#3 from the above SEC Complaint: they "told investors they would generate returns by trading in securities. In the second quarter of 2000, however, the Defendants began diverting...investor funds to run ... and pay their own personal expenses."

I hope the Bahamas government haven't given them 10,000 acres of crown land yet for them to hawk to unsuspecting foreign investors. Hey, Minnis, Turnquest...have you guys seen SEC document? Or are you guys just chatting with each other in an echo chamber? Did you learn anything from Baha Mar? I Group? or the dozens of failed anchor projects over the last 100 years? Boy dat snake oil mussy good.

So right Tal, so right. You can't make this stuff up. I look forward to reading the Tribune each day to be continually shocked by the level of incompetence and naiveté displayed by our leaders.

The PLP and FNM just love dealing with foreigners and certain select Bahamians to the exclusion and detriment of the Country as a whole. It should not surprise anyone that simple back ground checks are not done, proof of finances does not exist, feasibility studies ignored, environment impact studies are nonsense, business track records don't exist. The Bahamian waters, considered the most beautiful on earth will be destroyed for forever.

Want to know why this project is being pushed? Simply look at its partners...follow the money. Who is financing the current government? Who financed the previous government. We will never know because Campaign Finance laws are non existent.

https://www.obanenergies.com/partners

Here is a list of Anchor projects. Some have be very successful, some have been brutal on the environment. But most have been spectacular failures. On balance, in my humble opinion, we would be better of if we are self reliant and develop our nation at the micro level.

And the projects that are successful are not for the benefit of the general public unless you are an A/c repair man, gardener or maid....and foreigners doing most of these jobs now anyway.

Abaco - Guana Cay Baker's Bay
Abaco - Winding Bay The Abaco Club on Winding Bay
Andros - North Andros Andros Aisle Development
Berry Islands - Bonds Cay Bonds Cay Development
Berry Islands - Chub Cay Chub Cay Club
Berry Islands - Great Harbour Cay, Anderson Cay Pristine Resorts & Haines Cay Bimini Bimini Bay
Cat Island Lucky Mount
Cat Island - Arthurs Town Flamingo Point
Cat Island - South Cat Island Crystal Mount Limited
Crooked Island Pittstown Point Landing
Eleuthera - Cape Eleuthera Powell Pointe
Eleuthera - Current Island Current Club
Eleuthera - Governors Harbour The Club at Pineapple Fields
Eleuthera - Governors Harbour French Leave
Eleuthera - Governors Harbour Sky Beach Club
Eleuthera - Rock Sound Cotton Bay Estates
Eleuthera - Royal Island Royal Island
Eleuthera - Windemere Island Windermere
Exuma - Bock Cay Bock Cay Resort
Exuma - Crab Cay Sedona Resorts
Exuma - Emerald Bay Four Seasons at Emerald Bay
Exuma - Emerald Bay Grande Isle Villas
Exuma - Great Exuma February Point
Exuma - Normans Cay Aman Resorts
Grand Bahama - West End Ginn Versaille sur Mer Grand Bahama –
East End Beka Development
Mayaguana I-Group
New Providence - Cable Beach Baha Mar
New Providence – Paradise Island Atlantis Phase III
New Providence - Ritz Rose Island Beach &
New Providence - Rose Island Harbour Club
New Providence - Southwest New Providence Albany
New Providence - Southwest
New Providence South Ocean New Providence - West Old Fort Bay
Rum Cay - Rum Cay Resort & Marina

https://www.obanenergies.com/

I trust the government has done due diligence on this group. Based on the above website its impossible to know who the shareholders are and if they actually have access to capital and expertise to make a project of this magnitude a success.

As we, as Bahamian people, are signing Heads of Agreement, for concessions and give aways, then the details of the deal, similar to Baha Mar, should be debated and approved by the peoples representatives in Parliament.

