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VOLUME:116 No.38, FEBRUARY 18TH, 2019

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Find the women who took Shavar Toddler dumped in street 13 hours after being taken

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

A THREE-year-old boy, abducted in a “domestic dispute” over the weekend, was left frightened and alone outside a Fox Hill washhouse several hours later, sparking a manhunt for two women believed to be the assailants.

“Police will continue to look for those responsible,” Superintendent Shanta Knowles told The Tribune yesterday.

Shavar Bain Jr was taken from outside his home at

South Beach Estates as he rode a bicycle shortly before 6pm Saturday.

In response to media inquires about the missing child roughly two hours after the abduction, police informed media via What’sApp that they were investigating a report of a missing child.

They said a witness to the brazen kidnapping stated he saw the toddler shortly before 6pm on Saturday taken off his bicycle by two women, who put him in their car and sped away from the scene.

SEE PAGE THREE

ONGOING unrest in Haiti has prompted the closure of The Bahamas embassy in Port-au-Prince and the temporary suspension of deportations to that country, the government has announced.

In separate statements circulated over the weekend, both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Gaming Board’s “myth debunking” has not convinced commercial banks to accept web shop monies, Clearing Banks Association chairman Gowon Bowe has revealed.

He said that the regulator’s research, arguing that concerns over domestic gaming’s vulnerability to money laundering and other financial crimes were “unfounded”, failed to address several issues fundamental to the banks’ reluctance to accept the industry’s deposits.

Top among them was the “elevated risk” involved in dealing with the large amounts of cash generated by web shops and the extra compliance/due diligence costs that banks will incur in handling such sums.

PM ATTACKS EU ACTION AS ‘FLAWED’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

THE prime minister yesterday slammed the “flawed process” that resulted in the European Union (EU) branding The Bahamas as a “high risk” jurisdiction for financial crimes.

Dr Hubert Minnis’ office, in a statement, argued that there were “several deficiencies” in the approach taken by the 28-nation bloc to including this nation on a list of 23 countries deemed to have major weaknesses in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing defences.

In particular, it said the EU’s decision was based on outdated and inaccurate information, while

Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) pointed to the increase in violent protests across the capital city of Port-au-Prince as a major factor in their decisions to suspend diplomatic services indefinitely.

To that end, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recalled all diplomatic personnel for consultations on the situation as it looks to determine how and when to reconvene services.

SEE PAGE SIX

NUMBERS BOYS STAY OFFSIDE FOR BANKS

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

RIOTS BRING HALT TO DEPORTATIONS

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

HOME

SHAVAR Bain Jr was taken from outside his home as he rode a bicycle on Saturday.

SEE PAGE FIVE

PROBE LAUNCHED INTO IMMIGRATION ‘KIDNAP’

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net RIGHTS Bahamas (RB) yesterday condemned a viral video of a suspected migrant being placed in the trunk of SUV by a group of immigration officers as “extremely disturbing”.

RB president Stephanie St Fleur likened the ordeal to a kidnapping, questioning how such an act was permitted to have taken

A VIDEO grab of the incident. place in The Bahamas. In the short clip, a man is seen being guided to a grey SUV

by two male immigration officers, as a third opens the trunk. The man is placed head first into the trunk before all three officers get into the backseat of that same vehicle.

Addressing the clip in a statement yesterday, Ms St Fleur said: “If this is an accurate depiction of the cruel and heartless tactics to which (Department of) Immigration have stooped, Rights Bahamas

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE FIVE

INSIGHT FRED SMITH: ‘A WIN-WIN DEAL WE CAN ALL SUPPORT’

SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Monday, February 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Queens College takes top spot

QUEENS College’s school band “Thrive 2 XL” took home the trophy at the third annual music project on Saturday night.

Judges deliberated over nearly eight hours of competition to choose the winner. This is QC’s second-straight win and band members are the recipients of a one week scholarship to summer school at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Newcomers “Emerge Pop Band” of St. George’s High in Freeport, Grand Bahama took home second place and a $3,000 prize.

The third place prize went to The Government High School’s “Magic Ivy” band along with $2,000.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, February 18, 2019, PAGE 3

from page one By the time media inquires were answered it was 1am Sunday and the child’s photograph had been viral on social media for several hours.

This sparked questions about the functionality of the Mandatory Action Rescuing Children Operation (MARCO) Alert, which was re-launched last July and raised concerns about the handling of missing children’s reports.

However, despite the delayed communication from police, National Security Minister Marvin Dames was adamant yesterday, police were on top of the incident from the moment they received the report.

He confirmed the system was in the testing phase, while suggesting it had virtually no bearing on the outcome of this situation.

Mr Dames said the kidnapping stemmed from a “domestic dispute” and was not a random incident of child abduction.

He said: “The police were on top of that from yesterday and it seems that that matter was, from the investigation so far, that there may be some domestic connection with that. It doesn’t appear from their investigations thus far that it’s something where the child was picked up randomly by someone.

When his attention was drawn to the lag in police informing the public Mr Dames said: “Well the police were on it from the moment it was reported and so they were actively on it. They basically knew the direction in which they were going and it ended.”

“We’re in this era of social media, but the police were on top of that incident from the time it happened and they brought it to a resolution as quickly as possible.”

But police weren’t the ones to find Shavar.

