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VOLUME:115 No.48, JANUARY 31ST, 2018

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

Bring him home

WHEN THE POWERFUL TEAR UP THE RULES TO DEFEND THEIR REPUTATIONS - PAGE EIGHT

Govt told: Fly Jean Rony back and grant status

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

Jean-Charles to “allow and permit” him to travel from Haiti into the Bahamas, and that it pay the A SUPREME “reasonable cost” Court judge of Mr Jean-Charles’ has ordered the journey “forthwith government to upon his return.” “immediately” Justice Hilton issue a travel further ordered that document for the minister and Bahamas-born director of immideportee Jean gration should, no Rony Jean-Charles later than 60 days to allow him to JEAN Rony Jean- after Mr JeanCharles in Haiti return from Haiti to Charles’ return and the Bahamas at the upon his application, issue government’s expense and “such status” that would to grant him legal status no “permit him to remain in later than 60 days after his the Bahamas and to legally return. seek gainful employment.”

Justice Gregory Hilton, And, ordering that Mr in a written ruling, ordered Jean-Charles’ rights under the government to issue SEE PAGE THREE a travel document to Mr

DARLINE PRATT, Jean Rony Jean-Charles’ cousin, and his sister, Clotilde, outside court yesterday.

ALL OPTIONS OPEN DUMP MANAGERS: WE DID OUR JOB DAMES DEFENDS ON MARITAL RAPE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A TOWN hall hosted by the Bahamas Press Club last night highlighted how in flux the government’s position on marital rape remains.

Attorney General Carl Bethel announced he will release two pieces of draft legislation addressing the issue as part of consultation exercises while also admitting the government could decide not to bring any legislation at all.

Mr Bethel avoided being nailed to a particular position on how the government will address the sensitive issue of sexual violence within marriage, emphasising now is the period for consultation, not for the government to declare its hand.

He faced the toughest questions from those who believe the administration is insufficiently minded to protect the dignity of women and to live up to international conventions, SEE PAGE SIX

RENEW Bahamas, former managers of the New Providence Landfill, yesterday took issue with assertions from Environment Minister Romauld Ferreira that its work at the dumpsite was a “disaster,” insisting it had spent $10m to change solid waste management in the country.

Renew said it is disappointing to have been treated poorly as an investor that brought capital, technology and knowledge to train Bahamians in landfill remediation. This, it said, was a warning to potential investors that a lack of maturity exists when it comes to the government and its handling of deals that are agreed upon.

The company released this statement the day after

Mr Ferreira said Renew’s work at the site was to blame for the three fires that have happened at the dumpsite in less than a year.

On Saturday, a portion of the landfill caught fire and officials at the Department of Environmental Health Services (DEHS) now suspect combustion or some other kind of chemical reaction is to blame for the blaze, telling The Tribune SEE PAGE TWO

ALIVE – AFTER TWO WEEKS ADRIFT

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

one person aboard,” the Coast Guard said.

“Watch standers diverted the Coast Guard cutter A BAHAMIAN sailor Cochito crew. They arrived who was reported missing on scene at approximately two weeks ago was rescued 3.30pm and medivaced the by the United States Coast man via small boat to the Guard on Monday afterRevere Beach fire rescue noon from a boat taking due to him suffering from a on water off the coast of possible chemical reaction.

Florida.

“Coast Guard 7th District Baha Mar lifeguard watch standers confirmed Samuel Leroy Moss Jr, 23, that the man, a Bahamian disappeared off the coast of national, is the subject of a Bimini on January 14. previous overdue case.”

According to the US Mr Moss’ sister, SamCoast Guard Mr Moss was minka Moss, 21, briefly “rescued from a vessel SAMUEL Leroy Moss Jr in hospital. spoke with The Tribune yestaking on water Monday terday. She was elated at his approximately 10 miles east of West Palm rescue but said she had little information at Beach, Florida. the time about his time at sea.

“Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector “All I know is that he was found close to Miami received a notification from a good SEE PAGE FIVE Samaritan of a vessel taking on water with

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

CORONER PROCESS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames yesterday declined to address the latest fatal shooting by police, insisting such matters are “thoroughly investigated” and put before the coroner.

He was responding to reporters ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, following the shooting death at the weekend of a man residents say was blind.

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Fred Mitchell said in a statement yesterday the public should know his party is watching the matters closely and is prepared to intervene in pursuit of justice when necessary.

The most recent police-involved killing took place on Plantol SEE PAGE 10

PAGE 2, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

DUMP MANAGERS: WE DID OUR JOB

FROM PAGE ONE yesterday it was unlikely the work of an arsonist.

Since the fire was ignited at the dumpsite, Thomasina Wilson, senior deputy at DEHS with responsibility for all landfill sites in the country, said there are no flames but the area remains hot as officials continue to work there.

On Monday, while defending the government’s work since coming to office last year in rectifying the New Providence Landfill’s issues, Mr Ferreira said DEHS officials have done a better job of maintaining the site when compared to Renew.

Renew was contracted under the former Christie administration in 2014.

However, last October Renew discontinued this work.

SMOKE at the City Dump on Monday. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Obligations “In response to recent public statements from Minister Romauld Ferreira and the government of the Bahamas, we wish to state that Renew Bahamas did not walk away from its obligations under the landfill management agreement,” the company said in a press statement yesterday.

“To date, Renew has invested more than $10m in the Bahamas to positively change the solid waste management industry.

“Renew Bahamas ceased operations due to a number of unresolved disputes created by the government of the Bahamas, which failed to adhere to significant terms of the landfill management agreement and has refused to meet to facilitate a resolution.

After more than 18 months

of unsuccessfully trying to amicably resolve the disputes, and government’s deafening silence, Renew has applied to the Supreme Court for relief, including the protection of its fixed and moveable assets, which government has improperly and unlawfully restrained.

“Renew takes issue with the suggestion that it was failing operationally, when the government’s own experts from the University of Florida confirmed the contrary. The July 2016 report from their experts included a statement that:

‘Renew has made great progress and has remediated over 50 per cent, however despite the effort a lot more support needs to be given by government.’”

The statement continued: “The government of the Bahamas in the terms of the contract, was responsible for agreeing and paying for the remediation and restoration plan.

“The government continues to owe Renew Bahamas substantial monies related to works performed and confirmed by the government’s consultants.

“In response to recent public statements from Minister Romauld Ferreira and the government of the Bahamas, we wish to state that Renew Bahamas did not walk away from its obligations under the landfill management agreement.”

Renew Bahamas statement “Renew has written, and has made numerous attempts to meet with the government to resolve the many issues arising out of the landfill management agreement.

“The outstanding issues cannot be resolved without government’s participation.

Unfortunately, government has shown no interest in resolving the outstanding

issues, which impacted greatly Renew’s capacity to perform.

“It is disappointing as an investor who brought capital, technology and knowledge to train Bahamians that we continue to be treated in this way.

“As with other recent attacks on multi-national companies, it can only serve as a warning to potential investors that a lack of maturity exists in dealing with the government after deals are agreed upon.”

Renew Bahamas insisted that it remained in the country and was ready to continue on with the work it had started. It noted a current legally binding agreement in place, saying “we are prepared to come to the table, and meet with the government of the Bahamas to resolve all of the existing issues.”

However, if the government decides it does not wish to continue with Renew, it is expected to have its assets released and/ or paid for, and all outstanding monies due to it paid in full.

Yesterday, residents in communities near the site complained of white smoke blanketing their surroundings as a strong, noxious odour seeped inside homes.

The smoke has continued to shroud Jubilee Gardens, Gladstone Road and the luxury Baha Mar resort at West Bay Street, in addition to other areas.

Combustion For her part Ms Wilson said of the cause of Saturday’s fire: “We think it started by combustion.

Because where the fire happened was an already small compacted area. Maybe a battery or flare or some chemical mixture started it and with the wind at 45 mph it just spread.

“It wasn’t like our guys weren’t there. They were there from the fire started.

They would have seen. It was no one around there around that time.

“We would have been the first ones to say had we seen someone or even if we suspected it.”

THE TRIBUNE

SUPREME COURT HEARS LEGAL ARGUMENTS IN HABEAS CORPUS APPLICATIONS

By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

LEGAL arguments in six habeas corpus applications yesterday centred around differing interpretations of the powers extended to immigration officers as prescribed in the Immigration Act. Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hilton adjourned all matters to February 8, when he is expected to deliver a ruling on the lawfulness of the arrest and detention of Kediesha Bent-John and her daughter; Earl Burton; Gerna Tinord; Verante Mocombe and Franck Pierre.

Those applications are among some 15 separate cases in which the government has been asked to prove the lawfulness of the applicants’ arrest and further detention at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

Of those cases, several applicants have been unconditionally released; however, the Crown has objected to costs being awarded due to its position that all the arrests and subsequent detention were lawful.

Writs The applications for habeas corpus writs were filed in the Supreme Court against the attorney general, minister of immigration, director of immigration and superintendent of the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.

For the crown, Kirkland Mackey appeared with Kenny Thompson in the separate cases of William Oneil and Mr Pierre.

