The return of Jerome Fitzgerald to the Cabinet may prove a politically sensitive appointment of Prime Minister Philip Davis’ second term because of what his public image represents.
Fitzgerald is now placed in charge of economic affairs nearly a decade after the Baha Mar contract controversy helped make him one of the main causes of the Progressive Liberal Party’s crushing 2017 election defeat.
Economic affairs portfolios involve investment discussions, business relationships, procurement issues, contracts, negotiations and access to powerful financial interests.
Those responsibilities now sit with a Fitzgerald whose most damaging controversy centered on leaked emails involving efforts to secure business opportunities tied to Baha Mar for a company formed by his father.
The controversy surrounding Fitzgerald was politically damaging because leaked emails showed him seeking brokerage, trucking and limousine contracts connected to Baha Mar for Bahamas Cargo & Logistics, for his father.
Fitzgerald later admitted publicly that he contacted original Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian seeking assistance for the family business after his father became ill, though he maintained that nothing came from the effort and that he held no ownership stake in the company.
Still, many at the time argued the actions appeared to conflict with the Manual of Cabinet and Ministry Procedure, which states ministers should not solicit benefits or future advantages for themselves, immediate family members or associated businesses from persons seeking contractual relationships with the government.
While Fitzgerald denied wrongdoing and was never criminally charged, the controversy politically damaged him and reinforced narratives in 2017 surrounding conflicts of interest, insider influence and blurred lines between public office and private business interests.
Many may now question whether placing Fitzgerald over economic matters sends the wrong signal at a time when the Davis administration is already facing renewed public scrutiny over transparency, accountability and corruption concerns following recent international allegations involving a “high-ranking Bahamian politician.”
Some acknowledge he is politically experienced and strategically influential in the PLP. Davis himself has repeatedly defended him, once insisting there was “no harm, no foul” regarding the Baha Mar controversy.
Supporters of Fitzgerald would argue he has already spent years advising Davis behind the scenes and helping engineer the PLP’s successful re-election campaign. To them, his return is trust earned.
Still, the appointment revives the controversies the PLP once struggled to escape–business influence and accountability now that he is back at the center of power.