Attorney General Carl Bethel is crafting a back door deal to drop fraud charges against disgraced former FNM cabinet minister Elma Campbell.
To save Campbell and her son the embarrassment of going to trial, Bethel offered to have the former Minister of State for Immigration pay back the $1.2 million she stole from the Ministry of Tourism and dismiss the prosecution’s case against her.
The orders came down from the very top to “make this matter disappear” despite the Free National Movement’s anti-corruption campaign pledge.
This despite trying to embarrass and destroy former Senator Frank Smith and former cabinet minister Shane Gibson who were both acquitted of all charges, despite the Minnis Administration’s lowdown dirty tactics to ruin them, including having two FNM cabinet ministers contact key witnesses, having police coach witnesses together and hiring expensive British QCs at taxpayers’ expense.
The 64-year-old former ambassador to China and her son, Che Chase were charged in the Magistrates Court in March of this year with $1.2 million fraud.
Prosecutors allege the pair falsely obtained the money from the Royal Bank of Canada.
Chase was also charged with possession of a forged document and uttering a forged document.
Prosecutors allege he cashed a forged $1.2 million Ministry of Tourism check that was payable to Campbell Chase Law on September 6th, 2019.
The mother and son were also charged with more than a dozen money laundering charges.
It is alleged that they laundered the funds between September 6th, 2019 and October 16th, 2019 through bank transfers, withdrawals and the purchase of a luxury car.
Despite the corruption charges against her, Campbell was still collecting $42,000 a year from Cable Bahamas Limited as a government-appointed board member up until November. However, she stepped down from the post one day after The Gallery revealed that she was still on Cable Bahamas Limited’s payroll.