Eight Hundred and Twenty-five thousand vanished to shell company is yet to be recovered
Nassau, Bahamas – Former Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool Wallace was in Nassau this past Friday and was sitting up big as billy at the funeral services of former FNM Chairman Charles Maynard.
Wallace was allegedly embroiled in a serious scheme which led to the payment of tens of thousands in taxpayers dollars to a shell company in the US.
Now Bahamians must note here that the Tourism Ministry has an account in a US bank and from the looks of things someone not only got off with big money, but has yet to be questioned on the crime – But BP is not putting down the story.
The scandal within the former Ingraham Government first surfaced with only days to go before the May 7th General Elections.
It involved a $1.65 million dollar contract awarded to an American company in August of 2010.
Documents supplied to BP and the country showed the Ministry of Tourism paid the some of eight hundred and twenty-five thousand plus pocket expenses to a shell company, which had no board, staff, or associate offices to carry out the terms of its contract with the Bahamas Government.
In fact, readers would remember the company was found to have only $10 in its Delaware Bank Account according to US/Bahamian lawyers who tracked down the operation.
And it gets even more interesting here. Some are suggesting US authorities could now open a “Tax Evasion” probe against the principal of the company who many believe never declared his income for the shell operation, and this could spell trouble for a former Cabinet Minister in the Ingraham Government.
Some say if the Americans open a probe, the principal could begin singing like a canary, and we believe, his squeals would be felt up to the highest office of the land once held by some very strange and shady men.
In June this year the current Minister of Tourism advised the press that a thorough investigation into the developments at Tourism and in particular into this Scandal was being done, and that not long from now, the findings by the professionals will be reported to the government and “we would have to make it public”, Wilchcombe said.
But since those statements by the current Minister of Tourism, the matter has been hushed like death and not a word has come from the steps of the Tourism office.
Bahamas Press has commenced its own digging into the story, and are talking with senior officers within the Government and agencies in the US to track the payments and transfers of the funds paid to the shell company.
Our information thus far has led us to an offshore centre in Barbados, where we believe one of the strange characters in the “deal” has appeared like holograms.
We await the findings of the government and we hope someone goes to jail!
Who “tief” our money out of Tourism is all we wana know?
BP is asking and nobody is saying a damn word…
Stay Tuned!!!
