When the House members leave the floor of the Parliament, what could Christie, Ingraham and Co. be cooking up for their next public fight? Bahamaspress.com is certain, based on information now in our possession, that Mr. Christie more then Laing, wants ‘Mona Vie’ to go away. PLPs are not aware of that just yet, read details below.
Nassau, The Bahamas – Before we can even release our story and present our findings on this blog, members of the PLP’s public relations arm were already placing a spin on our headline announcement of Mr. Christie and his apparent silent reaction to the ‘Mona Vie’/Laing saga. As if to caution revelations coming to our desk [read our rss comments below.] However, we can confirm that a brother, in the former PLP Cabinet has yet to be announced for his involvement of items seized by the Customs Department, including tons of foreign liquors in the Bluff on Andros, back in 2005.
Like the premature comments on developments amounting to some $20 billion dollars in foreign direct investments and groundbreakings before May 2nd, 2007, members of the Progressive Liberal Party should think before they talk, and listen before they speak. Tuesday [the night of the PLP’s rally] was April Fool’s Day, but who they think they were fooling calling a rally to talk about ‘Mona Vie’, whilst the leader spoke in silent to the issue?
Bahamaspress.com said around 3pm Wednesday, that we are, “…ready to release information coming to our attention as to why former Prime Minister and leader of the PLP appears to stay in the shadow of the ‘Mona Vie’ scandal involving Junior Minister Zhivargo Laing.”
Standing in the rain last night, members of the PLP waited as they listened to Perry Christie’s edited message to supporters in the country. The PLP circulated Tuesday online and on the broadcast media, the announcement of the town meeting, saying it would highlight, “…the continuing conflict of interest scandal involving the Junior Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister’s position on the matter will be discussed.”
However after waiting on the long list of speakers, eager listeners on radio heard former Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, again shuffled around the scandal involving Zhivargo Laing.
Bahamaspress.com notes, just if no one remembers, at a PLP press conference on March 19th, members of the Progressive Liberal Party released a report of their findings surrounding the ‘Mona Vie’ scandal. The report was read and presented to the media by leader of opposition business in the House, Dr. Bernard Nottage. Mr. Christie did not speak nor lead the party’s fact-finding mission at the press conference, but rather sat “paralyzed looking” in the corner of the room.
Then, a debate erupted in the House of Assembly where Prime Minister Rt. Honourable Hubert Ingraham defended Laing and said, “I have concluded that Minister Laing acted within the scope and ambit of the authority delegated and entrusted to him by myself as Minister of Finance.”
Days after reading his colleague’s report [the same report Christie sat paralyzed-looking when delivered] and after Prime Minister Ingraham made his statements of confidence in Laing in the House of Assembly, Mr. Christie finally released a statement through his spokesman. And with apparent reluctance, called for Laing to, “explain why he did not remove himself from any aspect of this decision. His decision aided his family members.” The statement read.
Noting all this, added to last evening, Mr. Christie did not touch the word ‘Mona Vie’. In fact his full text was never released for public viewing on the party’s website. One must wonder if Mr. Christie has fear with the words; “Mona Vie”, “Scandal”, or “Customs Department!”
Exactly three years ago, back in April 2, 2005 members of the customs department landed in Andros responding to a tip, that trailers filled with items were being smuggled into the island and shipped to Nassau in smaller portions. During that seizure, members of the daily press sought to attack the then Minister of Immigration Vincent Peet for being a conspirator with the persons moving the items into the island in their quest to evade tariffs on the items. The untaxed items in the raid were vehicles along with illegal immigrants, along with other items.
According to customs officials at the time, the minister’s name [Peet] had come up in their investigation and suggested that allegations against the then Minister of Immigration had been personally or politically motivated.
The minister also denied any involvement and dismissed the charges as “total and utter nonsense.” The minister then went on record in the media, stating that he fully support the investigations.
However since that incident, not a single person has been brought before the courts for this illegal peddling of items. To this date there has been not a word on the results of the investigation from John Rolle, the former Comptroller, nor the former minister in charge of Customs, former Prime Minister Perry Christie.
Documents coming to Bahamaspress.com revealed the names listed in that investigation, especially with attached comments to a second raid in Morgan’s Bluff, Andros that same week. The raid netted yet another host of untaxed items including luxury cars, motorcycles, a boat, a tractor head and a trailer full of alcoholic beverages, customs announced in the report to the media. John Rolle went as far as to say that the raid was not as significant as the first, where over $290,000 worth of items were seized.