Sophia ThompsonWilliams appeared with David Whyms in the matters for Mrs Bent-John, Mr Burton, Ms Mocombe, and Ms Tinord.

In all matters, defendants were represented by Fred Smith and his junior Crispin Hall.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, PAGE 3

Government told: Fly Jean Rony back and grant status FROM PAGE ONE Article 19(1), (2) and (3) and Article 25 (1) of the Constitution have been breached, Justice Hilton ordered the government to pay Mr Jean-Charles for the breach “in such amount as to be determined” after hearing submissions by counsel.

Justice Hilton, in his 39-page ruling, found that Mr Jean-Charles was “unlawfully expelled” from the Bahamas, after having been unlawfully detained from September 17, 2017 to November 24, 2017, in breach of his right guaranteed under Article 25 (1) of the Constitution.

Justice Hilton further found Mr Jean-Charles has been deprived of his personal liberty, unlawfully arrested and detained/falsely imprisoned in breach of his rights guaranteed him under the Constitution.

The Tribune understands the Crown intends to appeal Justice Hilton’s decision.

SUPPORTERS of Jean Rony Jean-Charles, including attorney Fred Smith, QC, outside of court yesterday.

Ruling According to the ruling, which referred to an affidavit sworn by Mr Jean-Charles’ sister Clotilde Jean Charles, Mr Jean-Charles was born at the Princess Margaret Hospital in New Providence on December 5, 1982.

He was arrested by immigration officers last September and detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre from that date up to the swearing of Ms Jean Charles’ affidavit.

Mr Jean-Charles was never charged with any offence under the Immigration Act or any other law, according to the ruling, and neither was he ever taken before any court.

He was never served with a deportation or a detention order, and had never been outside of the Bahamas.

He is represented by Fred Smith, QC, who filed a writ of habeas corpus on his behalf last year.

The government’s response to Mr Smith’s writ, executed by the then-Acting Director of Immigration Keturah Ferguson, accepted the facts outlined in Ms Jean Charles’ affidavit save for the name and date of birth of the person in question.

According to the response, on September 18, 2017 an adult Haitian national who gave his name as “Jean Charles” and stated his date of birth as December 1, 1985, was arrested and detained by immigration officers during a routine status check on Fire Trail Road.

Due to “Jean Charles” being unable to provide officials with any documents or proof concerning his lawful

JEAN Rony Jean-Charles pictured in Haiti. presence in the Bahamas, he was taken to the detention centre for further processing relative to suspected contravention of the Immigration Act. After an unsuccessful check at the Birth Registry for the name “Jean Charles” and the associated date of birth, that individual was returned to his home country on a Bahamasair charter flight on November 24, 2017.

He later confirmed his identity as “Jean Charles,” date of birth December 1, 1985 during a roll call of passengers prior to boarding.

Once the flight landed in Haiti, the man was handed over to Haitian authorities, and thus any custody or control of “Jean Charles” by the Bahamas government came to an end on November 24, 2017, the Crown maintained.

Days later on November 29, Mr Smith filed an originating motion, an ex parte summons and affidavit seeking leave of the court for a writ of habeas

corpus to be issued against the government for it to produce Mr Jean-Charles, specify whether the cause of his detention was lawful, and if not to order his release.

In addressing Mr JeanCharles’ arrest and detention, Justice Hilton noted that while Article 19 of the Constitution recognises the power of the state to detain and expel non-nationals, it must be done “within the four corners of the law”.

He further stated any detention not authorised by law would be a “breach of the individual’s constitutional rights; and entitles that person to compensation under Articles 19 (4).”

He also said that based on section 18 of the Criminal Procedure Code, if an individual is apprehended by immigration officers for allegedly committing an offence, that individual cannot be detained for more than 48 hours before being charged and taken before a magistrate.

“Any time longer is an unauthorised detention and is unlawful,” Justice Hilton added.

Regarding Mr JeanCharles’ consequent deportation and/or expulsion from the country, Justice Hilton stated that he could not be arrested and detained under section 25 of the Immigration Act, which, along with section 41, outlines the “only powers of detention” contained in the Immigration Act. Section 25 deals with the process in which people who are refused leave to land can be removed from the Bahamas, while section 41 deals with the process in which a person subject to a deportation order may be removed from the Bahamas, which may include the detention of that potential deportee.

Detained However, Justice Hilton said as Mr Jean-Charles was never refused leave to land in the Bahamas due to him being born in the country, and as no deportation order was made against him, he could not be arrested and detained under section 25 and similarly, could not be detained and deported under section 41.

Justice Hilton also questioned the validity of the only document connected to Mr Jean-Charles’ removal from the Bahamas, namely the return executed by Ms Ferguson.

“It is unclear on what basis this document was prepared and executed as there is no law of which I am aware which lawfully allows the director of immigration to authorise the removal,

surrender, deportation of expulsion of a person from the Bahamas to another country,” he said.

Justice Hilton further stated that the uncertainty surrounding whether Mr Jean-Charles had “legal or non-legal status” or anyone facing similar position “cannot be a basis for his detention and deportation” under section 40 (1) (a) of the Immigration Act. “I find that the Applicant has been deprived of his personal liberty, unlawfully arrested and detained/falsely imprisoned in breach of his rights guaranteed under Article 19 (1), (2) and (3) of the Constitution,” he said.

“I also find that the applicant has been unlawfully expelled from the Bahamas in breach of his right guaranteed under Article 25 (1) of the Constitution.”

After the ruling, a jubilant Mr Smith said: “I am very happy that the judge has ruled in Jean Rony’s favour.

I am pleased that the judge has reviewed the constitutional provisions and that by this judgment he is giving muscle to the skeleton and structural foundation of the Constitution.

“Article 28 of the Constitution is a very powerful remedy, and I am very happy that the Supreme Court judges are starting to use Article 28 to promote and protect people’s fundamental rights under the constitution.”

Jean Rony’s sister Ms Jean Charles, when interviewed, said she felt “great, wonderful, thrilled” and “marvelous” after hearing Justice Hilton’s ruling.

“I feel good because he’s coming back home,” she added.

AMENDMENTS COULD PLACE ONUS ON THOSE AIDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

AMENDMENTS to current immigration policies could place more of the onus on people aiding illegal migrants, according to Immigration Minister Brent Symonette.

Defending the efforts of the Minnis administration in recent months to address the immigration crisis, Mr Symonette insisted a more pragmatic approach would have to be taken in the years ahead if the country is to ever get a true grip on the problem.

Mr Symonette said the issues playing out at government agencies daily come largely as a result of procedural deficiencies and are not completely policy failures.

However, he said the government must still look at amendments that strengthen both sides of the spectrum.

On Monday, Attorney General Carl Bethel underscored the Minnis administration’s holistic approach to the “influx of undocumented migrants” as a guest on “Z Live” with host Zhivargo Laing, noting “the government loves to make private sector lawyers rich.”

He flagged the importance of upcoming legislation regulating the Carmichael Road Detention Centre and increasing penalties for people who hire illegal immigrants.

“It’s a holistic approach,” Mr Bethel said, “we’re not

IMMIGRATION Minister Brent Symonette. simply knee-jerking and saying ‘oh increases in penalties, that’s it’ we feel good and pat ourselves on the back.”

As a follow up yesterday, Mr Symonette said the government could look to reinforce its laws with stronger policies that address persons harbouring illegal immigrants.

He said: “So the law would be strengthened in that regard. So those matters are under discussion at the moment. So do we take the fine up for harbouring?

“For instance, are landlords required to make sure that their tenants have immigration status?

“Like for instance, two of my children, in New York and in London have to produce their status, immigration wise to the landlord.

These are things that we will continue to discuss as we modernise the procedure.”

Mr Symonette, like Mr Bethel earlier this week, said this strategy is the only way the government could legally guard its efforts moving forward.

Reflecting on the recent

fire at The Mud shanty town in Abaco, Mr Symonette asserted people who could be residing in the Bahamas illegally from that community could now make the claim that their documents were lost or damaged as a result of the fire and slow any legal proceedings.

He said: “For instance, people lost their documents.

So the whole question about how do you prove you were born in the Bahamas – your immunisation, your marriage certificate – a lot of those issues you could get from the Registry (Department), but there are documents that affect that.”

There have been several notable cases in recent months in which government action has been overturned on the grounds that it violated rights afforded under the Constitution.

Last year, Jamaican Matthew Sewell, who spent nine years in and out of prison and the Carmichael Road Detention Centre without trial, was awarded a $125,000 settlement in the Supreme Court.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

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Pundits fight the urge to stay away from ‘presidential’ THE dirty word for describing President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address was “presidential.”

That was what some Trump critics tried to put in the mind of pundits assigned to analyze Tuesday’s address, urging them ahead of time not to be seduced by a smooth speech — an unusual form of “working the refs” that reflects today’s divided times politically.

When the time came to assess the speech, Fox News Channel’s Chris Wallace used a different “p’’ word — powerful. On the same set, Fox’s Juan Williams said he could understand why some Democrats walked out after hearing Trump’s “bellicose” delivery.

“Partisan” was the word that came most clearly to mind: pundits were no more successful finding common ground in their analysis than the politicians they cover.

