The Tribune

THE Office of the Prime Minister last night rejected Free National Movement Leader Michael Pintard's claim that an investigation had been completed into a package of “unaccompanied” Bahamian passports allegedly found on a Bahamasair flight.

Mr Pintard raised the allegation during a rally in Golden Isles on Thursday night, telling supporters that he had been informed of an incident involving a package of passports found onboard a Bahamasair aircraft "heading south", and that people had allegedly been fired. 

Pintard said: "Somebody else tell the story this way, that the bag burst and the passports fell on the ground, and an investigation had to happen. And so this flight that was heading south had a package of those passports."

Mr Pintard claimed senior government officials had remained silent about what he described as a troubling incident and questioned whether there was a “racket” at the passport office.

“When I heard the story, I refused to say anything about it because it’s too ridiculous to be true,” Mr Pintard told supporters. “There couldn’t have been an investigation. It could not have been completed. So I’m saying it tonight… Is it true or is it false? Is there a racket going on that you’ve discovered? We haven’t said you’re responsible, but your silence makes us wonder.”

He called on the prime minister to address the issue directly, accusing the government of refusing to speak publicly on the matter.

Hours later, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement rejecting the opposition leader’s claims about "a Bahamasair flight to Haiti".

“His statement is a lie,” the OPM said, adding that the Commissioner of Police, the Chief Passport Officer, the Managing Director of Bahamasair and the airline’s chairman had all confirmed no such incident occurred.

“There is no report. There is no investigation. No staff member was dismissed. The claim has no connection to the truth,” the statement continued.

The OPM further accused Mr Pintard of deliberately fuelling misinformation for political gain.

“For the Leader of the Opposition to push a lie of this scale without a single verified fact shows how far he is willing to go,” the statement said. “He is in a race to the bottom, chasing relevance and trying to revive his political standing through fear and fabrication.”

The government called on Mr Pintard to withdraw his remarks and apologise to the relevant authorities.