Man accused of libel against opposition leader granted $5K bail

Man accused of libel against opposition leader granted $5K bail
Leader of the Opposition Philip Brave Davis.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A man was granted bail in the Magistrate’s Court after pleading not guilty to intentional libel against Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis.

Oswald Poitier, 45, of Second Street, Cockburn Town, was arraigned before Magistrate Samuel McKinney and charged with one count of intentional libel.

The prosecution alleged that sometime prior to November 16, 2020, Poitier recorded and distributed via social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp a voice recording of himself accusing Davis of instructing persons to harm, “take out” and kill other people.

He is accused of posting the content with the intent to defame Davis’ character.

He was granted $5,000 bail with one or two sureties and must report to the Carmichael Road Police Station until the trial.

Poitier is also banned from interfering with the witnesses or posting anything related to the case on social media.

He is expected to return to court on June 29.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.