The effort to avoid the term “presidential” stemmed from praise that Trump received for an address before Congress last year. CNN’s Van Jones, NBC’s Tom Brokaw and Wallace used the description to describe a tempered delivery that contrasted with Trump’s caustic campaign-style speeches or tweets.

There was a similar dynamic at work when Trump spoke at the world economic forum in Davos recently.

That worried Trump’s critics. Brian Klaas, author of “The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy” tweeted to “gullible pundits” that describing Trump as presidential “makes you look like a moron.”

Columnist Michelle Goldberg of The New York Times wrote that “I’m begging my fellow pundits not to get too excited should Trump manage to read from a TelePrompter without foaming at the mouth or saying anything overtly racist. No matter how well he delivers the lines ... he will not become presidential.”

Frank Sesno, a former CNN Washington bureau chief and now a George Washington University professor, said the effort reflects today’s polarisation.

But he believes that the advice was good for pundits because it would make them think carefully about what they say.

“Good analysis is important,” he said. “But reflexive commentary doesn’t really add very much.”

Pundits should be free to call things as they see them, said former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a Republican who went toe-to-toe with Jones on CNN’s set Tuesday night.

The calls to avoid the term “presidential” come from people who can’t accept the reality of Trump’s presidency, he said.

“To me, it shows that there are people so fixated on the behavior of this president that they want to ignore all of the things that he and his administration are doing and reduce this presidency to his Twitter feed,” Santorum said.

Santorum said after the speech that Trump’s delivery was disarming, that “he made you feel good as an American.”

Not so fast: On ABC, George Stephanopoulos said that it was clear that Trump did not unify his live audience.

“I think this reality TV president was trying to create a new reality, a new political reality for himself,” said CBS’ Norah O’Donnell. “And he was trying to sort of take a giant eraser to all those really divisive tweets to try and find a new way to communicate with the American people. But it doesn’t erase what has been his record.”

NBC’s Chuck Todd said he didn’t know whether the Donald Trump on display Tuesday would be able to sway Americans, “because you don’t see it very often.”

Those were points the “presidential” critics were hoping for, that they would have to see what happens in the ensuing days to truly judge the impact of Trump’s State of the Union address.

“This is a speech that will not be long remembered,” and Trump’s words will float up like smoke from a fire and vanish, said Steve Schmidt, a GOP strategist, on MSNBC. “We’ll see the typical recklessness, the looseness, the tweet out of left field that extinguish this moment of supposed normalcy from our minds, I suspect pretty quickly.”

(This article is by DAVID BAUDER of the Associated Press)

THE TRIBUNE

Problems at PMH

EDITOR, The Tribune.

I READ your editorial on PMH with great interest.

ON several instances you referred to the lack of funding and the need to adequately fund healthcare, but several important questions must be asked. If Dr Glen Beneby’s assessment of $100 million of the healthcare budget is being wasted annually is true, then the question that must be asked is who is benefiting from the waste?

Why haven’t corrections been made annually to reduce the magnitude of the waste?

That money is going somewhere, where is it going? It seems then that there isn’t a problem with scarcity of funds, but rather “wasting” of funds.

How do you waste $100 million a year and nobody tries to fix it?

Why do we have persons who have been in the system for years that

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

are incapable of getting the problems at PMH under control? This is at the heart of the issue, seemingly incompetent people in decision making positions making poor decisions. For instance, overcrowding in A&E could be addressed by firmly and consistently directing people who have not been in accidents, are not medical emergencies to their community clinics.

That is why they exist.

This suggestion requires re-educating the public, but otherwise costs no money to implement!

According to your article, Dr Duane Sands states “for decades we have suffered from an inability to properly budget and allocate sufficient finances for medicine, medical and surgical supplies equipment, staff and

infrastructure upgrade and maintenance.”

Really? We have educated, highly trained individuals in positions solely to perform that function who do not fulfil their job descriptions by budgeting and allocating financial resources, but are still employed for decades? This means that over the course of one decade $1billion dollars has been budgeted and wasted on healthcare.

Again I ask, who is profiting from this organised chaos?

The neglect that is evidenced by broken chairs, non-functioning equipment and duct tape is not because of scarcity of resources, apparently, but possibly misdirection of resources. One can only wonder if the apparent incompetence is actually intentional. One can only wonder!

JB Nassau, January 30, 2018.

Were all generator bidders invited to conference?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

PLATTS Caribbean Energy Conference this week I have to ask did the presence of the Minister responsible for BP&L - the Chairman and the CEO probably by accident compromise the required independent position as a result of the valuable pending RFP result for the supply of Stand-by generators to BP&L? Interesting at least two names appeared in advertisements who are known bidders to the RFP - Wartsila and Aggreko (the present provider).

Editor I have to ask were all the bidders to the RFP to supply the Stand-by generators invited to the Conference?

If they were not then I have to suggest the compliance of fairness and level playing field certainly has been crossed and

the RFP should effectively be cancelled and re-issued.

The Minister certainly should not have addressed the conference – the Minister of Tourism or his Parliamentary Secretary could have stood in – the Chair, Mrs Osborne as Chair of BP&L and the COO Mrs Alston certainly should not even have been present as those who bid obviously would use the opportunity to lobby for their bid.

Minister Bannister has been at the forefront of the FNM attack on corruption or even the implication or possible corruption. I ask then, surely in fairness, if not all bidders to the RFP were present, the process has to be cancelled.

ABRAHAM MOSS Nassau, January 27, 2018.

Forbes is in the dark EDITOR, The Tribune.

3. Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre 4. The Persis Rogers PLP Member of Parliament Picewell Forbes Home for Senior Citizens 5. The Ranfurly Home is absolutely correct that for Children Bahamas Power & Light 6.

Dialysis and Cancer should keep a list of privileged customers whose Treatment Centres 7. Households where electricity supply should disconnection would be never be disconnected. detrimental to the health Where I disagree with of a family member prohim is over who should be vided it is certified by a on that list. health professional and I completely reject his prior payment arrangelist and propose my own. ments are made.

How about this list, Mr. Mr. Forbes is at liberty Forbes? to add to this list provided he gets the humanitarian 1. The Princess Marga- gist of the exercise. ret Hospital It shows that PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis has 2. The Rassin Hospital

his work cut out for him if he wants to change the “all for me baby” sense of privilege and entitlement that permeates his party.

Mr. Forbes should instead advocate for Parliament to make it easy for all of us to purchase and install solar panels which can produce all the energy to run our home and even produce a surplus that we could sell back to BPL. Until then he should study the meaning of egalitarianism.

THE GRADUATE Nassau, January 28, 2018.01

A sad reflection on 50 years of Majority Rule What Donald Trump’s EDITOR, The Tribune.

YOUR editorial today, January 30 2018, is another very sad reflection on our fifty years of Majority Rule and Independence and National Sovereignty, and to be honest, we are very lucky that the US Embassy and/or others don’t publish a travel warning to their citizens vacationing here, that they best stay inside their rooms, lest they get hurt and have to go to this God forsaken place for medical help.

Any discussion with anyone, about the PMH will inevitably come down to one of funding, or “lack thereof”.

And that beggars the question “how much money has this country dished out over the last 20 years (ONLY)

on subsidising/bailing out the likes of BahamasAir, Bank of Bahamas, (100 million to Bahamas Resolve) BAMSI, Water & Sewerage Corp, BEC/BPL, National Insurance?

As well as a raft of money paid in consultancy fees, to set up a National Health Insurance Plan, for a product that we know DOES NOT EXIST. Now the previous government is one thing, and it was ceremoniously removed by the people, but if one were to ask any of the current Government MP’s or Cabinet Ministers WHY these corporations are not in LIQUIDATION fully nine months after they were returned to Government, with a resounding mandate to clean this country and its finances

up, and get a handle on essential public services, you would get a litany of reasons why they think we need to keep these bleeding sores operating.

Perhaps it is because if they, or a family member were ill, they would have, or would find, the wherewithal to travel to America or Canada to seek medical assistance for anything serious.

And no, I don’t think that Dr Minnis had a serious medical problem when he had eye surgery at the PMH. Really, Government, are you acting in the best interest, or even just the simple interest, of the people of the Bahamas by continuing this lunacy?

BRUCE G RAINE Nassau, January 30, 2018.

Tax Reform means for the Bahamas

EDITOR, The Tribune.

DOES anyone at the Office of The Prime Minister understand precisely what the recently announced and successful new Trump Tax Reform actually created?

American companies will now have an enormous advantage to invest at home and not in China - Taiwan and other countries, (Bahamas) around the globe as the Corporate Tax is now extremely competitive.

So why is the Prime Minister and entourage heading off to Houston?

President Trump promised America First - he now successfully got through Congress and the Senate his Tax reform which has already seen major US companies with billions overseas transferring them and committing to long

term new employment opportunities, 20,000 in America!

Surely someone In the Economic Planning section at DPM should have advised the PM - seems even they do not understand?

Even if The Bahamas offered the max of tax concessions the sole possible advantage might be the cost of our untrained labour, but will that make US Investment attractive -I doubt it -It is America First, sir!

