Halkitis Clarifies Top Notch Ties

Bahamian Finance Minister Michael Halkitis is defending his past ties to Top Notch Builders, clarifying he only offered consulting services in 2019 and stepped down as director in 2021 — months after the company halted operations due to the pandemic. The controversy flares as Eric Gardiner, linked to the company and now facing U.S. drug trafficking charges, survived a plane crash and was arrested with $30,000 tied to an international drug ring. Opposition leader Michael Pintard questioned Halkitis’ role, prompting him to urge the public to review official documents instead of social media rumors. Meanwhile, a separate U.S. court complaint alleges a Bahamian politician discussed a potential drug deal with a DEA agent inside Parliament — a scandal that has led opposition MPs to wear “Not Politician-1” badges while government MPs dodge media questions. Officials say they’re committed to transparency but insist legal processes must be followed as they continue cooperating with U.S. authorities. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/37b7b139d8988bef