Nearly a decade after a high-profile corruption scandal helped sink the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) in a landslide 2017 electoral defeat, Jerome Fitzgerald — the Bahamian politician whose career has long been tied to that controversy — has been tapped to return to the national Cabinet, where he will oversee the country’s economic affairs.
Fitzgerald, a former member of parliament for the Marathon constituency and ex-education minister who is set to be appointed a senator, was officially sworn into office on Saturday as Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis launched his second term in office. His comeback to top-level government is not a sudden surprise, however: over the PLP’s previous term, Fitzgerald served as a senior advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office, where insiders say he wielded outsized behind-the-scenes influence, and he also managed the PLP’s successful 2024 re-election campaign.
Fitzgerald’s most damaging political controversy emerged on the eve of the 2017 general election, when leaked internal emails revealed he had lobbied heavily for multi-million-dollar brokerage, trucking, and limousine contracts tied to the massive Baha Mar resort development for a company founded by his father. The scandal became a central talking point for the opposition Free National Movement (FNM), which campaigned heavily on allegations of widespread PLP corruption. The FNM went on to win that election in a historic landslide, and Fitzgerald lost his Marathon parliamentary seat.
The leaked correspondence showed Fitzgerald requested a $20,000 monthly stipend from original Baha Mar developer Sarkis Izmirlian, claiming the funds would cover medical expenses for his ailing father. In a 2014 email, he pressed Baha Mar executives to direct brokerage and shipping business to Bahamas Cargo and Logistics, his father’s firm, after earlier overtures had only resulted in a one-time contract for 40 containers.
“Unfortunately despite all efforts by you and promises to me by Daniel Liu (CCA’s vice president) that we would receive the brokerage and trucking work, we have not apart from a one time deal to move 40 containers. I do not know why, I am disappointed, but I have accepted it and moved on,” Fitzgerald wrote in the message. “I know that the interior Furniture and Fittings should begin arriving shortly, and I would really wish to now establish a relationship between Baha Mar and Bahamas Cargo and Logistics Limited (“BCL”) where all ports of entry can be advised that BCL is to collect the paperwork and clear shipments for Baha Mar. It is my hope that the relationship will continue when the hotel opens and we will again be the broker and trucker for this property as we were for so many years.”
Izmirlian ultimately forwarded the email to his senior leadership team, noting that all contracts should be awarded based on competitive cost and demonstrated capability, not political pressure. At the height of the scandal, Fitzgerald denied abusing his office to steer contracts to himself or his family. He clarified at the time that he held no ownership stake in BCL and never personally held a contract with Baha Mar or its affiliates, arguing he only followed up on his father’s pre-existing business discussions after his father fell ill. He maintained that no contract ever materialized from his outreach.
The Baha Mar controversy is not the only scandal that marked Fitzgerald’s past tenure in government. In 2012, an underground fuel leak at a Rubis service station in his Marathon constituency released approximately 12,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline. The leak was detected in late December 2012, and a subsequent investigation by global environmental consulting firm Black & Veatch found local residents had been exposed to potentially dangerous toxins, including benzene, a confirmed human carcinogen. Though the firm’s final report was completed in February 2014, it was not released to the public until April 2015, after months of sustained public pressure and a heated town hall meeting with angry stakeholders. Marathon residents and local business owners expressed outrage over the delay, with critics accusing the PLP government of suppressing the report and failing to warn affected communities about the public health risks in a timely manner. Multiple local families ultimately filed legal action against Rubis Bahamas and the service station’s former operator.
Fitzgerald’s return to senior public office first stirred controversy back in 2021, when the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit announced on social media that he would serve as the unit’s senior policy advisor and head. The announcement was quickly deleted, and while initial OPM sources claimed the appointment had not been finalized, the office later confirmed Fitzgerald had joined the team without offering details on his specific role. Prime Minister Davis has long defended Fitzgerald, dismissing the Baha Mar controversy as “no harm” and “no foul” in 2021 comments to reporters, saying he has full confidence in Fitzgerald’s ability to help guide the country. Davis argued he was seeking out the most capable Bahamians to advance his policy agenda, and that Fitzgerald was one of the people he trusted to deliver results. When pressed specifically on the 2017 Baha Mar scandal, Davis questioned the premise of the question, repeating that there was no wrongdoing tied to Fitzgerald’s actions.
Following Saturday’s swearing-in ceremony, Fitzgerald said he had worked closely with Davis and the full Cabinet over the past five years, praising Davis as a leader with a “heart of gold” and noting the pair had secured significant progress during the last term, even as much work remains to address national challenges. Over the past three months, Fitzgerald said he had traveled extensively across the Bahamas, speaking directly with thousands of citizens to better understand their challenges, aspirations, and desire for a government that creates pathways for all Bahamians to learn, earn, and build personal wealth. That commitment, he said, will be at the center of his work leading the country’s economic portfolio. He also noted he is optimistic about the Bahamas’ future, pointing to high youth turnout and engagement in the recent election as a promising sign, and emphasized that young people should remain actively involved in government planning and decision-making moving forward.