Nine months gone and not a single project announced to increase employment.

I am wondering did we make a mistake on May 10th?

W THOMPSON Nassau, January 21, 2018.

THE TRIBUNE

ALIVE – AFTER TWO WEEKS ADRIFT

BAHA Mar lifeguard Samuel Leroy Moss Jr’s boat taking on water off the coast of Florida.

(Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Murray) FROM PAGE ONE Florida, about 10 miles off of Florida.

He is in a hospital in (West Palm Beach, Florida).”

Ms Moss had previously spoken with The Tribune to report her brother’s case. She said previously her family was praying to God for her brother’s safe return.

Their prayers have been answered.

In a Facebook live video which has since been deleted, Mr Moss, while in hospital, briefly recounted his trip. He explained that during his trip, he realised he had issues with his GPS and gas gauge and also encountered rough seas. He said he went

on land in Andros, where he encountered wild animals and sought refuge in a tree. He said he fell from the tree and was injured, then left Andros to continue sailing.

In February 2017, Mr Moss was stranded for three days in waters off Grand Bahama.

According to Ms Moss, her brother was rescued by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) at the time.

Ms Moss said during that experience, her brother had no food rations. This time when he left for this trip, she said “he took food and water, sufficient to last him four or five days just in case he got stranded again or in case anything happens.”

MINISTER OF HEALTH RESPONDS TO REPORTED CASE OF TB AT UNIVERSITY

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands has responded to a reported case of tuberculosis at the University of the Bahamas.

Although he did not confirm or deny the case, Dr Sands emphasised the low rates of the disease in the country.

When asked by reporters if other university students should be concerned, Dr Sands said: “There will always be cases of tuberculosis that will appear sporadically.

As I have said repeatedly, we have enjoyed one of the lowest rates of tuberculosis in the world.

“That said, there are individuals who get exposed and then what we do after identifying and confirming a case (is) then our public health team goes to work to identify contacts, to do the Mantoux skin testing and chest x-rays if necessary and to apply appropriate public health strategies to keep the public safe.”

There has been much public concern regarding TB in recent months as accounts have surfaced of hundreds of individuals being exposed to the disease. However, Dr Sands has been steadfast that these reports are no cause for alarm.

In November 2017, Dr Sands said: “We have a very effective surveillance programme in place and they are managed according to international guidelines.

“There is standard operating procedure.

When we have a patient with TB as we do literally every week in the year, contacts are traced, homes are examined, the patients are started on therapy, whether inpatient or outpatient.”

“For the most part, it is a silent issue in the country.

“We don’t have a major problem with uncontrolled TB because the international guidelines for surveillance, monitoring and intervention are followed very rigidly.”

Earlier this month, health officials screened more than 3,000 residents in Eleuthera for TB. On January 16, Dr Sands said that while there are over 100 confirmed cases of TB on Eleuthera, less than four of these are “active”.

Of the cases in Eleuthera, Dr Sands said at the time, “those people were admitted to hospital and treated.”

Dr Sands also reiterated that there is always a “baseline” level of TB cases in the Bahamas, adding that month to month suspected cases are reported and investigated, but often rarely result in positive diagnosis.

ROYAL Caribbean’s MS Independence of the Seas pictured on an earlier voyage.

INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS MAKES UNEXPECTED STOP IN FREEPORT

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ROYAL Caribbean’s MS Independence of the Seas and its 4,000 passengers made an unexpected stop in Grand Bahama last week after the ship was diverted from Florida.

The ship was charted by “K Love,” a Christian contemporary radio station, and was initially scheduled to call at Miami, but instead came to Freeport at the group’s request.

On their arrival at the port, Ministry of Tourism and harbour officials boarded the vessel where they held a brief welcome and plaque exchange.

Nuvolari Chotoosingh, the manager of niche markets in the Ministry of Tourism, said the unscheduled call to Grand Bahama was an opportunity for

an economic boost, which is certainly needed at this particular time.

The “K-Love” group celebrated its 15th year at sea where all guests were taken on a Caribbean cruise and had a chance to mingle with various Christian artists.

Captain Orlando Forbes, port director of Freeport Harbour Company, said the island has a growing reputation for catering to faith-based groups.

“As we continue to see this segment of the market continuing to grow, we extend our arms and we welcome them to Freeport,” he said.

Captain Teo Strazicic, said he has been to Grand Bahama with the Grandeur of the Seas.

“I am happy to be here and to see the progress over the years that the harbour and the people have made,” he said.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, PAGE 5

PLP: THE PM’S ADDRESS ‘OFFERED NO IMMEDIATE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL RELIEF’ THE Progressive Liberal Party yesterday downplayed the announcements in Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ national address, saying it “offered no immediate economic and social relief”.

“The net result of the government’s fiscal and economic policies to date are higher unemployment and a deterioration in the performance of the public revenue,” PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell said in a statement. “These results indicate that the economy has either stalled or lost most of the momentum clearly evident when the PLP lost office eight months ago. On a human level, this means increased suffering, misery and hardship for thousands of Bahamian households. “ ... His government has engaged in victor’s justice, deceit and mass victimisation from the date of the May 2017 general election. Targeting hard working Bahamian professionals in the public service only to settle political scores is not only cruel and inhumane but is harmful to the country.

Shameless “The prime minister’s continued acknowledgment of the qualified economic success of the Baha Mar resort is shameless. Without a word of thanks to the PLP, he has embraced Baha Mar as if it were his own. Prior to coming to office, he did everything he could to destroy this project for purely narrow, political and self-serving reasons. Without Baha Mar, he would have nothing about which to boast. He owes the PLP a debt of gratitude.

“Tonight’s speech was an indication of a prime minister filled with ambitious promises but lacking the details needed to demonstrate how his government will translate their efforts into immediate short-term relief.”

Mr Mitchell said the prime minister did not address the critical state of the country’s healthcare system nor his government’s plans for universal healthcare for Bahamians.

“Tonight there are no beds in the hospital to spare,” he said.

“There was precious little in the speech when it comes to immediate relief for Grand Bahama and nothing for the other islands.”

However on Monday night, Dr Minnis

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis delivers his national address. said the government is reviewing an application for the Grand Palm Beach property in West End, Grand Bahama for a project that could result in more than $2bn being spent over a ten-year period.

At the same time, he announced negotiations relating to the Grand Lucayan Resort, one of the island’s most important tourism projects, are “far from completed,” but would be wrapped up this year.

And a bid to boost access to affordable housing for Bahamians, Dr Minnis also announced the government will “provide extremely low-cost lots” to potential firsttime home owners.

He also said the government will waive business licence fees for new businesses this year.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

ALL OPTIONS OPEN ON MARITAL RAPE FROM PAGE ONE

particularly the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEDAW).

The divergent views the government must confront was on full display last night, with panelist from the Bahamas Crisis Centre, Donna Nicholls saying the proposed legislation is too soft contrasting with Pastor Mario Moxey’s view that criminalising sexual spousal abuse could have harmful effects on a marriage.

For his part, psychologist Barrington Brennen hit out at “spiritual leaders and followers” for being the loudest voices against criminalising marital rape.

“Spiritual leaders should be the ones who support and understand the sinister plans of Satan to weaken all of us, especially the family,” he said.

Traditions “Nevertheless, they are being caught in the trap of foolish scriptural interpretations, negative Greek philosophy that have permeated the Western world, patriarchal stupidity and traditions that destroy, weaken and shame the family and women.

“The government should not allow that kind of influence from the church to sway them to change the wording of the law from rape to ‘aggravated sexual abuse.’ Rape is rape.”

Earlier this month Mr Bethel told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva the government had drafted an amendment to the Sexual Offences Act to outlaw aggravated spousal sexual

ATTORNEY GENERAL Carl Bethel along with Barrington Brennen, marriage and family therapist; Chauntez Dillet-Heastie, Organisation for Responsible Governance; M’Wale Rahming, Public Domain President; Mario Carey, Pastor at Bahamas Harvest Church, and Donna Nicolls, The Bahamas Crisis Centre counsellor, at yesterday’s panel. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

abuse. At the time he said although the proposed offence was not to be labeled marital rape, it had all the elements of the offence of rape in a marriage.

Last night he emphasised the reference to “spousal sexual abuse” was the drafters’ attempt at compromise.

Confronted about this with references to CEDAW and other international commitments, he said: “It is a foolhardy government in this day and age that puts out a bill and says that’s it, take it or leave it.

“The Bahamas is far too mature a democracy, particularly over the last ten years, for any government to feel - and you saw a good example of that in 2009 - for any government to feel they could put something down and say take that or leave it, because when society says, well they’re not going to take and if you make us take it we’ll send you a message, what does that

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel and Chauntez Dillet-Heastie of the Organisation for Responsible Governance speak yesterday.

government do, (it) backs right off?

“So government has no position right now; (we are) in the process of discussion, process of

formation, process of getting views and hearing what everybody else is saying.

“At the end of the day really two bills could be put before the table for government to consider.

One could incorporate as Ms (Donna) Nicholls said - but there would have to be as Pastor Mario said some other things changed or reworded - and the compromise could be put and then the government could arrive at some point at a decision.

