By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A senior private executive yesterday branded the allegations swirling around the Peter Nygard/Save the Bays battle as “disgraceful”, and warned that the Bahamas’ reputation was now at stake.

Edison Sumner, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive, warned that the nature of the claims, and counter-claims, being aired publicly could have “far-reaching implications” for this country’s image among international investors.

He urged the Royal Bahamas Police Force to urgently investigate the allegations and “bring it to some closure”, warning that the situation had erupted at the worst possible time.

Apart from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) team’s presence in Nassau for the annual Article IV consultation with the Bahamas, Mr Sumner said “some of the most influential leaders in the Western Hemisphere” were due in this country for next month’s Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Board of Governors meeting.

He also expressed concern that the ‘battle of the billionaire Lyford Cay neighbours’, featuring fashion tycoon, Mr Nygard, and hedge fund mogul, Louis Bacon, with the Save the Bays environmental group also involved, was distracting the Christie administration from other key policy matters.

“I think the entire situation, as we see it, is very disgraceful and very concerning,” Mr Sumner told Tribune Business, “not only for those operating within the country but also the reputation of the country, which is now being tarnished by these activities and what’s coming into the public domain.

“It is incumbent on all concerned- the Government, the police - to undertake an investigation quickly, and bring this matter to a close.

“This is absolutely not healthy, not beneficial to the country, and will cause us more harm than good. We don’t want any fall-of in international investment coming down the pipeline, but it’s the name and integrity of the country that we must be concerned about.”

Mr Sumner said he had been travelling outside the Bahamas last week to a conference, and revealed that he and other Bahamian attendees had been “quite embarrassed” when they realised that local online media content was dominated by the Nygard/Bacon/Save the Bays affair.

“Having all these people around us watching those headlines, it was very embarrassing for all of us from the Bahamas at that meeting,” Mr Sumner told Tribune Business.

“It’s important to understand that this thing has far-reaching implications, and the authorities must investigate this matter and bring it to some closure.”

Mr Bacon and four fellow Save the Bays members sparked the latest battle when they filed a Supreme Court action alleging that Mr Nygard had paid two criminals to conduct an intimidation and harassment campaign against them, including a purported ‘murder for hire plot’ against at least two of them.

These claims were vehemently denied by Mr Nygard and his fellow defendant, attorney Keod Smith, as videos and audio recordings emerged of alleged meetings between the Canadian fashion designer and the two criminals.

The Government, meanwhile, alleged that Save the Bays was a ‘front’ for a political campaign aimed at undermining the Government and destabilising the Bahamas, an allegation denied by the environmental group and its members.

Allegations of entrapment, Data Protection Act breaches, ties to politicians from both main parties and other claims have only added to the mix, and are fuelling a fire that potentially threatens the Bahamas’ reputation as a safe destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) and financial services clients.

“It raises a whole myriad of concerns and questions about Data Protection and confidentiality,” Mr Sumner agreed. “It also raises concerns about an issue that the Chamber has been talking about for quite some time, namely a Freedom of Information Act.”

Mr Sumner said the controversy could still be raging when the IDB holds its annual Board of Governors meeting in Nassau - the first time in 30 years that the event has been held in the Caribbean.

“We have coming into this country within the next two weeks some of the most influential leaders in the Western Hemisphere,” he told Tribune Business.

“Having them come into this kind of environment, when we are dealing with these kinds of issues, could be a major embarrassment.”

Mr Sumner said it was imperative that the IDB meeting is “pulled off without any hitches”, adding that this would involve managing the Bahamas’ public relations.

He also expressed concern that the Nygard/Bacon/Save the Bays saga, if it was still playing out, could prove a major distraction to the Government and prevent it from focusing on the issues discussed at the IDB conference.