He was dropped off shortly after 7am Sunday right outside of Sunrise Wash house at Fox Hill and Joe Farrington Roads.

The next police update came from police around that same time. “Police wish to inform that shortly after 7am today (Sunday), a young Shavar Bain was dropped off at a wash house on Joe Farrington and Fox Hill Roads. He is presently in police care and en route to hospital.”

Find the women who took Shavar

SHAVAR Bain Jr was taken from outside his home at South Beach Estates as he rode a bicycle on Saturday by two women who put him in a car and sped away from the scene.

Shavar Jr had no visible injuries but was frightened following the ordeal, police said.

Social media reports were that a man saw a silver car drop off

a boy there. He then brought him inside where someone in the establishment contacted police.

He was also said to be dressed differently from the day he was

abducted and wearing only one shoe, according to those reports.

Relatives further confirmed that Shavar Bain Sr had been taken into custody, adding police

told them this was “protocol”. It is unclear whether he was released yesterday and the circumstances of the domestic dispute have not been made clear.

CHILD RESCUE SYSTEM STILL IN TESTING STAGE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames confirmed yesterday the Mandatory Action Rescuing Children Operation (MARCO) Alert system relaunched seven months ago is still in the testing phase.

According the minister, the regulations to accompany this system have also not been presented to Cabinet.

Notwithstanding this, Mr Dames insisted officials were “right on track” concerning its roll out.

As officials are still working out logistics, the system had virtually no bearing on alerting the country about the disappearance of threeyear-old Shavar Bain Jr over the weekend.

Shavar was abducted as he rode his bicycle outside his home in South Beach Estates shortly before 6pm on Saturday. The public became aware of the incident thanks to social media site Facebook as posts from relatives went viral.

While the toddler was left at a washhouse early on

Sunday morning, questions remained over the status of the Marco Alert system.

“So we have just completed our testing phase and so now the company that has been working that, which is a local company are in the process of submitting a proposal with the view of us moving it forward,” Mr Dames said yesterday in an interview with The Tribune.

“We are right on track and hopefully we go to the next phase now with the view of implementation.

We’re hoping that certainly (and) I would suspect that we will have it taken care of shortly because we await the proposal and then we’ll have to take that Cabinet and then we’ll move to the next phase.

“We’re also working on the regulations. I should be taking that to cabinet within the next few weeks and so we’re right on schedule.”

Asked pointedly if this meant the system was not functioning, Mr Dames said: “Remember before you acquire a system you have to run through test and so we had to conduct a series of testing and put

MARVIN DAMES it out there to make certain that what was being proposed will actually work.

“Then as a result of this testing phase the police were able to put together a number of…after running it through the testing… going out there live they were able to make some additional recommendations to tweak it. Now that all of that has been completed we’re now in the proposal phase where a proposal is being finalised/submitted for consideration.”

Last July, Minister Dames announced the launch of the Minnis administration’s version of the MARCO Alert.

He made this announcement during a press conference at the Royal

Bahamas Police Force’s headquarters, telling those gathered it was at that point in the pilot phase. It was intended to act as the first step in a series of moves intended to stifle sex crimes across the country.

At the time Mr Dames said the revamped version of the alert flowed directly from the original 2013 initiative, adding features which allowed the alert to stand “in line” with the Minnis administration’s effort to fully enact Marco’s Law and establish a sex offender registry.

“As a government, we are committed to that cause,” he said during that press conference back in July.

Unlike the original alert which was almost exclusively tied to traditional forms of media, the new alert system will operate via a web-based platform which allows for broad dissemination across any phone, pagers, emails, internet pop ups, fax, loud speakers, RSS feeds and secure encrypted messages through mobile applications and radio.

The alert will feature crime, weather and traffic

updates and various community notifications.

The new alert also features two unique protocols.

The first operates along the lines of closed-circuit communication. Via this version, specific units - police teams, neighbourhood watch groups or select communities - will receive all notices being disseminated related to any ongoing matter.

As a part of protocol two, notices will be disseminated across all platforms

to everyone signed up for the alert. Additionally, its platform designers Multimedia Technology noted at the time that the system is equipped with a feature that will allow for any alert to be sent to all electronic devices nationwide, regardless of whether or not that device applied for the service.

According to the design team, the feature can only be used if authorised by the national security minister or commissioner of police.

PAGE 4, Monday, February 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

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Will Supreme Court bring Trump’s wall tumbling down?

FOR several years, the composition of the American Supreme Court has been a contentious partisan issue, generally simmering on the political stove but on several occasions boiling over into a full-blown pitched battle between conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats.

Senate GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky demonstrated skill and dogged determination in 2016 by frustrating Barack Obama’s attempt to nominate centrist judge Merrick Garland to fill the sudden vacancy created by the death of Antonin Scalia, a staunch conservative. McConnell still claims this triumph as among his greatest accomplishments.

After Donald Trump won the presidency in November 2016, he and McConnell proclaimed as one of their first orders of business the nomination and Senate confirmation of a similarly conservative judge to replace Scalia to cement the 5-4 right-leaning majority on the court. Neil Gorsuch is the result. Then Anthony Kennedy retired last summer and Trump and the Senate Republicans pushed through the fractious confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to replace Kennedy.

Now these two new conservative justices, together with Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts, form a putative 5-4 conservative majority.