“The government could also determine not to proceed at all. That would be when you have a government decision, when one of these things is decided around a table.”

Amendment Mr Bethel’s reference to Mrs Nicholls referred to her argument that contrary to the government’s proposed draft legislation, all that is necessary is an amendment to be made to the Sexual Offences and

Domestic Violence Act removing the words “who is not his spouse” from Section 3 of that Act so that rape could otherwise be defined as “the act of any person not under 14 years of age having sexual intercourse with another person... without the consent of that other person.”

After last night’s event, Mr Bethel told The Tribune he will circulate the draft bill he spoke about in Geneva and a second one based around Mrs Nicholls’ proposal.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

What happens when the powerful tear up the rules to defend their reputations

Y

UGGE FARRELL. That is the name echoing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines - and throughout the Caribbean.

It is the name of a young woman being vilified and victimized by a powerful dynasty desperate to make her disappear. Hers is a terrifying story of what happens when corruption runs rampant, nepotism is the order of the day and court decisions can be bought. Yugge’s story is one we need to hear and remember and she is a woman we need to defend.

Who is Yugge Farrell?

Yugge Farrell, 22, was arrested on January 4 on an “abusive language” charge.

It is alleged she called Karen Duncan-Gonsalves - wife of Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves - a “dirty bitch”.

She appeared in court the next day and pled not guilty.

After her plea, the prosecution made application, without supporting documents, for psychiatric evaluation.

Magistrate Bertie Pompey ordered her to a Mental Health Center for two weeks.

noted the report provided to the court was not signed by a psychiatrist and suggested the facility is not equipped to handle patients “with the allegation of some mental instability”.

The report from the Mental Health Center stated Yugge was unfit to stand trial and she was sent back to the facility. Outside of the court, Yugge’s sister insisted that

Why the drama?

It is no secret that many politicians and others in positions of power, groom and prey upon young women.

Youth and poverty are just two characteristics which make women more vulnerable to those of means. In most of these cases, relationships are kept quiet - at least out of the spotlight - so the powerful maintain airs of superiority, family life stability and moral high ground. If threatened, they exert their power in hopes of silencing the people who know their secrets. If they cannot succeed one way, they try another and another and another. This is why a father and son seem to have done all they can to lock Yugge away.

Since her detention, videos have circulated online with Yugge saying she had a sexual relationship with the Minister of Finance. While SVG Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has made comments on radio stations about the case, he advised his son, Minister of Finance, to hold “dignified silence”.

The Prime Minister is also Minister of Legal Affairs and insists a magistrate can order a defendant to a mental institution based on information provided by the prosecutor outside of court.

her sister is “not crazy”. She suggested Yugge was being victimized by more powerful people who want to keep her from talking. She also said she suspected Yugge was given medication the night before her court appearance because when she saw her on January 21, she was fine and not presenting as she did in court.

People are responding to the vilification of Yugge, especially under the premise that she is “crazy” - an overused, ableist word meant to discredit.

To fight back, people in SVG and around the region are using #iamcrazytoo to express their support.

A group of people held signs with messages included “I too am crazy” in protest of what was happening with Yugge’s court case and her detention.

While politicians and the court work to make us see Yugge as separate, different and “crazy,” the people choose to see commonalities and recognize that this injustice can be done to anyone.

#Iamcrazytoo While under evaluation at the Mental Health Center, Yugge was given antipsychotic drugs including Risperidone and Lithium.

Her pro bono lawyer Grant Connell addressed this matter in court on January 23, drawing attention to the difference in her behaviour.

At her first court appearance, Yugge was composed, but on the second, she made howling noises - clearly affected by drugs forcibly administered to her. Connell

Dirty business A number of issues have been raised regarding this case, not the least of which being abuse of power.

There have been arguments about information being shared with the magistrate, but not in open court.

Specifically, the information that led to Yugge being court-ordered to the Mental Health Center was not presented in court and not made available to the defence.

In addition, the application for her psychiatric evaluation

YUGGE Farrell leaving court in a still from news footage.

came after she entered her plea. The legality of this has been questioned and no answer thus far has pointed to legislative support. One of the most recent issues is the report from the institution was not signed by a psychiatrist. The prosecution claims none of this is of any import.

Lawyer and human rights activist Kay Bacchus-Baptiste spoke out against the handling of Yugge’s case. She referred to Yugge’s detention at the Mental Health Center as “a human rights issue that should be properly investigated”.

On January 29 Yugge was released on bail and her case has been put off until December 2018. #JusticeForYugge Your first instinct may be to find everything that separates you from Yugge Farrell.

You’d probably like to think this could never happen to you, or anyone you love.

Even if you’re right, Yugge does not deserve to suffer.

She has been hauled before the courts to face a charge of “abusive language” because a government minister’s wife was insulted. She has gone through undue stress and had her rights violated because the Minister of Finance and Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are afraid of her and what her story could do to their political careers, family and legacy.

Since they don’t, it’s up to us to recognize and affirm that Yugge’s life is more important than their reputations.

It’s up to us to take action, support Yugge in word and deed and push for a system that would not leave room from others to be victimized, dehumanized, or silenced.

With the next court date at the end of 2018, we need to be vigilant, steadfast and vocal in our support of Yugge and her rights.

We know this is not the end and this may not be their final attempt to silence her.

Use #YuggeFarrell and #JusticeForYugge to read more about Yugge’s story and the work being done to help her through this case, both legal and otherwise. It will take community to keep her safe and strong and prepare her for her next day in court. Look for the petition on thepetitionsite.com and the empowerment fund on gofundme.com.

If it could happen to her, it could happen to someone else and that’s not the kind of world any of us deserve.

We don’t have to settle; let’s agitate for the change we need and support the people making it happen. Yugge’s could be the case that changes more than a law.

Memorial Service For MRS. ORALINE JENELL MOXEY-BUTLER, 88 a P.L.P. Stalwart Councillor, will be held on Thursday, February 1st, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Sir Lynden Pindling Center, Farrington Road, Nassau, New Providence.

Mrs. Butler’s Remains will lay in state from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

THE BAHAMAS DROPS TWO PLACES IN RULE OF LAW INDEX

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas has dropped two positions on the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index.

The 2017-2018 index looked at how well the country adhered to its rules on civil and criminal justice, constraints on government powers, the absence of corruption in society, open government, fundamental rights, order and security and regulatory enforcement.

Ranked at 40 of 113 countries, the score also places the Bahamas 10th out of 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region.

It is also 33 of 35 when countries of high income are considered, the WJP said in a press statement.

The top three overall performers in the 2017-2018 WJP Rule of Law Index were Denmark, Norway, and Finland respectively. The bottom three were Afghanistan, Cambodia and Venezuela.

Globally, the WJP said a majority of countries worldwide saw their scores decline since the publication of the last WJP Rule of Law Index in October 2016 in the areas of human rights, checks on government powers, and civil and criminal justice.

Regionally, Latin America and the Caribbean’s top performer in the index is Uruguay at 22nd out of 113 countries, followed by Costa Rica and Chile.

Suriname showed the biggest fall in rankings, moving down 10 places to 69th place out of 113 indexed countries worldwide.

Three countries in the region, the organisation said, experienced negative factor trends in constraints on government powers, while three countries showed positive factor trends in open government.

Venezuela again had the lowest overall rule of law score among all 113 indexed countries, the WJP said.

THE TRIBUNE

DAMES DEFENDS CORONER PROCESS

FROM PAGE ONE

Street off East Street on Friday, prompting an angry confrontation between police officers and residents. Videos connected to the incidents circulated on social media.

Mr Dames said: “I don’t wish to speak directly to the incident only to say that there is a process any time that there is a police-involved shooting, there is a process that takes place. The coroner is immediately notified and in most instances the coroner is invited to the scene to assess the scene and then go away. The matters (are) then thoroughly investigated and put before the coroner where a determination is made as to whether there is culpability or not.”

There have been nine policeinvolved killings in the past three months, including four this month, according to The Tribune’s records. Overall, there were 11 such killings last year.

“The coroner is immediately notified and in most instances the coroner is invited to the scene to assess the scene and then go away. The matters (are) then thoroughly investigated and put before the coroner where a determination is made as to whether there is culpability or not.”

Minister of National Security Marvin Dames

Inquests Lawyers with the most experience in cases at the Coroner’s Court often bemoan the lack of inquests into police-involved killings and their inability to typically secure dates for such matters. However, The Tribune understands that an inquest into at least one police-involved killing is now ongoing.

Attorney General Carl Bethel said last year the government would implement administrative or legislative fixes to ensure inquests take place as the law demands, though he didn’t reveal what steps will be taken.

Last year he revealed there were 28 outstanding killings for which an inquest must be held.

Since then, there have been four more killings.

In his statement on the matter, Mr Mitchell said: “I discussed the latest killing involving a peace officer in the context of the ubiquitous sharing and commentary of the video clips of the incident as alleged with my colleagues. We are always concerned about justice and social order. I know also as a matter of

law not to prejudge without hearing the other side.

