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Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle said on Thursday that Peter Nygard left the Bahamas before the police were able to investigate the complaints made against him.

Why it matters

Peter Nygard faces extradition to the United States where 57 women accuse him of sex crimes. The women are from the  Bahamas, the U.S., and Canada. On Tuesday, he was remanded to jail in Canada, facing nine counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, and other related crimes.

What Commissioner Paul Rolle says

• There were 4 complaints reported to the Bahamas police, by victims, accusing Nygard of sexual assault.
• Police officers were dispatched to Nygard’s residence in Lyford Cay, but upon arrival, officers were informed that Nygard left the Bahamas.
• Police witnessed people loading Nygard’s belongings in a shipping container.
• Police made contact with Nygard and he refused to return and surrender.
• Nygard was never interviewed by local police.

Rolle told reporters, “The matter is before a judge. Please don’t draw this commissioner into that.”

Featured image: The Tribune

Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party Philip Davis says the allegations against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard “should be pursued to the full extent of the law.’

Though not in an official statement, Davis used Twitter to express the seriousness of the charges against Nygard.

Davis said he, “hope[s] the women involved receive justice.”

Why it matters

The Free National Movement has called on the PLP to publicly condemn the actions of billionaire Nygard who is known to be a major financier to the party and caused quite a stir in the 2017 elections when documents circulated showing that Nygard sent 94,131.10 to the account of the former Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson.

The big picture

Peter Nygard was arrested in Winnipeg, Canada, and is expected to be extradited to the US for sex crimes against fifty-seven women from the  Bahamas, the U.S., and Canada. On Tuesday, he faced nine counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, and other related crimes.

What the women say in a lawsuit filed in the U.S Court

According to the Guardian in the UK:

• Nygard drugged the women to ensure they met his sexual demands.
• Nygard targetted women from disadvantaged backgrounds or who had suffered abuse.
• Nygard referred to his victims as “girlfriends” and took them to swingers clubs where they had sex with other men.
• The victims were alleged to be 14 or 15 years old when Nygård gave them alcohol or drugs and then raped them.
• He bribed Bahamian officials to recruit victims in the Bahamas, US and Canada.
• Victims’ passports were taken from them when they arrived in the Bahamas and “expected a sex act before he was willing to consider releasing any person” from his estate.

FNM Chairman Carl Culmer called on the opposition to publicly address its party’s connection to Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard and join in asking for justice for Bahamian victims affected by the alleged actions of Nygard.  But PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell points a finger at the FNM, alleging Nygard played a role in that party too.

Why it matters

• Peter Nygard was arrested in Winnipeg, Canada, and is expected to be extradited to the US for sex crimes against Bahamian, American and Canadian women.  On Tuesday, he faced nine counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, and other related crimes.
• Nygard, who owns a luxury home in Lyford Cay is a known financier of the PLP and alleged to have paid then Labour and National Insurance Minister Shane Gibson payments totaling $94,131.10 over an 18-month period. The scandal rocked the party at the 2017 general election.

Pointing Fingers

However, Opposition Chairman Fred Mitchell responded to FNM Chairman Culmer saying Nygard contributed financially to the FNM as well.

Mitchell said, “It is widely known that Peter Nygard, a foreign billionaire, contributed money to the FNM’s political campaign. This means that since the FNM is the Government, they are the ones who have an obligation to address their connections to Mr. Nygard and disassociate themselves from these criminal allegations.

“But the Bahamian people know the FNM very well. In their quagmire of deceit, there is no form of nastiness, filth and degradation to which the FNM will not go; anything to try to win the general election and discredit the PLP,” Mitchell said.

Seventy-nine-year-old Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested in Winnipeg, Canada on Monday, facing nine counts of rackerteering, sex trafficking and other related crimes.

The United States asked Canada to issue a warrant under the two countries’ extradition treaty.

Why it matters

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York says at dozens of alleged victims in the U.S., the Bahamas and Canada, and other locations have accused Peter Nygard of sex crimes.

What happened in court on Tuesday

• Nygard appeared in court looking dishevelled, with his hair in a bun style. His feet and hands were shackled, wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey track pants.
• Nygard’s lawyer, Jay Prober, asked for a publication ban.
• Canada’s Attorney General representative Scott Farlinger, opposed it, saying publication bans are issued in Canada to protect the accused’s right to a fair trial, which doesn’t apply in this case as the trial will be held in the U.S.
• Justice Sheldon Lanchbery denied the request for the publication ban, saying an open court is important and that there is no evidence that additional publicity, in this case, would affect Nygard’s right to a fair trial in the U.S.
• Nygard is being held at the Winnipeg Remand Centre until January 13th, his next court appearance.
• His lawyer said he would apply for bail before that date.

What the victims’ lawyers are saying

• One of the lawyers Lisa Haba told CBC News, “The survivors of our lawsuit have been waiting for this day for a very long time.”
• “Peter Nygard’s arrest marks the next chapter in holding him and his accomplices accountable for the unspeakable crimes against women and children they have perpetuated for decades. We will continue to seek justice.”
• Another lawyer Greg Gutzler added, “We are relieved that some measure of accountability is hopefully forthcoming, but we would be remiss if we did not state that this is something that should have been done decades ago.”