By BRENT DEAN,Guardian Staff Reporter

Police have confirmed the alleged plot to extort money from actor John Travolta and his wife Kelly Preston included a request for $25 million so that a supposedly 'damaging' document would not be made public.

"All I can say here is that, you know, there was a complaint made by Mr. Travolta -- and those acting on his behalf -- that there was an attempt on behalf of a number of individuals to extort initially some $25 million from the Travoltas," said Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames yesterday in an interview with The Nassau Guardian.

"Acting on that complaint we initiated the investigation and it has brought us to this particular point."

There has been speculation as to what the alleged culprits used as leverage in their attempt to secure the large sum of money from the American actor, whose son Jett died in Grand Bahama on January 2 after reportedly suffering a seizure.

It has been suggested the alleged culprits were in possession of pictures of Jett in the moments before and after he died. But Dames said this is "incorrect."

He said the complaint alleges the conspirators approached the Travoltas with a document, that if released, would prove damaging to the Travoltas.

Dames said police have a copy of a document they have not been able to prove the authenticity of. The document, he said, is a refusal to transport document.

This, Dames explained, is signed by a party when refusing, for example, emergency medical services from trained personnel. Signing the document absolves the hospital of liability regarding an incident, he explained.

"In this context, a document like that does not apply because as we know young Jett was not... he did not have any minor injuries. He was very ill. And so the document does not come into play," Dames said.

The document is not the issue but rather "what they were trying to achieve," he added.

Police confirmed the complaint was made just over a week ago.

Police charged former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater on Friday with abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort money from the Travoltas after the death of their son. She will be arraigned on the charges in a Nassau magistrate's court tomorrow.

Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne was arraigned yesterday on the charges of attempted extortion and conspiracy to extort.

West End and Bimini MP Obie Wilchcombe was arrested by police in Grand Bahama on Friday. He was questioned that day and released pending further investigation. Bridgewater resigned from the Senate on Saturday.

Bridgewater, Wilchcombe and Lightbourne have all maintained their innocence.

"[January 23] is a day that will live in my memory as a nightmare," said Bridgewater on Saturday in a written statement. "In my capacity as a lawyer, I acted within the bounds of the law and within the bounds of my ethical responsibility to my profession."

She went on: "How these innocent actions can be so misconstrued, so perversely twisted to mean something other than it was, is a mystery. I assure the Bahamian people of my complete and total innocence and I am satisfied that when the full story comes out that I shall be fully vindicated."

And after his release on Friday, Wilchcombe told The Guardian: "I was the one who alerted everyone about it, which led to where we are today. I was asked questions and detained for two-and-a-half hours and I was just there giving evidence and answering questions. They questioned me about the initial phone call I would have made to alert the Travolta [family] of the circumstances of the situation. That was the basis of their discussions with me, but of course it's an ongoing investigation and there's not much I can say about it."

Dames, the officer in charge of Grand Bahama, would not comment on whether there are more people to be charged in the alleged plot. He also would not comment on whether wiretaps were used in the investigation.

He held a news conference yesterday in Freeport to update the public on the status of the complaint.