“The response on all of these occasions has been anger in the neighbourhoods. I was concerned when the AG seemed helpless to move the backlog. I am aware of a former constituent in Fox Hill, a mother, who is still grieving in the death of her son by a peace officer and she alleged that the hearing of the coroner was convened without notice to her.

“Put all these ingredients together with the powder keg on the other side where the society is anxious that someone stop the random and senseless killings by criminals and it’s quite a cauldron.

“The public should be assured that we in the PLP are watching these events very closely and will intervene when and if it becomes necessary in the interest of justice.

“The country’s reputation for the rule of law must be preserved and we want the police to act

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within the law and at the same time for crime to be abated. We have an active watching brief at a very delicate time in our country’s fight against crime. Bottom line, the AG must get cracking and have these coroner’s cases resolved forthwith or risk undermining respect for the process.”

Video Yesterday, Mr Dames also commented on a video of an arrest that circulated on social media this week, showing a man in handcuffs being hit by an officer as he appeared to resist walking with police.

“Well again there is a process,” Mr Dames said. “What you saw was a clip. You didn’t see the incident in its entirety so I will not speak to the incident itself, only to say this: When persons are aggrieved there is a place that they can go to voice their

complaints to make an official complaint. “(None) will be turned away and as I said before the matter will be investigated thoroughly and then a determination will be made as to whether the officers are at fault.”

When asked by reporters if he viewed the clip, Mr Dames replied: “Of course I looked at it.

“Are there some concerns?

Well, I don’t know the matter in its entirety and I think we have to be careful that when we see a brief clip of something we don’t jump to conclusions, assuming that the police would have done something terribly wrong, ok.”

Mr Dames also reiterated the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is instituting systems to boost transparency. This includes an independent internal review board and a body cam programme, currently in its pilot stage. He said he hopes the body cam project will be fully implemented this year.

THE TRIBUNE

MOTHER LEAVES COURTROOM AS FOOTAGE OF MURDERS SHOWN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net THE mother of Sheena Johnson got up and left the courtroom as surveillance footage was shown in the Supreme Court depicting the murders of her daughter and son-inlaw Barry at their home in Deadman’s Reef.

Sobbing was heard just outside the courtroom after she left. Sheena Johnson, a teacher, and her husband, Barry, a supervisor at the Freeport Container Port, were discovered shot to death on September 13, 2015, following an armed robbery the night before.

Video surveillance footage from cameras installed at the couple’s triplex apartment was entered as evidence in court.

On trial for the murders and armed robbery are Paul Belizaire, Devaughn Hall, and Kevin Dames. Two other co-accused Allan Alcime and Virgil Hall were convicted of armed robbery in connection with the matter and are serving time.

While continuing his cross-examination on Tuesday, attorney for one of the accused Geoffrey Farquharson questioned lead investigator, Detective 772 Lorenzo Johnson about the couple’s two vehicles and referred him to the video footage that showed four armed suspects and the shooting of the Johnsons.

Mr Farquharson asked the detective how he knew that a truck discovered by police on a dirt road near the container port was Mr Johnson’s.

Det Johnson said it was the same GMC truck, licence T8688, which was stolen from the Johnsons’ home the night of murders. He said the truck was seen at the victims’ home in Deadman’s Reef.

The lawyer asked for the video to be shown and the detective to show where in the surveillance footage he saw the truck or Mrs Johnson’s vehicle.

Det Johnson said the headlights were seen on the video as both vehicles pulled into the driveway, however at no time was the vehicle seen in the video.

Mr Farquharson asked the detective if he knew who had contacted police on discovering the truck. He said that a Superintendent Dames was contacted by an informant.

He said he was at the murder scene in Deadman’s Reef when he received a call about a truck which was found in Eight Mile Rock. On arrival at the scene, he said several officers were already there.

Det Johnson said a Sgt Arthur processed the truck and made a check for any evidence, and took photographs. He noted the officer had discovered positive results for evidence.

Mr Farquharson asked Det Johnson if Sgt Arthur had passed on the results to him. The witness said he did not.

He put it to Det Johnson that information and the report were passed to two other officers, and that he was never in charge of the investigation.

Det Johnson denied the suggestion.

“I put it to you that Sgt Arthur was not acting on your instructions, but on that of ASP Dames, your boss,” Mr Farquharson said.

The trial continues on Wednesday. Justice Estelle Gray Evans is presiding over the case.

Prosecutors Erica Kemp and Neil Brathwaite are representing the Crown. Mr Farquharson is representing Belizaire, and Carlson Shurland and Jethlyn Burrows are representing Dames and Hall, respectively.

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, PAGE 11

COB employee received $270,000 in account between 2008 and 2015

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net FORMER College of the Bahamas employee Chimeka Gibbs received nearly $270,000 in COB salary deposits to her savings account at CIBC FirstCaribbean bank between 2008 and 2015, Supreme Court jurors heard yesterday.

Kim Thurston, manager of CIBC First Caribbean’s Local Processing Centre, testified before Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson that Gibbs received a total of $269,726.20 from December 2008 to October 2015 to an account in her name at that bank.

According to Ms Thurston, Gibbs’ CIBC FCIB account received the most salary deposits in 2013, when she netted $45,490.82.

The next highest amount she received came a year later when she received $40,461.21.

Gibbs received a total of $39,470.61 in COB salary

FORMER College of the Bahamas employee Chimeka Gibbs at a previous court appearance. deposits in 2011, the same year she was confirmed via a COB job letter as having an annual salary of $32,210 for serving as a human resources assistant. The job

letter was dated May 24 of that year.

Yesterday also saw brief testimonies from two other senior CIBC FCIB officials, namely Andrew

Hanna, senior manager of the bank’s data centre operations, and Jacqueline Longley, a customs services manager at the bank’s Harbour Bay location.

Gibbs is on trial accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars between March 2008 and October 2015 while serving as an employee at COB. She is facing eight counts of stealing by reason of employment and 16 counts of falsification of accounts.

It is alleged that Gibbs stole over $500,000 from COB by reason of her employment at the institution. It is also alleged she falsified numerous COB direct deposit files, the result of which purported to show she was entitled to over $200,000 in salary payments.

According to court documents, Gibbs served as both a senior clerk and a human resources assistant at the college. She was arraigned in June 2016. COB transitioned into a university later that year.

Roger Gomez Jr represents Gibbs while Al-Leecia Delancey and Antania Rolle-Taylor represent the Crown.

The trial continues.

BAHAMAS ‘MUST ADAPT’ TO GLOBAL INTEGRATION

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

THE country must adapt to global integration or lose out on its chance at a “Bahamian renaissance,” Immigration and Trade Minister Brent Symonette suggested yesterday.

In a speech to open the Bahamas Economic Outlook conference, Mr Symonette said as a small island state economy, the Bahamas must embrace global integration and make it work or get left behind.

He added the country must acknowledge it still has a long way to go to before it can boast “real economic growth and sustainability”.

Mr Symonette said: “Our slow pace in embracing global integration into the world economy has caused us to be at a disadvantage, having to play catch up and not realise the full benefits of globalisation, a process that could increase the resources available for economic growth.

“There are two things we must consider. The first is that developing countries like the Bahamas really have no choice, we must integrate into world markets if we are serious about real economic sustainability.

“The success of the European Union since the 1950s attests to the advantages of regional integration.

Although, some may argue that the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, Brexit, is a manifestation of the disintegration of the European Union. This may also have implications for the Bahamas.

“As a signatory to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) of which the Bahamas, the UK and

attract more business, create jobs and improve the standard of living of all Bahamians.

He said the government has also recognised the answers do not lie with

IMMIGRATION and Trade Minister Brent Symonette. the European Union are signatories; the exit of the UK from the European Union raises issues which may impact trade, foreign direct investment, immigration and even technical assistance for the Bahamas. A process we will have to monitor and manage.”

Mr Symonette added: “Second, there are risks inherent in an increasingly integrated world economy. We must identify them, and consider to which extent is globalisation really good for small countries such as the Bahamas? “... The government of the Bahamas recognises that we can no longer remain on the periphery of the global discussions that impact the way we do business we must act now. And, despite the uncertainties prevailing in the global market, the Bahamas, as a small island state, has always been adaptable to the demands of the global

economy, and will continue to do so.

“Having natural strategic advantages of being located, just 80 miles off the coast of the continental United States, allows us to have convenient air and sea connections to the North America and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia; and the natural beauty of our archipelagic make up makes us an attractive destination.”

Mr Symonette said the government continually engages stakeholders in every segment of the economy.

Speaking specifically to efforts by his office, he said officials currently meet with industry partners to assemble working groups to hear and address concerns, and to share ideas on the way forward for our country.

Additionally, Mr Symonette said the Minnis administration believes its approach will

“Our slow pace in embracing global integration into the world economy has caused us to be at a disadvantage, having to play catch up and not realise the full benefits of globalisation, a process that could increase the resources available for economic growth.”

Immigration and Trade Minister Brent Symonette one agency, but it must be a concerted effort involving both the public and private sectors, if there is to be economic success despite the current global environment.

During his address yesterday, Mr Symonette also addressed the government’s “ease of doing business” policy and several other key economic drivers.

