The Office of the Prime Minister will continue to monitor allegations that FTX and its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried paid $675,000 to entities affiliated with high-ranking Bahamian government officials and their families.

Acting Press Secretary Keishla Adderley expressed difficulty in commenting on the report at a press conference yesterday.

“We're aware of that report. I read that report in your paper this morning. They weren't exactly any specifics, or any names called, no direct allegations. So it's hard to comment on that but it's something that the office will continue to monitor,” she said on Friday.

Robert Cleary, the examiner appointed by the US Justice Department trustee to investigate the crypto exchange’s collapse, revealed that one “purported donation” totalled $500,000 as the probe into the multi-billion dollar fraud inched a step closer to the Bahamian political and official elite.

No names or identities were disclosed by the FTX examiner. The findings do not distinguish between Cabinet ministers/MPs and top civil servants in employing the term “official”. Nor do they say whether the “government officials” are affiliated with the FNM or PLP.

Last year, purportedly emails showed Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis asking Mr Bankman-Fried in an email if his son could call the FTX chief to talk and seek advice about a non-fungible token (NFT) project he was working on.

The Office of the Prime Minister released a statement clarifying regarding the meeting of the prime minister’s son, Christopher Davis, with FTX

“Christopher Davis, the son of the prime minister, an author and researcher on the history of slavery in The Bahamas, is the founder of a non-profit organization called Sankofa Flamingo, which strengthens Bahamian ties to historical roots in Africa and promotes Junkanoo in Africa.”

“In the Fall of 2022, Sankofa Flamingo was exploring ways to use NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, to benefit Junkanoo artists, straw vendors and others whose artistry would be represented in digital form and traded online.”

“In the Fall of 2022, FTX was one of the most prominent exchanges for the trade of digital assets, including NFTs. NFTs were thought to hold great promise for providing artists with a new revenue stream to support their work.

The statement assured that Christopher nor his non-profit received finds as a result of the meeting.