Bahamian Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper has issued a forceful denial against fabricated emails circulating on social media that falsely allege his association with convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein. The minister, who also oversees tourism, investments and aviation portfolios, condemned the documents as digitally manipulated forgeries containing fundamental chronological inaccuracies that undermine their credibility.
The disputed correspondence, which surfaced during ongoing election campaigning, purports to show Epstein offering $200,000 to Cooper’s political campaign in 2016. However, investigative verification revealed the dates referenced in the emails correspond incorrectly to actual calendar days—March 14, 2016 was a Monday, not Tuesday as claimed, while March 20, 2016 fell on a Sunday rather than Monday.
Further undermining the documents’ authenticity, Tribune Business reported that exhaustive searches through three million pages of released U.S. Justice Department Epstein files yielded no matching communications. The deputy prime minister characterized the dissemination as potentially criminal libel, warning citizens about AI-generated forgeries and manipulated media increasingly deployed during election cycles.
Cooper stated unequivocally: “I have never met Jeffrey Epstein or anyone claiming association with him. No campaign contributions—direct or indirect—were ever received from him or his representatives.” He emphasized full transparency in his campaign disclosures and public record.
The controversy emerges alongside separate allegations against Bahamian gaming moguls Sebas Bastian and Adrian Fox, named in an FBI document alleging Epstein’s influence over Bahamian and U.S. governments. Both entrepreneurs denied any association with Epstein or involvement in firearms/human trafficking activities referenced in the report.
Also mentioned in the FBI documentation was former National Security Minister Marvin Dames, currently a parliamentary candidate, who confirmed facilitating an informant’s meeting with U.S. embassy officials while challenging the overall report’s authenticity. The informant—a wealthy U.S. expatriate residing in Paradise Island’s exclusive Ocean Club Estates—alleged Epstein’s control over governments but remains unnamed in media reports for legal considerations.