The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A BMW valued at $30,000 that was reported stolen from a rental company in Florida was later found in New Providence and said to be owned by Nassau Village’s incumbent MP Dion Smith, documents obtained by The Tribune show.

When found on the East Bay Street condominium property where Mr Smith lives, the BWM 328I bore a New Providence licence plate but did not have a licence disc affixed to its windshield, according to the leaked documents, raising questions about how a stolen vehicle was licensed without proper paperwork displaying its ownership.

Mr Smith, the Deputy Speaker of the recently dissolved House of Assembly, could not be reached for comment despite numerous attempts by The Tribune to contact him over the past several days. However, Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts, told The Tribune that he spoke to Mr Smith about the issue several weeks ago after learning about “rumours” concerning the matter. According to Mr Roberts, Mr Smith had told him that he had bought the car from a local bank whose identity has been withheld by The Tribune.

According to Mr Roberts, Mr Smith told him he later sold the car to another man.

The rental company, Budget Rent a Car System Inc, traced its car to the Bahamas some time between 2015 to 2016.

It shared this information with officials at the Bahamas Consulate office in Miami. Subsequent inquiries led officials to determine that the car was said to be owned by Mr Smith, documents seen by this newspaper show.

A Broward County Sheriff Department employee told The Tribune yesterday that the car was discovered abandoned in Hollywood, Florida, on February 9 this year.

However, a Bahamas Department of Customs officer intimately familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, claimed that the car was returned from the Bahamas to its owner late last year.

The reason for this disparity is not known.

According to a letter sent from a Department of Customs official in 2015 to the Comptroller of Customs, a man from Grand Bahama identified as a person involved in illicit trade activities in South Florida used an alias to rent the BMW from the rental company on August 22, 2015.

The man registered the car under the fake identity “Trevor Johnson” of Carmichael Road NW 20th Street.

The car was supposed to be returned on August 24, 2015, but attempts by the rental company to get the man to return the car failed. The rental company subsequently filed a complaint with the police.

“Based on a previous enquiry we determined that the name, address and driver’s licence number (provided by the person) was false,” the letter, written last September by a senior Bahamas customs and revenue officer based in the US, noted.

The authenticity of the letter has been confirmed by The Tribune.

“The representative from Budget Rental contacted this office and advised that they have information that their vehicle is in New Providence,” the letter continued. “They also provided the coordinates of the location of the vehicle. Based on the information and the enquiry made, we have confirmed that the vehicle is currently in New Providence at Pilot House, East Bay Street.

“The vehicle does not have a license disc affixed to the windshield; however it bears New Providence license plates ... and (is) said to be owned by Dion Smith who resides at the same address. The original vehicle information number is also affixed to the vehicle.

“Budget Rental Group has provided a copy of the rental agreement and a copy of the Broward County Sheriff Police report. The rental company has expressed strongly to have their vehicle returned to them.”

Customs Comptroller Charles Turner declined to discuss the matter with The Tribune yesterday, saying the department does not discuss confidential information from customs files.

Asked about imported stolen vehicles more generally, he said all vehicles that leave the US must be cleared by US customs.

“Things do happen,” he added. “That same vehicle, not only did it not come through (Bahamas) customs, but it did not pass through customs clearance on the US side.”

In the past, customs and police officials have said some people who buy stolen vehicles are “victims of the circumstances.”

It’s not clear whether officials determined that to be the case in this instance.

Officials have repeatedly advised the public to check with police and customs officials before buying vehicles.