Prime Minister Perry Christie today defended his decision to appoint as the new Chairman of the Hotel Corporation former Exuma Member of Parliament George A. Smith, who was condemned by the 1984 Commission of Inquiry into drug trafficking through the Bahamas.
“From the government’s point of view, the government has made a decision to appoint Mr. George Smith as the Chairman of this board,” Mr. Christie said.
“It did so knowing that Mr. Smith has met every public challenge that has been made of him, every legal challenge that has been made of him and it sincerely hopes that Mr. Smith will be allowed to fulfil his mandate as the Chairman of the board and in the very final analysis in terms of the criticism, I take full responsibility for it personally.”
Mr. Christie said Mr. Smith did not contravene “my Code of Ethics,” as had been suggested by some political observers.
“That is patently untrue,” he said. “My Code of Ethics, does not apply to Mr. Smith, firstly, in the sense that there is a new law we are bringing that would apply to board chairmen.”
Mr. Christie said his Code of Ethics began when he promulgated it in parliament, “and so it will be breached on the basis of what happened after it has been promulgated.”
The Prime Minister said he will be watching all persons who are providing a contribution and performing some role in government to ensure that they maintain the highest possible standards of integrity.
“But I know of nothing that [Mr. Smith] has done to put him in breach of my Code of Ethics,” he said.
“I am amazed at times when I see what has been accepted in the past, absolutely amazed, and those who speak publicly have not spoken publicly to those things. I believe in redemption, so I don’t want to name anybody who has gone through a process of redemption and as a result is now accepted as a full-fledged, law- respecting, law-abiding citizen of the Bahamas.”
Mr. Smith said he will not be deterred in his duties by his detractors.
The 1984 Commission of Inquiry found that Mr. Smith accepted a gift of a BMW from convicted drug trafficker Carlos Lehder and did not pay the required customs duties for importation of that BMW.
Mr. Smith was subsequently asked to resign from the Cabinet by former Prime Minister the late Sir Lynden Pindling. He ran for the Exuma seat in 1992, was re-elected, but was defeated in the 1997 general elections.
The Commission said that notwithstanding its regret, it had reached the conclusion that, “Mr. Smith corruptly accepted funds from known drug smugglers. We recommend that the Attorney General review the evidence relating to the Minister to determine what further action may be appropriate circumstance.”
The Commission also said that, “We have concluded that the similarity between the two BMW cars, especially the mode and colour, was more that coincidence. Our overall assessment of the evidence leads us to infer on a balance of probabilities that the funds for the purchase of the BMW car in Miami on 4 June 1979 were provided to the Minister by the Lehder organisation.”
No criminal action was ever taken against Mr. Smith.
Mr. Christie said as he prepares to announce the new board of the Bahamas Agricultural and Industrial Corporation (BAIC), he will further explain his position regarding the integrity of persons who head statutory boards.
The BAIC board is headed by Holy Cross MP Sidney Stubbs, who came under fire week before last when he fired seven of the corporation’s employees.
Opposition members claimed that Mr. Stubbs had practiced victimization when he fired the employees. Six of them have since been re-instated.
FNM Leader Tommy Turnquest had called for the resignation of Mr. Stubbs.
By Candia Dames, The Bahama Journal