We are about to see how that presumed balance functions in tense, highly-charged political times. The American high court may be in line to hear two significant cases and rule on them by this June. Both are likely to have lasting effects on the American political landscape, to say nothing of precedential interpretation of the separation of powers provided by the US constitution.

The first of these issues arises from Trump’s insistence on a southern border wall. While many pundits believe he is making a potentially fatal error in clinging to a concept that seems widely unpopular and a poor basis for the bitter election campaign to come next year, Trump has shown an impressive ability to pick an issue and stick to it. It’s why his supporters stick with him.

After last month’s disastrous US government shutdown for which Trump was appropriately blamed, there was no repeat last week, but there was also no congressional wall funding. Trump has now declared a state of emergency along the southern American border and aims

to shift funds needed for his wall from other congressionally approved monies.

He cites as his authority the National Emergencies Act of 1976, which has been cited in 58 less controversial cases since then without any intervention by the high US court.

Trump’s action appears to be contrary to a clause in Article 1 of the US constitution which states that “no money shall be withdrawn from the Treasury but in consequences of appropriations made by law.” This clause is also known as the power of the purse, and both Democratic and Republican presidents have been steadily chipping away at this concept for more than a generation.

Legal challenges to Trump’s assertion have already been promised by the American Civil Liberties Union and the State of California. A lawsuit has already been filed in Washington on behalf of Texas border landowners whose property would be seized for Trump’s wall - and who rely on temporary border-crossing workers to sustain their economic enterprises. Environmentally-based lawsuits may also emerge.

Outrage over Trump’s action is predictably building among Democrats and liberals. Murmuring is also audible from traditional conservatives and the many who protest any deviation from a strict interpretation of the American constitution.

While the Supreme Court faces the potential of a major separation of powers case to review this spring, it also accepted on Friday a case that challenges Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s decision to add to the 2020 census questionnaire sent to all American households a question about citizenship of those residing in that household. Most observers agree the citizenship question is designed to discourage minority households from responding, which could diminish their share of congressional representation and access to federal funding.

New York District Judge Jesse Furman ruled recently that Ross’s action, which overruled his own department’s census experts, violated “a veritable smorgasbord” of federal rules, and blocked Commerce and Ross from further action as census preparation deadlines loom.

Rulings on the census and perhaps Trump’s wall could come by June. They will likely change American history.

Stay tuned.

Cronyism is still thriving EDITOR, The Tribune WE HAVE had no garbage collection in our neighbourhood for more than two weeks now, forcing me to transport stinking maggot encrusted bags of refuse to a public dumpster in my own vehicle.

When contacted, the Ministry of Environmental Health told me that the contract for collection had been taken away from the company Impac, who up to this time had been doing an excellent job, and given to another company on

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the orders of a high ranking politician. If this is true, we have yet another prime example of the thought, or should that be thoughtless, process of our politicians.

It’s working so let’s fix it!

It would also seem that, despite lip service to the contrary, the culture of meddling and influence peddling with its attendant cronyism and graft is still thriving

under our latest batch of politicos, and some of them appear to have forgotten the reasons that led to the defeat of their predecessors and to their own election.

I would just like to remind them that the continuation of the status quo was not what we voted for, three more years is not a long time and some of our memories are not as short as they think. Garbage in, garbage OUT! IAN MABON Nassau February 17, 2019

Reusable fuels is the way to go EDITOR, The Tribune OBAN - very disturbing comments from Senator Foulkes.

Sir, haven’t you heard read or been conscious of the people who do not want OBAN? The new GM talking rubbish, that an oil refinery will have a smaller negative environment footprint than a resort! What next?

In a world which is fast

as ever moving to reusable fuels - we are taking his application to damage some of the most pristine natural environment on Grand Bahama, with a lot of tall metal catalytic towers - cooling towers and large pipes?

This has to be totally crazy.

Europe has already agreed by 2030, motor vehicles fuel by fossil fuel will be an item of the past - all electric.

Cruise Ships - Tankers and Cargo shipping are changing to LNG, not the usual contaminating bunker C fueled ships.

Would you take a paradise-printing landscape and dump garbage? OBAN is worse, Senator, renegotiate they go!

Solar the only It’s just rubbish power we need EDITOR, The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune OTHER than our food bill, the largest bill we have to find money for is BP&L - which continues to hurt, as the rates do not seem to wish to come down.

The letter from a Abraham Moss - Has the cost of Sun gone up? Certainly said it all - sun - solar the generating of electricity using sub-power, is the sole method that the over the hill area - the majority could ever see a substantial reduction in their BP&L bills.

Clearly Prime Minister Minnis, has his heart in over the hill. So it should be easy for him to appreciate, for the majority of our Nassau residents, to see a reduction every month of their bills. Sun power is the way to go.

Sun has no fuel surcharge, which adds so much to your bill…average at least anything from a low of say $50.00 upwards on a bill, mid usage of say $120.00 per month. Fuel costs you $85.00-$90.00 alone – at least a bag or two of

WHAT on earth is going on with garbage collection on Breezy Hill off Village Road?

It hasn’t been collected for two weeks and the bins on the street are overflowing.

Impac Waste Disposal had the contract for the area and it was providing reliable

groceries! A lot if you come from Grants Town or over the hill!

