By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Free National Movement has called comments by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis regarding his support for a United States court to terminate criminal proceedings against Island Luck co-founder Adrian Fox “astonishing and reprehensible”.

In a statement issued yesterday, the opposition party said the “prime minister’s arrogant attitude to human trafficking should be condemned”.

Mr Davis was one of several prominent Progressive Liberal Party members who wrote character references in support of Mr Fox before the general election, urging the judge to impose a light, non-custodial sentence on Mr Fox over the role he played in a human smuggling operation more than a decade ago.

 Mr Fox has agreed to a plea deal with US authorities, which omits all mention of the human smuggling offences with which he was initially charged and has resulted in him agreeing to plead guilty to one count of helping to operate a vessel in US waters “in a grossly negligent manner.”

 On Monday, Mr Davis said he had “no regrets” penning his August 10 letter in support of Mr Fox, and said he would do it again.

 The FNM press release yesterday lambasted Mr Davis’ response to reporters.

 “Comments attributed to Prime Minister Davis in this morning’s newspapers, that he had ‘no regrets’ about having written a character reference on behalf of Adrian Fox, who has pleaded guilty in a plea deal before a foreign court to a charge directly connected with human trafficking are astonishing and reprehensible. His further comment that he ‘would do it again’ if he had to, is even more reprehensible. Did the prime minister feel that he had to do it the first time?

 “What is clear from news reports is that the entire hierarchy of the PLP also seemingly happened to feel that they too may have ‘had to do it’. Evidently a host of current PLP Cabinet ministers, MPs and former MPs and ministers are reported to have waged a wholesale character reference assailment of the trial judge in New York.”

 References for Mr Fox were also supplied by other Cabinet ministers, such as Jomo Campbell, minister of state for legal affairs, and Alfred Sears, minister of works. Former ministers Shane Gibson and Leslie Miller also vouched for him. Leslia Miller-Brice, Seabreeze MP-elect, and her husband Leander Brice who operates the AsureWin web shop chain and is the Island Luck co-founder’s nephew, also submitted character references.

 The FNM highlighted the potential implications on The Bahamas and the character references from some members of government.

 “While reports state that the then leader of the opposition, now prime minister, made it clear that he was writing in a personal, and not official capacity, the facts of a wholesale PLP campaign of character references before the New York court belies such assertions. The entire hierarchy of the PLP intervened in writing in a foreign criminal trial, on behalf of the convict,” according to the FNM statement.

 It continued: “Just think of the national embarrassment we would suffer should each letter writer be summoned to testify in person before the New York court. Further, such a concerted move by the most prominent PLPs could only be seen and, now especially, can only be seen as reflecting the views of the highest levels, not just in the PLP, but now of the government of The Bahamas.

 The party suggested the country’s commitment to fighting human trafficking may now be scrutinised.

 The party concluded that the prime minister’s comments display an “arrogant” and “in your face” attitude which is “unseemly and deeply damaging to The Bahamas.”

 “His words and arrogant attitude should be utterly condemned by all right-thinking Bahamians.”

The party also mentioned the work the Minnis administration did to aid to fight against human trafficking during its term.

 The FNM said: “The Bahamas, throughout the Minnis administration, attained and maintained our ‘Tier 1’ ranking in the regional fight against human trafficking; and thereby increased international respect for the commitment of The Bahamas and its law enforcement agencies to the eradication of the scourge of human trafficking, which has destroyed so many innocent lives, particularly the lives of missing and exploited children, and sexually exploited young women.”