NASSAU, Bahamas, Sept 2, CMC – The ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Tuesday described as “misleading” and “defamatory” a newspaper story alleging that former prime minister Sir Lynden Pindling had received US$150,000 monthly from a Colombian drug dealer.
“The headline of 1 September 2025 on the front page of The Tribune, ‘I PAID PINDLING 150K PER MONTH’, is incorrect and misleading. It is also salacious and defamatory. However, because the law does not recognize defamation of the deceased, that outrageous allegation can be printed without legal consequences,” the PLP said in a statement.
The remarks by the Colombian drug dealer, who is serving time in a Florida prison, was made in a YouTube interview promoting his new book, and according to the Tribune newspaper, revived a scandal that defined Bahamian politics in the 1980s.
The PLP said that “at no point does the story say that the drug trafficker ever paid anything to Sir Lynden. It is all after-the-fact, third-party hearsay — nothing more than ‘he said, she said’.
“The larger point is that the source of the information is manifestly unreliable. The accusations cannot be tested because all the individuals against whom the allegations are made are deceased. They cannot defend themselves. Sir Lynden is dead. Everett Bannister is dead. Gorman Bannister is dead. These allegations, therefore, reflect cowardice, not truth-telling,” the PLP added.
The newspaper had reported that the money to Sir Lynden was made through the businessman, Everette Bannister.
The former drug dealer is quoted as saying that he is comfortable disclosing the information just as he had done in his book and that Bannister’s son Gorman, “when I was on trial 30 some years ago, 35 years ago, the young guy came in as a witness against me and told the jury, the judge and the DEA that his father will bring him sometimes to Norman’s Cay to pick up the money I paid, so he spilled the beans.
“He opened up the door to all the situations too. I was careful in keeping that as confidential as possible. All the time, organised crime or smugglers try to grease or pay authorities that can stop their business,” the former drug lord added.
CMC/ag/ir/2025