BP&L seem to be fighting against solar in Nassau, when it is the only power source, that will benefit the over the hill residents the most.

Solar I suspect could EDITOR, The Tribune be operating in months, rather then 24-26 months Not to put a damper at the earliest. Sun power on the Minister of TourPrime Minister…The way ism’s enthusiasm, the new to go! advertisement for tourism is nothing to shout about T RAHMING - rather sort of more okay Nassau than a smashing hit.

February 13, 2019 This past weekend we

K HUDSON Nassau February 8, 2019

collection with great customer service.

We have learned their contract was not renewed and was given to another company that has yet to materialise.

Why get rid of something if it works?

RESIDENT Nassau February, 2019

Get the adverts right had the premier advertising at Super Bowl. Compare their themes and how they hold your attention, to the new Bahamas One? Advertisements have to hit home in the first 2-3 clips..after that you lose the audience’s attention. This is precisely what happens to

the Bahamas advertisement - will give a kudos to the song, but the rest…a “C”.

Unfortunately we are stuck with this, probably for 2-3 years!

K DUNCOMBE Nassau February 10, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, February 18, 2019, PAGE 5

Probe launched into immigration ‘kidnap’

RIGHTS Bahamas yesterday said they thought this video showed a suspected migrant being placed in the trunk of SUV by a group of immigration officers. Watch it now at tribune242.com from page one cries shame upon the government.”

She added: “That our law enforcement officers would treat a human being in such an inhumane and degrading manner is a stain upon our national soul. It goes far beyond the bounds of lawful procedure and common decency.”

“This man is innocent until proven guilty and the

behaviour of these officers cannot be justified.

“This cannot be called a lawful detention – it is a kidnapping, pure and simple.”

Ms St Fleur said she has been informed the incident in question took place in Palmetto Point, Eleuthera and called for a thorough investigation and subsequent report to be presented to the public in short order. ”Every human being has

a right to be treated with dignity and respect and failing to punish such disgraceful actions is the same as condoning them,” said Ms St Fleur.

Frank Davis, the government’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, recently said: “The Bahamas commits to implementing international norms to give effect to human rights in an effective and sustainable manner,

which includes gender equality, domestic violence, children, detention conditions, a national human rights institute, freedom of information, access to justice, access to education, persons with disabilities, trafficking in persons and migrants. We as a country simply cannot continue to say one thing, and do the opposite. We will inevitably be revealed as hypocrites, bringing international shame upon our heads.

Ms St Fleur added: “Rights Bahamas recommends that in the shortest time possible, the Department of Immigration put in place a comprehensive programme of sensitivity training for its officers. We would also like to reach out to anyone who may know the victim or his family.

Rights Bahamas stands ready to represent them and defend their Constitutional rights.”

When contacted

yesterday for comment, Immigration Director Clarence Russell said he was out of the country and was unaware of the incident. He referred all commentary on the matter to Immigration Minister Brent Symonette.

For his part, Mr Symonette when contacted said he was awaiting a report on the authenticity of the video.

He said once authenticity is confirmed, all warranted disciplinary action will be carried out.

IMMIGRATION LAWSUITS COULD COST MILLIONS, WARNS QC

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

in processing and identifying persons placed in the custody.

“Garson is yet another example of costs to the taxpayer without BAHAMIAN taxpayers could accountability by the ministers of pay out “millions” in immigra- government or the immigration tion lawsuits over the next few department,” Mr Smith claimed. decades, a prominent immigration “The government must stop attorney has suggested. defending the indefensible. As In an interview with The Trib- Dr Minnis swore on his inauguune, attorney Fred Smith, QC, ration to defend the rule of law, said given the raft of illegal and the Immigration department is indefinite detention of migrants at making a mockery of his oath.” the Carmichael Road Detention Mr Garson was released from Centre, the government could the Carmichael Road Detention face dozens of lawsuits all because Centre (CRDC) over a week ago, “no one will teach the Immigra- bringing an end to his “mind-bogtion department or hold them gling” four-month detention at accountable to the law”. the facility.

Mr Smith, the attorney on record “I told them what they gonna in several high-profile migrant do with me?” Mr Garson told The cases over the last decade, said Tribune, “because I born here, there is “absolutely no excuse” for I school here. They put handBahamian taxpayers having to pay cuffs on me, put me in the bus, out millions of dollars in damages they send me to the detention every year due to the failures of centre and after that I spend like government departments and law a month in there, and then they enforcement agencies. deport me.”

He contended these cases of He continued: “Haiti refused unconstitutional conduct are only me because I tell them I didn’t just the beginning, insisting that as have no family in Haiti. Then they more and more lawyers sue, and send me back Nassau and I end the government continues to dem- up in the detention centre again. I onstrate its “complete ineptness” ask them when they gonna release in defending cases, the taxpayers me, they say soon. are left the “holding the bag”.

“I keep asking them when they Mr Smith highlighted the case going to release me, they say of Wilken Garson, a 28-year-old soon, soon.

Bahamas-born man claiming to “I just was waiting,” he added. have been deported to Haiti by Further to Mr Garson’s case, immigration officials last year Mr Smith also highlighted several but sent back to the Bahamas, other case where the governas the latest in a run of matters ment’s continued defence of failed where the department has alleg- detention protocols have resulted edly failed to do its due-diligence in payouts to complainants

MINNIS ATTACKS EU ACTION AS ‘FLAWED’ from page one

adding that The Bahamas was never given an opportunity to respond to a process that appeared to violate the group’s own “methodology”.

