chairman that if you were planning on attending any meeting I would advise you not to attend because I have been informed that you are being set up.

“Mr Speaker the chairman attended a meeting. At such meeting the chairman was recorded.”

Dr Minnis referenced the men’s sworn statements to substantiate his points; however Fox Hill MP Fred Mitchell rose to have these comments withdrawn because he said the documents Dr Minnis referred to could not be relied on as truth.

Mr Mitchell also said it was fascinating to see the company Dr Minnis keeps.

The Prime Minister then stood to weigh in on the back and forth as seated MPs taunted and jeered the Opposition leader.

Mr Christie repeated that his life had been threatened by the men allegedly hired by Mr Nygard but warned that there should be no further discussion of the matter in the House of Assembly as it would cause the session to deteriorate into false allegations.

He said: “I have asserted in this House, in papers filed, my life was threatened. The member now acknowledges that the person was in his house talking to him. Am I now to assume what level of conversation they had of me? Did he (Mr Bullard) leave there and go and threaten my life? What was the meeting about?

“Toggie, Boogie however it is. I am just telling you how it could be. This member admitted to meeting these people and, Mr Speaker, that is why we must be very careful of this because it would deteriorate this debate into false allegations that demeans this House and the good honour of this House. We should not go down that road.”

Lie detector

Dr Minnis said he accepted responsibility for what was said to him, adding he had no problem speaking with police. He then shouted passionately to members seated on the opposite side that he was prepared to take a lie detector test, suggesting that this would determine whether he was truthful in his previous statement to the House.

Dr Minnis said: “I know what I heard and I know what conversation I had. If you are that concerned Prime Minister, I am prepared to take a lie detector test. Would you do it?”

Responding, Mr Christie said he would like Dr Minnis to take a test as to whether he rented his building to the Ministry of Health when he served as Health Minister in the previous Ingraham administration.

“It is not for me to subject myself to a lie detector test because I am not one of those who is subject to any investigation I think,” Mr Christie said. “You need to, because when you were faced with your chairman threatened to be set up you ought to have called the police.

“When I was faced with the reality that these allegations were made I called the Minister for National Security and said I would wish for the authorities to be involved. The immediate response was let the police investigate. You allowed your chairman to go and be set up.”

Dr Minnis then asked: “Mr Speaker, everyone to listen to me carefully, the Prime Minister said you allowed your chairman to be set up - are you admitting that my chairman was set up?”

Mr Christie then insisted that he was referring to Dr Minnis’ comments and that it appeared that some event would take place that was against the law. He repeated that the Killarney MP should have acted in a way consistent with what he did when he found out that there was a possibility that the law was broken.

“What you did in your home I presume you will be able to explain to police. If the police apprehend these people who were in your home, if they say what you say, then that’s it.”

Mr Christie added: “The point of the matter is I have no knowledge. The point is why did you allow your man to walk into that what you say was a trap?”

In an affidavit from US investigator John Joseph DiPaolo, filed in the Supreme Court on March 9, Mr Bullard and Mr Davilma accuse Mr Nygard of hiring them to commit crimes against members of the Save The Bays group.

Mr Pintard was named in court documents as being instrumental in uncovering the alleged Nygard conspiracy.

However, Mr Nygard has filed an affidavit and supporting statements alleging to show evidence that Mr Pintard and his billionaire neighbour Louis Bacon committed crimes while participating in a plan to implicate him in a murder plot.