American diplomats blamed Anna Nicole Smith for bringing the Bahamian government close to collapse, according to cables released in December by WikiLeaks.
'Not since Category 4 Hurricane Betsy made landfall in 1965 has one woman done as much damage in Nassau,' said one November 2006 document, apparently written by D. Brent Hardt, the United States deputy chief of mission. 'Lying in disarray in her wake are Doctors Hospital, the Coroner's Court, the Department of Immigration, local mega-lawyers Callenders & Co, formerly popular Minister of Immigration Shane Gibson, and possibly Prime Minister [Perry] Christie's PLP [Progressive Labour Party] government.'
The cables described how Smith's rapid success in gaining permanent residency in the Bahamas - about a month after she had applied for it, in August 2006 - led to the ouster of Gibson, and the bungling of her son's treatment and death cut short the careers of others. The cables note that Gibson, who approved the application, was accused of receiving a cheque for US$10,000 and a US$25,000 watch from Smith. On February 11, 2007, newspaper photographs were published showing Smith lying clothed in bed in an embrace with Gibson. The minister claimed the pictures had been taken by Howard K. Stern, the American lawyer who was Smith's partner, and were innocent. He stepped down seven days later.
Daniel Smith, 20, died while visiting his mother in Nassau's Doctors Hospital, on September 10, 2006, days after she had given birth to his half-sister. Eventually, an independent autopsy found he died as a result of the interaction of methadone and antidepressants.
The last cable was dated March 2007, two months before the PLP lost an election. It noted the opposition Free National Movement 'has used these scandals to seize the offensive in the run-up to elections'.