Saying that it “regrets this decision”, the government statement said the EU used “old criteria” and failed to account for the Bahamas’ progress in addressing concerns identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global standard-setter in the fight against money laundering and terror financing (AML/ CFT).

The Bahamas is currently being monitored by the FATF as it addresses weaknesses in its anti-financial crime defences, and this process was cited as the key reason for the EU’s decision

to include this nation on its “high risk” list.

The Prime Minister’s Office, disclosing that the move was driven by the EU’s Justice and Consumers Unit, which deals with financial crime, said: “The Bahamas was informed that the unit was advised that The Bahamas does not have any law that criminalises money laundering or terrorism financing. This is not accurate.”

The same EU unit was also critical of The Bahamas’ failure “to prosecute all types of money laundering, but does not consider the increase in money laundering prosecutions and convictions”.

The Prime Minister’s Office added that The Bahamas was not given adequate warning of the EU’s intentions.

WILKEN GARSON skyrocketing in litigation. “Let us take the (Anthony) Deveaux case recently where a matter which could have been settled for about 60k has ultimately led, over the years because of stubborn defending, to a cost of over $400,000 to the taxpayer,” he said.

In the case, the government had been ordered to pay a man more than $120,000 in damages because police failed to release his car from custody after charges against him were dropped.

Mr Deveaux’s 1990 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham was confiscated during an alleged traffic stop in 2005. The car was held as evidence after Mr Deveaux was charged but never returned after the case against him was dismissed.

He appealed the court and got an order from Magistrate Gwendolyn Claude for it to be returned in 2011, but it was never done.

Mr Deveaux was awarded $40,737.28 in damages for replacement of his vehicle; $10,000 for the use of a rental for one year; $34,652.32 for loss of use;

$25,000 in exemplary damages; and $10,000 in aggravated damages. Total damages amount to $120,389.60, not inclusive of interest from the date the issue arose in 2005, and up to the entry of the consent judgment in 2012.

Mr Smith added: “Costs awarded against the government in habeas corpus cases, in judicial reviews, false imprisonment, police and immigration brutality, damages for unconstitutional conduct, are all going to continue to increase, and yet the politicians in charge of Immigration and the Attorney General’s office are never held accountable,” Mr Smith added.

“It’s also nonsense for people like Fred Mitchell to suggest outlawing costs in constitutional or tort cases because the root of the problem is the continued illegal behaviour of immigration and the policing forces.

“Civil rights education, and respect for our fellow human beings in the Bahamas,” Mr Smith argued. “(It) should be the foundation of our future. Then you will see less lawsuits and a more humane and respectful society.

“Another example is the Harvey Tynes or Tamara Merson case, which could have been settled in the low hundreds of thousands but ultimately cost the Bahamian taxpayers millions because of a decades-long defence to try to avoid the inevitable.”

Mr Smith went on to urge Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and his government to end their

“obstinate” behaviour, claiming that much of their actions are often done just for the sake of it and not on the grounds of doing what is right.

Mr Smith further called on government officials to begin to reign in and control the renegade policing forces, namely the Immigration department.

Mr Smith is presently representing Douglas Ngumi, a Kenyan man allegedly detained unlawfully in the Carmichael Road Detention Centre for six and half years.

Mr Ngumi testified last week that he was beaten, teargassed and contracted tuberculosis during his detention.

During proceedings, the Office of the Attorney General failed to submit witness statements and evidence in the case in accordance with Supreme Court Justice Indira Charles’ directives.

Mr Smith has sought leave during trial yesterday to amend the writ of summons to seek aggravated damages –– special damages imposed on a defendant when the court determines its conduct increased injury to the plaintiff.

Doing so in response to Kenria Smith, a lawyer from the Office of the Attorney General, opposition to his attempt to persuade Justice Charles to deliver judgment last Tuesday after both sides finished cross-examining Mr Ngumi.

It was in the wake of this action, Mr Smith has mounted a public campaign against the government and its continued “defence of the indefensible”.

PAGE 6, Monday, February 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

SIX ADMIT CREDIT CARD FRAUD AT BAHA MAR

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net

SIX people pleaded guilty to more than 20 fraud related offences in connection to a $13,000 credit card scheme in a Magistrate’s Court last Friday.

Dizarrio Saunders, 21; Robert Frazier, 34; Reynado Thompson, 25; Georgina Rolle, 25; Thyronique Wilson, 21 and Alfredo Richards, 26, were all arraigned before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux.

The charges were in relation to a high-end shopping spree the group engaged in between January 6 and 11 of this year, after swiping a Baha Mar restaurant patron’s credit card’s particulars.

According to court records, Saunders, an employee at a from page one Its statement read, in part: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to monitor the situation and will reopen the Embassy once the situation stabilises.”

It further added: “No consular services will be available in Haiti until the Embassy reopens.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised anyone trying to contact the Embassy in cases of emergency do so by contacting the ministry directly on its out-of-hours number at +1-242-827-3106.

In accordance with this action, the OPM subsequently announced the temporary suspension of all deportations to Haiti.

