South Andros member of parliament, R. Whitney Bastian, read from Stubbs’ affidavit in the House of Assembly on Wednesday night showing that the Korean fishing business venture involving the BAIC chairman and Erlin Williams was not exactly a success story for Mark Stubbs.
Mr. Stubbs, a cousin of Sidney Stubbs, former executive chairman of the Bahamas Agriculture and Industrial Corporation (BAIC) said he became acquainted with Mr. Kyo Sung Choi through Mr. Gorshum and Cephas Pinder. Earlier on Mr. Choi said he was involved in a Sea Cucumber business in Cuba and wanted to establish the same thing in The Bahamas.
Choi, speaking through his interpreter, soon shifted his focus to “live lobster and at the time I told them that lobster fishing is reserved solely for Bahamians and they would have to form a partnership with a Bahamian they could trust,” Mr. Bastian read from the affidavit.
The document revealed that a partnership was struck between Mark Stubbs and Mr. Choi. “This was not a written agreement, but a ‘gentleman’s promise.’ At that point in time, I had told them that I knew little of the fishing industry and I was trying to find funding for a few pet projects of my own,” Mr. Stubbs said in his affidavit.
“I was then told that if I helped them get established with the live lobster project that they would help me with my funding and that also within two years they would try to establish a shrimp farm in Andros in which I would also be a partner.”
A call by Mark Stubbs was placed to the former BAIC chairman and I told him that I had an investor here, who was interested in live lobster and shrimp farming business and that Mr. Choi and I would do something in The Bahamas, specifically in Andros.
Stubbs invited the trio to his office, including Mark, Mr. Choi and his interpreter, Mr. T.J.
A relationship was forged between the group, the affidavit stated, after which, Mr. Choi and T.J. wanted to know, if there was any land available in Nassau and Andros to purchase or lease [on which to construct] the processing plant.
“On one of my trips to North Andros, I spoke with Mr. Alphonso Smith telling him of our plans and to expect Mr. Choi, Mr. Gorshum and T. J. to arrive shortly to do a short site scene of the North Andros area that would be suitable to accommodate the boats and plant,” he said.
The idea was found to be favourable to Mr. Smith who then suggested that Mr. Stubbs contact Neville Gaitor who had land in Andros and an old fish house in Mastic Point.
Mr. Choi was briefed about the discussion with Mr. Gaitor, and certain plans were made, but the “sale of the property in Andros proved fruitless because of the price Mr. Gaitor was asking for the property, the building and its contents.”
The possibility of Crown land being used for the processing plant, was raised, with Sidney Stubbs stating that “he would see what he could do, but he could not promise anything.”
The affidavit of Mr. Stubbs, stated that there were a few dinners, Mr. Stubbs (former BAIC chairman) introduced Earlin Williams to the mix as his personal advisor.
A trip to Cuba was discussed by Mr. Choi for the group to get an idea of his operations. Mark Stubbs said the trip was agreed to and reservations “were made through Innovative Tours, a company owned and operated by Sidney Stubbs, brother-in-law and his sister, Pam and Ken Collins.”
Mr. Williams was said to be travelling on the Cuba trip, which was explained to be the suggestion of Mr. Stubbs. Mark said he questioned Mr. Stubbs as to why Williams was going on the trip when he was not part of the project or employed by BAIC. “Mr. Stubbs said bluntly that Earlin was his adviser and Earlin had to go along with him or he was not going and also he had no time for games,” Mr. Bastian read from Stubbs’ affidavit.
Mark said a request was also made for a per diem allowance of $200 be paid by Mr. Choi for Sidney Stubbs and Mr. Williams. The per diem was paid and the trip took place between February 7 and February 10, 2003.
Mark stated the per diem, which totalled about $1,000 was paid to Sidney Stubbs, but he questioned him about it nonetheless. Initially the BAIC chairman denied being given the money, but after Mark proposed to ask Mr. Choi about it Mark said Stubbs smiled at him and said he had received the money.
The following day various sites were visited in Cuba and Mark explained that he met Mr. Choi’s son. “The following day, when I was supposed to got to Mr. Choi’s Daewoo Wholesale Electronic Factory, on stepping out of the shower in the morning I slipped and hit my face on the right side, wherein I received a nasty gash under my right eye, for which I received 24 stitches- 12 inside the eye and 12 outside and I spent 3 and a half hours in surgery,” the affidavit recounted.
Due to his incapacitation Mark said, Sidney Stubbs and Mr. Williams, met with Mr. Choi’s son. He later learned from his cousin that “Mr. Choi wanted Earlin to be a partner of the project and also that a new electronic venture that would also be implemented in The Bahamas. I voiced my disagreement and told him ‘no way’ as I did not know Mr. Williams and had no intention of sharing anything with him.”
Mark Rolle’s affidavit recounted how he was eventually completely left out of the previous arrangement and all communication between Mr. Choi ceased. He said that he did not speak to Sidney Stubbs since February or March.
Sidney Stubbs in his contribution to the discussion said that Ted Williams (the brother of Earlin Williams) befriended several Korean businessmen during his travels to Korea for business trips and martial arts engagements. Mr. Stubbs said one of the businessmen whom Ted Williams befriended was Mr. Choi who always expressed an interest in doing business in The Bahamas.
He recounted that Mr. Choi on one of his trips here had met with Mr. Pinder and Mark Stubbs. “Mark became another applicant to Mr. Choi’s company for a loan to do business in The Bahamas,” Stubbs stated. He admitted that the Cuba trip occurred in February. “While in Havana, Mark did something which is a ‘no no’ in Korean culture, having been given a firm position by Mr. Choi on how he wanted to do business in The Bahamas. Mark disagreed and complained about the father’s position to the son. After that there was nothing anyone could do to save Mark. The Choi family lost complete respect for him and hardly ever spoke to him for the duration of the trip,” Mr. Stubbs stated.
About three months later he said Mr. Choi returned to the country and Mark inquired of him what had gone wrong at his Paradise Island residence. “Mr. Choi promptly moved to a new address to avoid Mark and again told his attorneys that his association with Mark Stubbs had ended. It has been suggested in some sections of the press that I did something to take Mark Stubbs’ ideas and investment to give to Earlin Williams and my brother-in-law, Ken Collins. It has also been suggested that I used my knowledge to gain an unfair advantage for myself, members of my family and Earlin Williams.”
He said he loved Mark, but he stressed: “I could not tell a foreign investor who to spend his money with and where to put his money.”
He said Ken Collins came to the mix because of his linguistic abilities of speaking Spanish fluently. He translated bank records and references sent by Mr. Choi to his attorneys. He said the pair became friends.
By Jimenita Swain, The Nassau Guardian
