PAGE 8, Wednesday, February 22, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
What sort of Bahamian benefactor is Peter Nygard? A
Nassau Life
PROMINENT column in the Freeport News on February 13 reminded me of the amazing qualities of Peter Nygard - enough to get him sanctified as our patron By RICHARD COULSON saint. “Peter Nygard and his family have been a blessing showing him self-injecting to The Bahamas,” wrote a brawny arm (with what?) columnist Nathaniel Lew- to prolong his 72-year old is. “I know with authority, life, tangible results of his courage and conviction that efforts in the Bahamas are Peter Nygard and his family invisible. In 2013, when will continue to be a bless- Prime Minister Christie ing.” He is so close to us, first introduced rigid stem “he is more than just a in- cell legislation, apart from vestor. He is family.” foreign interests he referred One wonders of which to studies by two local hosfamily he speaks. Is it the pitals and our Christian one wife whom Nygard di- Coalition in hopes that vorced many years ago? Or we might become a world the seven children he sired leader in this field; he made from four women, one of no mention of Nygard. whom resulted in years- In 2016, at a symposium long child support litigation held here, our Chief Mediin the Ontario courts? cal officer Dr Glen BenOr is it the bevy of grade eby joined Professor Joshua B starlets with whom he sur- Hare, of the University of rounds himself, as shown in Miami Stem Cell Institute, multiple photos found on in bringing stakeholders Google, including the late together, including four Anna Nicole Smith, the vo- or five local facilities such luptuous beauty whom an as the successful Okyanos unforgettable Tribune front Cell Therapy Centre in page displayed cuddling Freeport; again the Nygard with Shane Gibson, now name made no appearance. our Minister of Labour? There’s no doubt that the Mr Nygard can live whatev- Finnish-born entrepreneur er romantic life he chooses, who, early, moved to Canbut one wonders how well ada is a self-made success that sits with our thousands in designing and marketof devout Christian citizens. ing sportswear and womEnjoying his celebrity-stud- en’s clothing, as his Slimfit ded life, he can jeans are insimply dismiss ‘His lifestyle of ternational the sexual har- non-stop publicity hot-sellers assment suits among many in Canada and only arouses other creathe United public concern tions. Despite States reportoccasional lawith his suspect ed in a 2010 bour disputes influence over the Forbes magain his Canazine article. PLP government, dian offices, Columnhis privatelyist Lewis cites beginning with owned enterexamples of his infamous “We prise Nygard “selfless altru- got the country International ism” that this has given him back” film clip “giant of a a probable man”, “incred- showing him in billion dollar ible human 2013 entertaining fortune. In the being” and early 1980s, he Mr Christie, “humble phihere Jerome Fitzgerald arrived lanthropist” virtually unhas bestowed and other Cabinet known, buyupon our couning what was try. Our ben- ministers.’ then called efactor’s most Simms Point significant contribution, as in a sealed auction from the reported by the star-struck guardians of Shirley Oakes writer, is his support of stem Butler (Sir Harry’s daughcell therapy, even having al- ter) who lay in irrecoverlegedly made a donation able coma after an automoto the Progressive Liberal bile crash. He beat another Party (PLP) for research.. bidder who, by interesting In fact, his contributions coincidence, owned the to this promising branch of same Point House later sold medicine (though still not to Nygard’s neighbour and certified in the US) have present nemesis, American been more hype than real- Louis Bacon. ity. Aside from self-proSince Nygard’s unspoiled moting videos on YouTube five-acre Nygard Cay penin-
sulas had never been part of the Lyford Cay estate, it was not subject to restrictive design rules, leaving him free to build the looming architectural vulgarity of mixed Mayan-Polynesian style, of which I was once given a full tour, using a jeep-wide track to reach the top floor. Again, there’s no doubt that Nygard Cay became a centre for nubile nymphets romping to deafening music and, to be fair, for Bahamian athletes practicing their volleyball skills and for entertaining underprivileged youths. His lifestyle of non-stop publicity has been hardly more bizarre than other wealthy eccentrics who have settled here, and only arouses public concern with his suspect influence over the PLP government, beginning with his infamous “We (sic) got the country back” film clip showing him in early 2013 entertaining Mr Christie, Jerome Fitzgerald and other Cabinet ministers. In the same year, he received an injunction to stop accreting new seafront land to his property, an injunction that has never been enforced and was still being litigated at a hearing two weeks ago. The principal litigant has been the Bahamian incorporated charity Save the Bays, partially financed by Mr Bacon, who has had his own success in creating a major hedge fund and receiving conservation awards from The Audubon Society. Somehow, Mr Bacon, who rarely appears in public, has run afoul of vocal segments of Bahamian public opinion. Nygard’s legal counsel Keod Smith, also serving as imaginative publicist, produced countless Facebook scenes naming Bacon a “racist”, claiming his great grandfather owned slaves and was a founder of the Ku Klux Klan (Mr Smith recently lost his appeal from a verdict for defaming a local judge and is being pursued for legal costs.) Education Minister Fitzgerald’s famous explosion in the House of Assembly last March claimed that Save the Bays was using Bacon’s megabucks to “destabilise”, even “overthrow”, our government, backed up by Minister Fred
Mitchell’s dire warning of some $8 million transferred here to finance this fanciful insurrection. Neither gentleman has produced a shred of evidence for this hysteria. Even worse, after Mr Fitzgerald appealed a Supreme Court decision prohibiting him from disclosing the confidential papers he brandished to the House, the Attorney General stepped in to defend him - in my opinion a blatant misuse of public funds for private protection. This pattern of PLP attack for Mr Nygard’s benefit has been followed by more examples of his friendly ties to the ruling party. In the transcript of a recent Save the Bays v Nygard hearing, corporate counsel for his company, and once a shareholder, was disclosed to be Zarina Fitzgerald, a partner of Higgs & Johnson and wife of Mr Fitzgerald. While she and her firm are perfectly entitled to represent any company in good standing, can it be coincidence that of the hundreds of qualified local attorneys, Mr Nygard chose one linked
to the very Cabinet minister who uses his political position to vilify Nygard’s opponents? The transcript also disclosed that Mr Nygard’s “agent” for managing Nygard Cay was Eric Gibson, brother of minister Shane Gibson and authorised to negotiate property permits for the Cay. The Gibson brothers appear to have other dealings with Nygard, in the heart of downtown Nassau. The key property for developing derelict eastern Bay Street is the long-vacant Union Wharf site, finally sold very quietly a couple of years ago to a Barbados company called Galaxy Group. Although the true owner has never been named, a November 2015 press report revealed that the Bahamian director was - surprise Eric Gibson. Real estate insiders learned that Galaxy was a front for Nygard, as financier of the reported $10 million purchase price. Having approved the sale to a foreign company, government should have demanded development of the
site, but its valuable 3.9-acre waterfront acres remain silent behind locked gates - a visible rebuke to Mr Christie’s continual promises to renovate the surrounding zombie zone of decaying buildings. It is a pity that Mr Nygard does not apply his undoubted talents as fashion designer and salesman to spread his business to the Bahamas. He could divert a small percentage of his garment production from Asia to Nassau and Freeport, opening a Nygard store and teaching many Bahamians a new trade. Given our higher wage scales than China or Sri Lanka, this would of course increase his operating expenses - but apparently his vaunted generosity to our country does not extend to reducing his profit margin on our behalf. • Richard Coulson is a retired lawyer and investment banker born in Nassau and from a long line of Bahamians. He is a financial consultant and author of A Corkscrew Life - adventures of a travelling financier.