In a statement of its own, the OPM noted that in anticipation of a potential increase of illegal migration from Haiti, Bahamian security forces have also been placed on high alert.

“As a protective measure, the government is also preparing a temporary detention centre in Mathew Town, Inagua, which will be staffed with personnel from relevant ministries and government agencies, as to deal with any resultant eventualities,” the OPM’s statement read.

Meanwhile the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) yesterday announced the apprehension of a Haitian sloop west of Compass Cay in Exuma, with 64 migrants onboard.

The undocumented migrants will be transported to Nassau where they will be handed over to Police and Immigration officials for further processing, and brings total apprehensions of Haitian nationals to 207 for the year.

Rosewood restaurant at the time of the offence, photographed the card sometime around Sunday, January 6, and relayed the photographs to Richards, who in turn produced a duplicate of the card.As a result of this action, members of the group made several high value purchases at establishments throughout New Providence.

The charges included a $4,266.88 purchase at Kay’s Fine Jewellers and a $776.16 purchase at Gucci Paradise Island on January 10; a $4,668 purchase at Crown Jewellers Marathon Mall, a $685.42 total purchase at a Rubis fuel station and a $685.42 total purchase at Solomon’s Super Centre all on January 11.

Some of the items highlighted by prosecutors in the case were a

Cuban link chain, a pair of Gucci sandals and a skateboard.

For the spree, each of the six of the defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy.

Additionally, Saunders, Richards and Thompson were charged with seven, four and two counts of abetment, respectively.

Further to that, Frazier, Rolle and Wilson were charged with two, four and two counts of fraud by false pretenses, respectively.

Lastly, Thompson alone was charged with one count of receiving.

The defendants pleaded guilty to all the charges and were subsequently convicted.

Through their attorneys, all of the defendants except Wilson, who was unrepresented at arraignment yesterday, apologised for their actions and begged the

court for leniency. All suggested that their involvement in the scam came as a result of poor decisionmaking, insisting that immaturity and stupidity were leading factors in their regrettable actions.

Of the group, Richards, Frazier and Rolle, all through their respective attorneys, disclosed that they were parents and acted out of character. For her part, Wilson, through attorney Lennox Coleby, the attorney for Rolle, adopted the group’s sentiment of regret and guilt.

In handing down her ruling yesterday, Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux convicted all six members of the group and ordered that each compensate the virtual complainant in the matter $1,856.83.

She subsequently ordered the skateboard and Gucci sandals

be confiscated by police, and the chain turned over to the virtual complainant.

Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux then further ordered that each of the defendants pay a fine of $1,000 or serve one year in prison on the conspiracy charge.

Those convicted of fraud were further fined $500 or one year in prison, while those convicted of abetment were further fined $500 or one year in prison. Thompson was further fined $500 or one year in prison for the lone charge of receiving.

The defendants were required to pay $1,000 each toward the fines and compensation before being released yesterday.

The remaining balance is to be paid by April 30, or the custodial sentences will take effect. All sentences would run concurrently.

Riots in Haiti bring halt to deportations

SMOKE billows from a van set on fire by protesters during clashes with police amid a protest demanding the resignation of Haitian president Jovenel Moise in Port-auPrince.

This number excludes the 31 bodies recovered and 34 still missing from the waters off Abaco after a

40-foot conventional yacht struck a reef and sank on February 2.

The apprehension in

the central Exuma chain occurred around 12:45pm yesterday, according to an RBDF statement, which

flagged the coordinated effort between the RBDF, OPBAT and the US Coast Guard with the assistance of concerned citizens.

This round of violence comes after months of anticorruption demonstrations in Haiti over the disappearance of almost $4bn.

The funds, set aside

through the controversial Petrocaribe deal between Haiti and Venezuela over the last two plus decades, was earmarked for social development before going missing.

The protest is being championed under the slogan “Kot kob Petrocaribe a?” or “Where is the Petrocaribe money?”.

The protest has virtually shutdown several business and administrative districts in Port-au-Prince; including the neighbourhood President Jovenel Moise calls home.

Earlier this month, protesters stoned President Moise’s home, resulting in a clash with police that left at least one demonstrator dead.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2019

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

By FREDERICK R M SMITH, QC

C

ARNIVAL’S Grand Port project is shaping up as an ideal model for how development should occur in The Bahamas. It is being pursued transparently and in accordance with the law, through a commitment to environmental preservation, with an approach that will empower Bahamians and – importantly – at a site ideally placed to spark an unprecedented explosion of economic opportunity for Freeport, where, post St George, I have persistently been the most vocal proponent for development.

If the government can convince investors to replicate this development model going forward, The Bahamas would finally be able to reconcile those supposedly eternal antagonisms: the need to create jobs and the obligation to protect our natural resources. As it turns out, these do not have to be conflicting priorities.

Before proceeding, I should clarify a few points. First, I have been asked how a vociferous defender of the environment can be so enthusiastic about a large industrial project. To be clear, I have never opposed developments just for the sake of opposing, or argued against the need for development in general.

Rather, I oppose specific deficiencies of a given project, usually some mix of lack of due process, unregulated development lacking permits and approvals, contravention of laws governing development, unnecessary or egregious levels of environmental damage and lack of transparency and accountability.

