Former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham yesterday warned the government not to interfere with the completion of the sale of Baha Mar, charging that the progress of the mega resort is “of critical and essential importance.”

These sentiments come a week after Baha Mar’s original developer Sarkis Izmirlian called on the Minnis administration to place a moratorium on the resort’s sale.

Mr. Ingraham admitted the government’s decision in this matter is somewhat of a “challenge” when considering the grievances of Sarkis Izmirlian and on the other hand being focused on the public interest, which Mr. Ingraham feels is to complete Baha Mar, and hire thousands of workers.

“The government must do nothing whatsoever to stop it from being completed, nothing,” Mr. Ingraham lamented during the Rotary Club of South East Nassau meeting.

“It must do whatever it can to facilitate the completion of Baha Mar because we need the jobs. We need to ensure that we are not downgraded even further and we begin to get upgraded.

“I’m not aware of what Sarkis said, but if he’s said that, he’s dead wrong.”

Meantime, Mr. Ingraham further noted that the previous government’s interference in the Baha Mar debacle was not wise, charging that it was “dead wrong.”

“I think the government of The Bahamas was dead wrong when it put Baha Mar into liquidation,” Mr. Ingraham said.

“It should never have gotten involved in that aspect of the dispute.

“That would’ve left Izmirlian and the Chinese authorities to fight their battle out in court or through arbitration etc. Once the government put Baha Mar in liquidation it removed from Sarkis Izmirlian and his father and those any rights they had to contest what had happened.

“That was a very wrongful decision on the part of the government.

“I told that to the prime minister (Perry Christie) in writing, and personally, that that should never have happened.”

Last week, Mr. Izmirilian charged that the Baha Mar deal involving the Chinese was not in the best interest of the Bahamian people.

He raised concern about the potential of corruption and self-dealing by members of the previous government.

He also slammed Baha Mar’s heads of terms as a “bread crumb” trail to many other referenced documents that must be vetted to determine the extent of the improper giveaways, the individual benefits and the longer term economic and social destruction implications to The Bahamas.

Progressive Liberal Party Chairman Bradley Roberts criticized Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis last week for neglecting to publicly respond to Mr. Izmirlian’s request.

During the 2017 election campaign, Dr. Minnis promised to execute a “real sale” of Baha Mar.

Mr. Izmirlian has made it clear that he is prepared to purchase the multi-billion dollar resort.