By Gerrino J. Saunders

This week the FTX debacle continued to grab global and local headlines as the
Office of The Prime Minister (OPM) and ultimately Prime Minister Philip Davis
was forced to refute a reported allegation that the he met with FTX founder and
former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried shortly after winning the 2021 General
Elections to discuss paying off the country’s national debt of more than $9
billion.
On the sidelines of the meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS)
held at Atlantis where regional leaders discussed climate change matters ahead
of COP 28, Prime Minister Davis was asked to confirm reports that he had
spoken with Bankman-Fried with regards to paying off The Bahamas’ national
debt.
In return, the Prime Minister asked the reporter to repeat the question then asked
several questions of his own before responding. The interview went as follows:-
Reporter: Mr. Prime Minister, it was reported that you had met with the founder
of FTX to discuss paying off the country’s debts. Are you able to confirm
whether that is true or not?
Prime Minister: who reported that? And who said I spoke to him? Did he say I
spoke to him?
Reporter: It was reported internationally using an excerpt from a book that is a
biography of Mr. Bankman-Fried.
Prime Minister: I’m just asking whether he is saying that he spoke to me and
that he offered to do that; did he say that or is that speculation? Because, don’t
you think that you ought to confirm whether such a discussion was held before
the question is asked, because for my part I had no discussion with FTX or Sam
Bankman about paying off the national debt of The Bahamas.
Reporter: And so claims that he was one of the first persons you wanted to
meet with after the elections are not true?
Prime Minister: The source of the claim, what is the source of the claim? I
don’t have to respond to speculations. I don’t need to be chasing ghosts. Identify
the source of the claim, and if it is a direct source I’d respond, but I don’t need to

be speculating about a claim that is made and I don’t know who made it. I mean
a lot of things are said out there and I would have to respond to everything. You
have to do your job you know. Your job is to confirm the sources of complaints
and claims and also to see whether those claims have any ring of truism because
I don’t want to be responding or chasing speculative claims or allegations.