Second, my support came only after the original plan to locate Grand Port in the distant and pristine environment of East Grand Bahama was scrapped. I was among the fiercest public critics of that earlier scheme, which was likely to impact marine life, destroy coral reef systems and greatly alter the way of life in the surrounding communities, and importantly isolated from the Freeport economy. Usually, developers pay absolutely no attention to the views of the local population, steamrolling ahead with their plans regardless. In this case, Carnival heard us. We cannot criticise developers for not listening, then fail to support them when they do.

Third, my stance is in line with the mantra of Save The Bays, which does not oppose development in general, but rather unregulated development in particular. Nevertheless, I am but one director and cannot speak for the rest; this is my own. STB has not announced any official position on the project.

And fourth, mine is one of several law firms that represents Carnival in The Bahamas for more than two decades; though as I said, this has never stopped me criticising them in the past whenever they get it wrong.

An ideal location This time, Carnival got it right.

As I have written before, in terms of large-scale development, Freeport has always been the place to be. Enjoying an economic boom 1950s and early 60s until this audacious economic experiment was strangled to death by Pindling and Hannah’s PLP. Freeport’s resurrection is key not just to a vibrant economic future for the entire country, but also a new era of enlightened environmental protection and cultural preservation across The Bahamas.

Our policy of allowing developers freedom to choose from among our most beautiful and unspoiled ecological treasures has meant potential environmental, economic, social and cultural fallout from accidents or irresponsible development practices is spread across our archipelago.

Development must happen.

Development come with risks.

Surely it makes sense to concentrate risk in one place so as to better preserve the rest of the

A win-win which we should not be afraid to support

country for future generations.

This is the idea behind Freeport – a hub for large-scale industrial, touristic, agricultural and residential activity - and the associated risks - all gathered in a single location, thus allowing the rest of The Bahamas to be spared, even as we enjoy the fruits of Freeport’s bounty.

If we must build mega-resorts, mammoth cruise ports and industrial facilities, what better place than a city already fitted with world-class infrastructure and tailor-made for large-scale developments? From an environmental perspective, you simply cannot compare the relative impact of a given development on an industrial zone – one already home to a manmade deep water harbour, a mega-shipyard and cruise port, a container port, crude oil bunkering facilities, chemical plants, etc. – with its destructive effect on a pristine, secluded area home to virgin beaches, untouched mangrove forests and reef systems teeming with life. Many of the developments I have bitterly opposed over the years would have received enthusiastic welcome from myself and other environmentalists had they been envisioned for Freeport.

Taking back control By driving the large-scale industrial projects to Freeport, the rest of The Bahamas could be developed, “Respecting the Locals”, in an environmentally friendly manner, with unobtrusive eco-resorts dotted throughout the archipelago and serving as the launching pads for immersive nature tours, diving expeditions and hiking excursions. This is the future of global tourism. High net worth individuals pay top dollar for such authentic experiences.

Best of all, the scale of these discrete, exclusive resorts means that for the first time ever, Bahamians have a realistic chance of owning a lucrative part of our economy.

A policy mandating where development can and cannot be located, based on its nature and in accordance with a carefully considered development strategy, would mean that finally, we would cease to lose our most precious assets to the whim of foreign developers. By the Planning and Subdivision Act 2010 Parliament mandated a National and island Land Use Plans. Due to lack of political will in the Executive

these do not exist. Even the Supreme Court in the recent Nygard series of Judgements has ordered to DPP to effect an LUP for New Providence by September 2019.

Finally, we could be in charge of our own destiny and allowed to grow and progress according to our own wishes. Individual islands could have a say in what kind of development their people want to see and endless economic opportunities could be created without the wholesale sacrifice of our environment or local culture. The key to this strategy is that developments like Carnival’s be located in Freeport.

Commitment This is not to say that Freeport should be a free-for-all of environmental destruction. On the contrary Carnival’s plan shows a serious commitment to environmental sustainability such as is rarely been in large-scale developments. It also gives the government an ideal opportunity to finally bring into effect the Freeport Environmental Bye Laws which have been sitting on each minister’s desk for approval for the last 20 years!

Voluntarily, Carnival is developing an Environmental Management System designed to mitigate environmental impact, including low waste generation, high standards of waste management and responsible water management. There will be a ban on single use plastics and products, and minimal use of products which become solid waste such as aluminium and glass.

Carnival plans to create an advanced wastewater purification system with zero discharge into the coastal environment and rainwater harvesting for basic water uses as well as systems for the indirect discharge of storm water to ensure no direct discharge

into the marine environment. All rooftops will be outfitted with photovoltaic solar panels, allowing for excess power to be fed back into the power grid to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

At 379 acres, this will be the largest port of its kind ever developed by Carnival, yet it has committed to leaving more than half of it untouched and seeking a partnership with the Bahamas National Trust to create tours, excursions and a nature centre.

They have also committed to the removal and replanting of any coral reefs likely to be affected by the marine works and there will be protective zoning of sensitive habitats and even a mangrove conservation and restoration programme.

There is also a commendable commitment to transparency.

Although an Environmental Impact Assessment is not required by law for the on-land part of the development, which comprises the vast majority of the project’s scope, Carnival have committed to conducting one anyway.

Uniquely, community engagement is a cornerstone of the project and meetings have begun with residents, business leaders, government officials, environmentalists, the Christian Council and others.