Of the former he said: “Improvement in the ease of doing business is necessary if we are to compete in the global market and stimulate positive and sustainable growth, as well as create greater efficiencies in how we do business. We are also looking at amendments

to legislation coming from the Central Bank of the Bahamas, around making the process around ‘know your customer,’ money laundering and terrorist financing less regimented and more fluid to make it easier to open accounts and transact business.”

Mr Symonette said his ministry is also engaged in discussions with the governor of the Central Bank on calls to relax exchange controls, an issue which is of concern to many in the business community.

“Many believe that relaxation can attract foreign direct investments and allow Bahamians and foreigners alike to move goods and products more freely and efficiently,” he said. “The Securities Commission of the Bahamas is also making amendments to the Investment Funds Act which is out for consultation.”

The second initiative touted by Mr Symonette yesterday was the possibility of the country’s accession to World Trade Organisation (WTO).

He said the Bahamas, as a member of WTO, would finally play a part in the decision-making process affecting its development.

“Not having a voice when rules or decisions are made is no longer an option for the Bahamas,” he said.

“We aim to become an active participant in making those rules and decisions that can affect our country’s economic well-being.”

According to Mr Symonette, the government is also moving to modernise the Customs Department, making it more efficient in its delivery of services which is necessary for the business community to operate efficiently.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

HAWAII WORKER WHO SENT FALSE ALERT HAD PROBLEMS BUT KEPT JOB HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii emergency management officials knew for years that an employee had problems performing his job. Then, he sent a false alert warning of an imminent missile attack earlier this month.

The worker had mistakenly believed drills for tsunami and fire warnings were actual events, and colleagues were not comfortable working with him, the state said Tuesday. His supervisors counseled him but kept him for a decade in a position that had to be renewed each year.

The problems in the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency went beyond one troubled employee. The agency had a vague checklist for missile alerts, allowing workers to interpret the steps they should follow differently. Managers didn’t require a second person to sign off on alerts before they were sent, and the agency lacked any preparation on how to correct a false warning.

Those details emerged Tuesday in federal and state reports investigating how the agency mistakenly blasted cellphones and broadcast stations Jan. 13 with a warning that led hundreds of thousands of people to believe they were about to die in a nuclear attack.

It took nearly 40 minutes to retract it.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Vern Miyagi resigned as the reports were released.

Officials revealed that the employee who sent the alert was fired Friday.

His name has not been revealed. A second worker quit before disciplinary action was taken, and another was

THIS smartphone screen capture from July 13th shows a false incoming ballistic missile emergency alert sent from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency system. (AP) being suspended without pay, officials said.

“The protocols were not in place.

It was a sense of urgency to put it in place as soon as possible. But those protocols were not developed to the point they should have,” retired Brig.

Gen. Bruce Oliveira, who wrote the report on Hawaii’s internal investigation, said at a news conference.

A Federal Communications Commission report revealed Tuesday that the worker who pushed out the alert thought an actual attack was imminent. It was the first indication the alert was purposely sent, adding another level of confusion to the misstep that created panic at a time of fear over the threat of North Korean missiles.

The worker believed there was a real attack because of a mistake in how the drill was initiated during a shift change, according to the FCC, which regulates the nation’s airwaves and sets standards for such emergency alerts. The employee said he didn’t hear the word “exercise” repeated six times, though others clearly heard it.

There was no requirement to double-check with a colleague or get a supervisor’s approval before sending the warning statewide, the federal agency said.

“There were no procedures in place to prevent a single person from mistakenly sending a missile alert” in Hawaii, said James Wiley, a cybersecurity and communications reliability staffer at the FCC. Compounding the issue was that the state Emergency Management Agency had no prepared message for a false alarm. The FCC criticized the state’s 38-minute delay in correcting it.

In addition, software at the Hawaii agency used the same prompts for both test and actual alerts, and it generally used prepared text that made it easy for a staffer to click through the alerting process without focusing enough on the text of the warning that would be sent.

“The reports from the FCC and the state of Hawaii demonstrate systems and judgment failures on multiple levels, and they reinforce my belief that missile alerts should be handled by the federal government,” said U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, who plans

legislation to give federal officials that sole responsibility.

The FCC said the state emergency agency has taken steps to try to avoid a repeat of the false alert, requiring more supervision of drills and alert and test-alert transmissions. It has created a correction template for false alerts and has stopped ballistic missile defense drills for now.

Earlier this month, the worker who sent the alert heard a recorded message that began by saying “exercise, exercise, exercise” — the script for a drill, the FCC said. Then the recording used language that is typically used for a real threat, not a drill: “This is not a drill.” The recording ended by saying “exercise, exercise, exercise.”

Once the employee sent the false alert, he was directed to send a cancel message but instead “just sat there and didn’t respond,” the state report said. Later, another employee took over the computer and sent the correction because the worker “seemed confused.”

Gov. David Ige was asked why Hawaii didn’t reveal details about the employee earlier, and he said it would have been irresponsible to release statements before the investigation was complete.

Ige has asked the Hawaii National Guard’s deputy commander to prepare another report on what needs to be changed in the emergency management system overall. The first version of that report is due in two weeks, with a final version due in six weeks.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

AMAZON, BUFFETT AND JP MORGAN JOIN FORCES ON HEALTH CARE

THE TRIBUNE

PRESIDENT Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

By TOM MURPHY, AP Health Writer THREE of corporate America’s heaviest hitters — Amazon, Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase — sent a shudder through the health industry Tuesday when they announced plans to jointly create a company to provide their employees with high-quality, affordable care.

The announcement was short on details about precisely what the independent company will do.

But given the three players’ outsize influence — and Amazon’s ability to transform just about everything it touches — the alliance has the potential to shake up how Americans shop for health care, and the stocks of insurance companies, drug distributors and others slumped in reaction.

“One of the messages they are sending is they’ve given up on traditional ways in which employers have tried to reduce costs or manage costs better,” said Paul Fronstin, an economist with the nonprofit Employee Benefits Research Institute.

Benefits experts speculated that this new company could create a virtual marketplace that makes shopping for health care as easy as buying a shirt on Amazon. Or it could move directly into buying prescription drugs.

Or it could be a system that bypasses insurance companies altogether and contracts directly with doctors and hospitals for better deals.

Budgets Employers are up for trying almost anything to control rising health care costs, which have been consuming bigger portions of their budgets for years and burdening their employees.

“The sky’s the limit on where they could possibly go with this,” said Brian Marcotte, CEO of the National Business Group on Health, another nonprofit that represents large employers. “We’re always supportive of disruptive innovation, and health care certainly is in need of it.”

The venture was announced by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos; JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon; and Buffett, the investment wizard of Berkshire Hathaway. The three companies have an estimated 1 million employees in the U.S. The three businesses said their new venture will be independent and “free from profit-making incentives and constraints.” It will have an initial focus on technology that provides “simplified, high-quality and transparent” care.

Those involved said the idea is still in the early planning stages. It was not clear whether the ultimate intention is to move beyond the three companies. But Dimon said: “Our goal is to create solutions that benefit our U.S. employees, their families and, potentially, all Americans.”

Employees Employer-sponsored health insurance covers about 157 million people in the U.S., constituting the biggest piece of the nation’s patchwork health care market, and neither companies nor their employees are happy with the system.

Health care costs — branded by Buffett “a hungry tapeworm on the American economy” — routinely rise faster than inflation. Employers have been reacting by asking their workers to pay more of the bill and to shop around for better deals, something many people find hard to do.

Insurers and other companies already offer applications or programs that help people wade through the health care system’s often baffling mix of prices for procedures or prescriptions. But Amazon appears well-positioned to create a more user-friendly way to shop, Marcotte said.

“They have customer trust, they are already in people’s homes, and they’re already part of many people’s routines in how they shop,” he said.

TRUMP WARNS OF IMMIGRATION DANGERS IN STATE OF THE UNION

By JULIE PACE AND ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing a deeply divided nation, President Donald Trump called for a “new American moment” of unity Tuesday night and challenged lawmakers to make good on longstanding promises to fix a dangerously fractured immigration system, warning of evil outside forces seeking to undermine the nation’s way of life.

Trump’s State of the Union address blended selfcongratulation and calls for optimism amid a growing economy with dark warnings about deadly gangs, the scourge of drugs and violent immigrants living in the United States illegally. He cast the debate over immigration — an issue that has long animated his most ardent supporters — as a battle between heroes and villains, praising the work of an immigration agent who arrested more than 100 gang members and saluting the families of two alleged gang victims.

He also spoke forebodingly of catastrophic dangers from abroad, warning that North Korea would “very soon” threaten the United States with nucleartipped missiles.

“The United States is a compassionate nation.

We are proud that we do more than any other country to help the needy, the struggling and the underprivileged all over the world,” Trump said. “But as president of the United States, my highest loyalty, my greatest compassion, and my constant concern is for America’s children, America’s struggling workers and America’s forgotten communities.”