Persons close to the investigation asked the same question we at Bahamaspress.com are asking, “Why have the results of this investigation never come to the fore?” Was Perry Christie aware that someone in his Cabinet, possibly defrauding the custom’s department, the same department he headed as Minister of Finance? And if Mr. Christie was unaware of the incident that bears the name of a brother who sat in his Cabinet, what did the former prime minister do to see that the laws governing this area of government were upheld and that investigation concluded with persons coming before the courts?
Perhaps, Mr. Ingraham needs to ask for the results of that Morgan Bluff raid back in 2005.
Or better yet, Love97Fm should send a team down to Eleuthera again and ask former Comptroller of Customs a simple question. Who was the owner of the items seized in the Morgan Bluff raid in Andros, back in April, 2005?
Now we know why the leader of the PLP Perry Christie, is appearing to avoid anything named “Mona Vie”.
Hey BahamasPress maybe Mr. Christie wants to give his other brothers a shot at the lime light. And quite frankly if this happened under the PLP watch and the people allowed it to happen SHAME ON THEM. Now that the FNM are in Power and did this and the “people” wanna dry them out, they can’t scream now, “The PLP did the same a few years ago”. Should have spoken years ago when it happened. And to Sharon who wants to find out what happened to the investigation I think you should have been asking this quite some time ago as well.
Yeah BahamasPress entertaining bringing up this issue but my friend unfortunately the Bahamian public did/said nothing about this back them don’t make too much sense dealing with it now- or the FNM’s in power they can do their investigations in the time being however, we need to finalize the Zhivargo Laing situation.
And like GCF I support bringing in foreign police particularly Europeans to “assist”/WATCH our policemen.
I am Shocked & Appalled By The Current State of This Country
What is amazing is the fact that whilst over 14,396 persons have since hit this particular page, not a single PLP have read in to the details of this article. Why is the Leader of the PLP avoiding this Mona Vie issue? What is being avoided here?
Bahamaspress.com/Editor
^ Co-sign GCF
I could be wrong, but for what I’ve experience, the only possible solution is to bring in 2,000 British police, to police our police.
Amid allegations of massive corruption, I am now publicly calling for the resignation of Commissioner Reginald Ferguson.
I will give Commissioner Ferguson ample time to resign with his integrity intact. If he refuses to do so (Which I hope he does), after such time has passed I will present evidence for public opinion as to why he must go and do so now.
I have said on may occasions that “the society in which we live requires a combined national security force, one that upholds the law with visible and diligent service, in the realm of honor and the forum of both grace and integrity, while coexisting with he very civilians they have sworn to protect”.
Commissioner Reginald Ferguson is an utter disgrace and I am calling for him to do the honorable thing and resign. I have sworn my aligence to the truth and nothing but the truth. I will as I have said in the past expose one by one those who are committing indecent acts and present themselves as being upright citizens while openly persecuting wrong doers.
Between 1997-2001 while heading the D.E.U the now Commissioner has engaged in unethical practices which goes all the way up to US federal levels. I am now calling on the US Ambassador Mr. Ned Siegal to launch an internal investigation in the DEA branch of the Embassy. I swear if he does not resign in a timely fashion I will be delighted to expose him, a magistrate, a few high ranking government officials, a banker at the Bank of The Bahamas and a DEA agent for massive corruption. I am and ashamed at what I read along with the sworn documents in my possession.
I was told that I could very well lose my life for this one, well then so be it as long as these corrupt bastards are exposed. Next in line for public exposure will be none other than Mr. Herbert Brown at the Public Hospitals Authority for gross mismanagement of government funds but first I want to deal with Commissioner Ferguson.
If I am to make a recommendation in anticipation of his resignation, I think in the absence of both Dames and Greenslade, Mr. Keith Bell would be my first choice to replace Mr. Ferguson. We need thinkers not corrupt individuals in charge of the Police force. The entire force knows he is corrupt and now I can prove it without a doubt. Commissioner Ferguson your choices are clear, Resign or leave in disgrace and face possible prison term. I have now openly given you two choices now I will leave you Mr. Ferguson with two words.
