JetGate: A timeline

2012

• June: House of Assembly passes a bill establishing procedures for ballot referendums, including one for casino gambling.

2013

• March 20: Premier Craig Cannonier, Attorney General Mark Pettingill, Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell and Mr Cannonier’s service station manager Steven DeCosta boarded developer Nathan Landow’s private plane to Washington DC to meet with the developer.

• April 11: A memo makes a slew of recommendations outlining potential political ramifications of forging ahead with plans to bring a casino to Bermuda.

• May: It is revealed on the plane trip that the Premier, the AG and Tourism Minister went to see Landow regarding a casino.

• September: [but not revealed until February 14, 2014]: Opposition leader Marc Bean says he had discussions with the Premier and alleges 1) the Premier said his businesses were in severe financial difficulty; 2) The Premier’s high level of distrust with the members of his team and in particular, those OBA colleagues who were drawn from the ranks of the UBP; 3) Bean proposed the formation of a coalition Government, which the Premier declined; 4) The Premier said there was a  developer willing to pay him and Minister Crockwell and Minister Pettingill upfront for a casino licence. The OBA trio strenuously denied these allegations. 

• December 10 [revealed on February 14]: Shadow Finance Minister David Burt alleges Premier Craig Cannonier called him to his office on this date and offered him a bribe for political support.  Specifically, Mr Burt says the premier suggested Burt’s IT company could land a government contract if he supported scrapping a referendum.

• December 13: The OBA officially scraps the plan to have a referendum on casino gambling. Premier Cannonier said instead of opting for a referendum, which he suspected would be undermined by the PLP, he would rather bring casino legislation straight to the House. The PLP criticized the move, saying it “weakened trust in our political process”.

2014

• January:  A group of activists launches a petition drive calling for a referendum on casino gambling. One of the activists behind the petition push said he has collected at least 2,000 signatures.

• The RFP for the Club Med property is put out for interested developers to submit a proposal. 

• February 14: It was confirmed that Steven DeCosta, the Premier’s service station manager, was on the plane with him, Crockwell and Pettingill. 

• February 17: Bean appears on Let’s Talk with ZBM’s Gary Moreno and repeats the allegations from the House. 

• February: The Premier filed a lawsuit against Bean and Burt over their claims of improper behaviour.

• Meanwhile, Pettingill and Crockwell have also started legal proceedings against the Opposition leader for defamation and slander for comments made on ZBM.

• February 19: Governor George Fergusson said he doesn’t see a role in respect of the allegations, and that “any criminal matters should, as ever, be reported to the police”.

• March 31 [Revealed on May 7]: Landow does not meet the deadline to put in a bid for the Club Med property.

• May 7: Think Media’s Ayo Johnson article on ‘Selling Bermuda’ carries a series of allegations against Premier Cannonier. They included that the Premier asked for $2m facilitation money from Landow to pass casino legislation through the House; that he asked Landow for $300,000 as a campaign contribution from the OBA,  and that the Premier and Landow had several meetings. 

• Bryant Trew is appointed Think Media independent public editor.

• May 9: In his first comments on the Think Media report, the Premier calls it a “sideshow” and “flatly refutes” that he requested any money from Landow. 

• May 14: OBA chairman Thad Hollis announced the party will launch an internal investigation and that it did not receive $300,000 from Nathan Landow.

• May 15: Premier Cannonier says he welcomes the investigation.

• Trew resigns as independent editor of Think Media.

• May 16: Landow acknowledges a handful of American businessmen donated an estimated $300,000 to a political fund  but denies any knowledge that a request for $2m from the Premier ever occurred.

?Related stories:

• Landow: We sent the $300k

• OBA top brass surprised by chairman’s announcement

• ‘Premier not in danger’

• Investigation will help Cannonier, says OBA source

• Viewpoint: Are you happy with Craig Cannonier as Premier?

• Some may not want donations made public

• Bean: Premier should dissolve Parliament

• Former premiers disagree on seriousness of allegations

• JetGate: A timeline

• Jetgate roars on social media

Opinion

• JetGate: As I see it, codes were broken

• JetGate: It’s a cheap, sordid and murky affair

• JetGate: Mr Premier, I hope it’s not true

• Kudos to journalist Ayo Johnson