Trump spoke with tensions running high on Capitol Hill. An impasse

PRESIDENT Donald Trump arrives before the State of the Union address. (AP) over immigration prompted a three-day government shutdown earlier this year, and lawmakers appear no closer to resolving the status of the “Dreamers” — young people living in the U.S. illegally ahead of a new Feb. 8 deadline for funding operations. The parties have also clashed this week over the plans of Republicans on the House intelligence committee to release a classified memo on the Russia investigation involving Trump’s presidential campaign — a decision the White House backs but the Justice Department is fighting.

The controversies that have dogged Trump — and the ones he has created— have overshadowed strong economic gains during his first year in office. His approval ratings have hovered in the 30s for much of his presidency, and just 3 in 10 Americans said the United States was heading in the right direction, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. In the same

survey, 67 percent of Americans said the country was more divided because of Trump.

Plan At times, Trump’s address appeared to be aimed more at validating his first year in office than setting the course for his second. He devoted significant time to touting the tax overhaul he signed at the end of last year, promising the plan will “provide tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses.” He also highlighted the decision made early in his first year to withdraw the U.S. from a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade pact, declaring: “The era of economic surrender is totally over.”

He spoke about potential agenda items for 2018 in broad terms, including a call for $1.5 trillion in new infrastructure spending and partnerships with states and the private sector. He touched only briefly on issues like health care that have been at the center

of the Republican Party’s policy agenda for years.

Tackling the sensitive immigration debate that has roiled Washington, Trump redoubled his recent pledge to offer a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants — but only as part of a package that would also require increased funding for border security, including a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, ending the nation’s visa lottery method and revamping the current legal immigration system. Some Republicans are wary of the hardline elements of Trump’s plan and it’s unclear whether his blueprint could pass Congress.

Trump played to the culture wars, alluding to his public spat with professional athletes who led protests against racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem, declaring that paying tribute to the flag is a “civic duty.”

Republicans led multiple rounds of enthusiastic applause during the speech, but for the opposition party it was a more sombre affair.

Democrats provided a short spurt of polite applause for Trump as he entered the chamber, but offered muted reactions throughout the speech.

A cluster of about two dozen Democrats, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus, remained planted firmly in their seats, staring sternly at the president and withholding applause.

After devastating defeats in 2016, Democrats are hopeful that Trump’s sagging popularity can help the party rebound in November’s midterm elections. In a post-speech rebuttal, Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy, the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, was seeking to undercut Trump’s optimistic tone and remind voters

of the personal insults and attacks often leveled by the president.

“Bullies may land a punch,” Kennedy said, according to excerpts from his remarks. “They might leave a mark. But they have never, not once, in the history of our United States, managed to match the strength and spirit of a people united in defence of their future.”

Dangers On international affairs, Trump warned of the dangers from “rogue regimes,” like Iran and North Korea, terrorist groups, like the Islamic State, and “rivals” like China and Russia “that challenge our interests, our economy and our values.” Calling on Congress to lift budgetary caps and boost spending on the military, Trump said that “unmatched power is the surest means of our defense.”

The president also announced that he had signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to keep open the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay (see story below).

The order reverses the Obama-era policy of the executive branch, long stymied by Congress, to close the prison.

First lady Melania Trump, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight following the latest allegations of Trump infidelity, arrived at the capitol ahead of her husband to attend a reception with guests of the White House.

Those sitting alongside the first lady included an Ohio welder who the White House says will benefit from the new tax law and the parents of two Long Island teenagers who were believed to have been killed

by MS-13 gang members.

TRUMP SIGNS ORDER TO KEEP GUANTANAMO MILITARY PRISON OPEN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a new executive order to keep open the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, marking a formal reversal of his predecessor’s eightyear effort to shut it down.

Trump made it clear during his campaign that he wanted Guantanamo to remain open and to “load it up with some bad dudes,” but he has not yet sent a new detainee to the facility.

The order, which he signed just before delivering his first State of the Union address, says the U.S. maintains the option to detain additional enemy combatants at the detention centre in Cuba when lawful and necessary to protect U.S. national security. It requires the defense secretary to recommend criteria for determining the fate of individuals captured by the United States in armed conflict, including sending them to Guantanamo.

“Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil,” Trump said. “When possible,

we have no choice but to annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy combatants.”

“In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists only to meet them again on the battlefield, including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi, who we captured, who we had, who we released,” he said, referring to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Report The office of the Director of National Intelligence said in its most recent report on the subject that about 17 percent of the 728 detainees who have been released from Guantanamo are “confirmed” and 12 percent are “suspected” of re-engaging in militant activities.

But the vast majority of those reengagements occurred with former

prisoners who did not go through the security review that was set up under President Barack Obama. Trump’s order says this review process would continue to be used to determine whether detainees should be held.

Practically, not much is expected to change with Trump’s new order, said Lee Wolosky, who was Obama’s special envoy at the State Department for closing Guantanamo.

“But as a symbolic matter, it changes a great deal because the two presidents before him were trying to close Guantanamo because they recognised that it was a detriment to our national security,” he said. “Symbolically, it reaffirms his interest in perpetrating a symbol that has greatly damaged the United States.”

European allies, Muslim leaders and other critics have been vehemently opposed to how detainees have been held at Guantanamo for decades without charge.

“I have no doubt terrorist groups like ISIS will applaud Trump’s announcement that it is now the formal policy of the United States

to detain Muslims forever without charge in an offshore prison,” said attorney J. Wells Dixon of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights.

He said militants will continue to use it to recruit new members. “Keeping Guantanamo open is politically expedient but exceedingly stupid no matter how you look at it.”

The detention centre, which President George W. Bush opened after Sept. 11, 2001, reached a maximum population of about 680 in the summer of 2003. Bush transferred about 500 out before he left office.

Obama transferred 197 detainees out, leaving 41, including five cleared for release.

Trump also asked Congress to make sure that in the fight against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, the United States has necessary power to detain terror suspects “wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them.” That was an apparent reference to current war powers written years ago that some argue do not cover the fight against IS.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, January 31, 2018, PAGE 13

BAHAMIAN SIBLINGS TO SHARE ‘TIME OF THEIR LIVES’ EXPERIENCE AT SWISS SUMMER CAMP

BAHAMIANS STORM, now 9, and Maverick d’Arville, 13, hike in the Swiss Alps as part of their summer camp experience at Aiglon, one of the 11 prestigious boarding schools and camps that make up SwissLearning.

FOR nine-year-old Storm d’Arville, and her brothers, Brosnan, 11, and Maverick, 13, summer can’t come soon enough. Not because they don’t like school. They just can’t wait to get back to the Swiss camp they attended last year.

They’ll hike, mountain climb, ride horses, engage in watersports, play ice hockey, learn a new language, bungee jump, perform in shows and have the time of their lives for the second time.

This week, the three Bahamian youngsters, all members of the d’Arville family, are on hand to share their extraordinary experiences as representatives of some of the world’s finest schools visit Nassau. It is the second visit to The Bahamas by representatives of Swiss Learning, an association of 11 prestigious schools that qualify by meeting the highest standards in education.

Encouraged by the reception they received last year to both their academic offerings and summer camps, Swiss Learning educators

have been meeting with parents and prospective students this week in pre-arranged individual meetings and will host a reception at Old Fort Bay Club where Christian Coquoz, Honorary Consul of Switzerland to The Bahamas, will be the guest of honour. Despite dignitaries and educators, it is the children who experienced the setting, the activities, the new friendships who are likely to steal this year’s show.

Impressed “We were beyond impressed with the Swiss camp,” said their mom, Krystynia Lee d’Arville, of The Bahamas’ Furniture Plus family.

“We went to the Swiss Learning Fair last year, did a lot of research and interviewed nine schools for summer school and camp options.

We narrowed that down to five, then three and finally chose Aiglon, ninety minutes from the French border. The view, the campus, the

hiking, the sports activities, the camaraderie, diverse cultures, friends from all over the world, it was amazing. Our children could not stop talking about it.”

Mornings were devoted to summer school including choices of primary discipline – leadership, science and math or performing arts. Afternoons and evenings were hours that lifetime memories are made of – rock climbing, mountain climbing, exploration, boat building, photography, campfires, ice hockey in a state of the art indoor gymnasium.

“Our children were the first Bahamians to attend this school and they felt so welcomed and inspired,” said d’Arville, noting that a camper from Brazil who spoke seven languages and was there to learn an eighth was an inspiration to her own son, Maverick. And daughter Storm who took French last summer is planning to take the next level of the language this summer.

“A Swiss education which is so well-rounded has always opened

doors,” said Nassau-based Tanya Espinosa Feuz, who is once again coordinating the visit.

“Swiss Learning symbolises the highest standards of excellence.

Each of the associated schools achieved Swiss Learning membership by adhering to strict criteria including low student to teacher ratio, multilingual offerings, safe and secure environments and campus environments that provide for full development in sports, performing arts and healthy, wholesome living.”

Educators will share a range of options – boarding school for high school and preparatory students, hospitality schools and colleges at the higher education level, Gap year offerings and summer camp with multiple affiliate learning and language choices options.

Summer camps are open to those seven and older.

To arrange a meeting or learn more, e-mail bahamas@swisslearning.com.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, January 31, 2018

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