Try me…
Okay you all want something to debate over try this:
I am not offended at all. I am just satisfied to know that I got your attention. So stop pointing the finger and get in to help solve the problem.
SORRY Mr. Archer, I offended you.
But, there you go again, measuring someone up, to YOUR intellectual capacity.
However, the world is not impressed.
You are right the average person does not know or even care about GDP. My question, Do you think they would care, if they did know? I think so. And there in lies the challenge GCF. It is our responsibility to ensure each one of us teach each one of them. Each one must teach one again. Furthermore GCF, you are as limited as the acronym that defines you. Instead of insulting those who lack intellectual capacity help them so that they can help themselves become a better people. It’s called nation building you wasted semen.
Sir, you are aware, PM RT. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham and Hon. Perry G. Christie have been friends for many years.
FRIENDS? That is the problem we face throughout our society. Everybody wants to be TOO…friendly and cover-up corruption, disregard law and order, in the name of FRIENDSHIP.
Example: A young man peddling drugs in Bain town ran as he saw a marked police car. One of his partners in crime shouted, …you don’t have to run… I “dun” pay that car off for tonight. How sad.
I sometimes listen to the politicians, as well as guys like you “SIR”, whom I label as “intellectual masturbators”. I say no more.
The average Bahamian does not know and do not care about GDP. To some it may mean: GRAB “DA” PURSE.
What Bahamians are aware of is they are now paying for everything. TALK isn’t CHEAP any more, some one decided to put a heavy price on TALK, and turn around and tells you, YA TALKIN FA LESS.
In the past years, every weekend I looked forward to watching ZNS, GAMES OF THE WEEK in professional sports. But someone said lets make them people pay for that! Even though the other company were not paying for the electronic feed themselves.
The saddest of them all is what Bahamians are paying for drinking water. To be frank we are wasting much more money on water that gasoline (every living creature must consume water). We must to stop accusing the oil rich nation for price gorging. We are a WATER RICH nation. A gallon of water should not cost more that 25¢ in the Bahamas. WAKE BAHAMAS!
PM RT. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham and Hon. Perry G. Christie have been friends for many years and that will not change. True friendship transcends political divide no matter what. So let’s stop the silly talk about who is who boss, and who Sir Lynden thought was more capable. That type of language only serves to lower our political language precisely at the time when it needs to be risen. We must put God first in all that we do, we must address the problem of violent sexual crimes against children in our country, we must agitate for land reform, we must agitate for education reform, we must agitate for a citizens protective agency (to protect the right of the victim), Independent Oversight Committee (to investigate complaints of police corruption and brutality), Immigration reform (after Tommy secure the borders first), With 19 deaths in almost as mant weeks, we must address the problem of crime, The economy is headed South towards Mr. Recession, Minister of State for Finance Hon. Laing predicted a GDP growth for 2008 of 3.5% on the low end and 4% on the high end compared to that of 2007. This is as I have said before totally misleading. We must engage the issues guys.
Coleby, consider the operative word I used, “WAS” ready for the task.
The way the country is headed now, I’m ready to return to total BRITISH CONTROL, in New Providence.
Trust me, speaking about initiative, the number one (#1) initiative should be to being in 2,000 British police, to police our police.
I think Mr. Ingraham was speaking to our policing system, when the “TRUST” idea came up.
The man being investigated over those business transactions in Staniard Creek Andros, simply disappeared from the Bahamas and has not been seen since. North Androsians were very surprise to see another individual involved in that same scandal appointed as a family island Administrator by the P.L.P. North Androsians would like to know what happened to that investigation.
GCF,if your assertion is correct that only “Ingraham was ready for the task of the country”, then identify JUST ONE SUCCESSFUL public policy initiative embarked on by the FNM since May 2nd 2007. Further, quality (or quantify) the metrics of success.
This story: Why is Perry Christie Avoiding the ‘Mona Vie’ Scandal?
It is a wake up call to the Bahamian public.
It is clear that Christie works for Ingraham. The BOSS always knows the employees that are “ALWAYS LATE..”.
The same person was running the country for the pass 16 years. I must admit Pindling knew only Ingraham was ready for the task of the country.
Excellent Work Sherlock! This is classic. Thank you for releasing this information to the public. Long Live Bahamaspress. :), Mr. O. Archer and other (Frank Smith et al) can respond to this.
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