The government should be transparent with the Bahamian people in answering the following basic questions:

1. Who are the shareholders?
2. Who are the beneficial owners?
3. Who is financing the project?
4. Obtain a serious environmental study done by an independent internationally recognized environmental impact firm
5. Who is Oban? Can't pin down exactly who they are internationally. They seem to be vaguely connected to a Canadian firm with about 50 staff. 50 staff?
6. Have they done this before?
7. https://www.obanenergies.com/management…
Looking at the resumes of the management team on the above link none of them have any expertise in oil and gas.

Have we not learned anything from Baha Mar?

Alternative we should have implicit trust in our leaders that they actually know what they are doing and that they are doing the right thing and approving projects in the interest of the Bahamas.

Also I hope the government is consulting with the state of Florida. They just turned down offshore ocean drilling. I wonder if they will be overjoyed with an oil depots a about 200 miles away just slightly above sea level, regulated by a non existent Bahamian oil regulator. Is this a joke or what?

During the next Super Hurricane, ocean surge, +150 mph winds, the environmental disaster will be worse than what hit Pueto RIco.

But the above named will have already made thier money and we Bahamians will be left with the clean up.

OMG, don’t blame it on the “desk pushing idiots”. If the Finance Minister would take 5 minutes to review an Excel Spreat Sheet comparing a couple thousand real property bills to last year’s rates he could have easily avoided the family Island foreign community loosing confidence in the Bahamas.

Any idiot in the Finance Ministry would know if you increase real property tax by 1,000% the foreigners will bolt for the door leaving their family Island scrub land for the expansion of shanty towns, web shops and liquor stores.

Dear Minister, please don't take away the last enjoyment I have left in the Bahamas which is a glorious shopping trip to Miami where I can get a Bahamasair deal on a flight, hotel an car for an affordable amount. My Canadian commercial bank gives me a credit card loan as well at a great rate!

In Florida I have a wide selection of quality goods compared to inferior low quality stuff in Nassau, loads of good restaurants compared to fast foods, efficient medical care versus PMH and visit my kids in College where they are getting a great education. I can also go to Disney Land for a beautiful vacation and bring back 2 bags at 50 pounds each on Bahamasair. Did I mention how nice the roads are? No roundabouts where I almost crash every day in Nassau.

We tried going to the family islands but there are no banks down there, numbers houses are everywhere, there are barely any restaurants and there is nothing to buy or do except drink liquor and play numbers. Also, the flight cost to some islands is more than Miami! Also, they only give you 44 pounds spread over 2 bags to the family island. Try taking a cooler with food to the family islands and quickly you have to pay over weight. A better deal is Miami.

I know the Bay Street Boys are complaining that us poor folks are taking bread out of their mouths but don't you guys have enough after hundreds of years of UBP rule? Man leave lil gravy for da poor and stop being so greedy.

I guess the government wants to just suppress commerce in the family islands. Between the implementation of VAT, ridiculously real property taxes, the commercial banks leaving, the numbers houses setting up in each settlement, crumbling airports and runways and shanty towns, liquor stores on every corner there is no hope.

Please don't take away Bahamasair's discounted flights to Miami, cheap hotel and car deals, discounts on baggage and $300 twice a year duty exemption.

It is the only relief poor black Bahamian's get from the Bay Street Boy's cheap Chinese crap, over priced goods, lack of selection, broken down stores, bumpy roads, crime invested streets, VAT, over priced shipping cost with only one monopolistic port of entry (Arawak) overcharging everyone to benefit of the Baystreet/Government owners.

I just love Miami. Nice Mall's (instead of broken down Malls), helpful clerks in shops, Bahamian's are welcomed in these stores because they know we are spending $2 billion a year in Florida so we are treated well. After shopping all day we can go to nice hotels, restaurants and maybe a nice basket ball game. While visiting our child in really nice colleges and universities...compared to you know what. Then we can go to a nice hospital and get quality medical care unlike the hospital in Nassau that is overcrowded and you have to wait 18 hours to get served in Emergency.

Some currency exchange house even use to take Bahamian dollars at 75 cents on the dollar so you can buy your superior goods in the US.

We just love our new Bahamasair planes and luggage discounts. Please please don't take this away from us. Stop listening to the merchant class and leave use poor people alone.