The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday refused to address a US court filing that describes $30,000 found on convicted drug trafficker Jonathan Eric Gardiner after the Election Day plane crash as campaign-related cash.

Asked if he would address claims that the cash found aboard the plane involved campaign funds, Mr Davis said: “No.”

He then walked away avoiding other questions.

The Bahamas has no campaign finance legislation requiring political parties to disclose donors, report the sources of campaign money, limit cash contributions or reveal whether controversial figures have funded election activity.

That gap has continuously drawn criticism. The OAS has other organisations have repeatedly recommended  that The Bahamas introduce campaign finance regulations. The US government has also warned that campaign financing in The Bahamas remains open to abuse, exposing the country’s governance to “corruption and foreign influence”.

Gardiner’s defence has now pushed that weakness into the heart of his criminal case.

In a recent filing, his lawyer, Susie Ribero-Ayala, argued that the $30,000 found after the Election Day plane crash was “campaign-related cash being transported on the day of a national election.”

The filing said about $20,000 in Bahamian currency was withdrawn from Gardiner’s company account on May 11. Ms Ribero-Ayala argued that only $5,000 was allegedly intended for the unnamed “Politician 1.”

She also pointed to the absence of strict campaign finance rules in The Bahamas, noting that political donations can be made in cash and that the presence of the money could be viewed more than one way.

“Consequently, the existence of Bahamian currency associated with political activity on election day is susceptible to explanations wholly unrelated to narcotics trafficking,” her filing states.

During the budget debate, Mr Davis said allegations in a US federal affidavit were “far too serious” to be reduced to political spectacle and accused the opposition of trying to destroy people’s character.

Foreign Affairs Minister and PLP chairman Fred Mitchell previously dismissed claims linking the party to Gardiner’s arrest, saying any speculation beyond known facts was premature. He said it was irresponsible to suggest “there’s something nefarious going on with the Progressive Liberal Party or any of our politicians” and said: “I assure you that is not the case.”