I and other environmentalists have noted in the past that largescale tourism developments like Bakers Bay at Guana Cay, are a form of neo-plantation; arriving unbidden in the heart of a small community and towering over its economy, traditions and culture, altering the community forever and leaving locals with little choice but to submit to the roles offered them. They must trade in their bonefish poll for a janitor’s mop, their craft business for a waiter’s tray.

Carnival however, has a radically different vision. Unlike the majority of isolated island cruise

ports, Bahamian businessmen and entrepreneurs will benefit. All retail stores and restaurant will be local operations, as will the musical, visual and craft artistry on display. Anyone with a good idea can apply to see their vision turn into a reality within the Port, and with a need to feed, provide goods to and entertain anywhere from 4,000 to 12,000 passengers a day, the economic potential is truly staggering. Freeport is desperate for this. Many Freeporters are without hope and even homeless and starving.

With so many tourists within easy reach, a ‘mini-town’ is expected to spring up outside the port. At the same time, the entire island will benefit, with locally run tours and excursions slated to take passengers and their dollars throughout Grand Bahama.

People in the east and west will be able to benefit without having to witness the destruction of the environment upon which they depend. This level of commitment to empowerment and economic opportunity for Bahamians is truly impressive and as far as I know, other than Freeport itself, the first of its kind in The Bahamas.

A balanced view This project is a win-win for The Bahamas and an opportunity to break decisively with the past and change our development model for the better. Its economic benefits will be felt throughout Grand Bahama and reverberate across the country. I for one, hope it is the first of many large-scale developments for Freeport.

We environmentalists are often portrayed as the enemies of progress, routinely accused of caring more about trees and fish than jobs and social progress. We are scoffed at when we say we are not against development, only unregulated development; not opposed to economic progress, but for transparency and accountability.

And yet, when some of us declare our support for a project which we believe conforms to our convictions, we are immediately vilified, accused of being sell-outs and hypocrites. I would humbly urge both environmentalists and the Bahamian people in general to take a balanced view. Not all job-creating developments are blessings; not all large-scale projects are cursed. It is a matter of being able to tell the difference.

PAGE 8 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2019

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

WHEN PETER TURNQUEST, above, dropped the bombshell that the government would be implementing a sliding scale tax on the numbers industry, many feared complete eradication of their livelihoods.

Smart move to cash in and settle with the numbers boys

By Malcolm Strachan

A

FTER the controversial decision by the government to introduce a sliding scale tax structure on the local gaming industry, people were split with some supporting the government and others lamenting local businessmen. Disdain for the gaming industry stems from a number of places. On one hand, many felt it was not in line with our standing as a “Christian nation”. Others feel the vice causes family issues and is a drain on society.

And then there are those who oppose illegal

gambling who went to the polls in May 2017 and voted the previous government out of office. This was done, in large part, as payback for the Christie administration holding a gaming referendum where the Bahamian people resoundingly voted against legalising gambling, only to be later told it wasn’t a vote at all, just an opinion poll.

When Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Peter Turnquest dropped the bombshell in May last year that the government would be implementing a sliding scale tax on the numbers industry, many of these businessmen feared complete eradication of their livelihoods.

Veteran numbers boss Craig Flowers was among the gaming operators

voicing frustration with the government’s decision to target the industry. Calling the proposed tax a “death warrant”, Flowers alluded to the web shop bosses going back underground – potentially limiting any possibility of the government to maintain the $22m it currently recoups in gaming taxes.

A collective with deep pockets, they were prepared to fight the government.

Deputy Prime Minister Turnquest’s proposed taxes would have minced the smaller gaming operators and squeezed the larger ones for nearly half of their overall earnings – a move gaming executives said would lead to 2,000 job losses, as well as potentially limiting the government from achieving its revenue

projections – a perhaps sobering revelation.

The government’s sliding scale tax was as follows: businesses earning up to $20m in revenue would have been taxed at a rate of 20 percent. Those earning between $20m and $40m were to be taxed at a rate of 25 percent. Gaming houses pulling in $40 to $60m would be hit at a rate of 30 percent. And those earning between $60 and $80m, $80 and $100m, and over $100m, would be taxed respectively at 35 percent, 40 percent and 50 percent.

It did not take long to realise that Turnquest who obviously thought the gaming house operators would wave the white flag - was barking up the wrong tree.

Island Luck CEO Sebas Bastian, who faced being taxed 50 percent of his earnings as a result of the possible implementation of what he called an “unfair, irrational, unreasonable and oppressive” tax regime, along with his cohort, was prepared to fight the government to the end.

With Wayne Munroe QC, representing the Gaming House Operators Association, indicating his clients were prepared to go as high as the Privy Council, it was obvious they were in this fight for the long haul – a result that would have made no sense for the government.

It would have wasted resources in a long and drawn out litigation process that could have been avoided had both sides just entered into fair and balanced negotiations from the onset.

Thankfully though, after five months of legal wrangling and an absence of tax revenue from the local gaming sector, heads have cleared with last week’s announcement of an agreement between the government and the gaming sector.

Certainly, while some may look at the government as cowing to the numbers bosses, we ought to see the wisdom in this move, as they never should have gotten here in the first place and stood the most to lose with litigation possibly enduring through an election year.

One can argue the gaming sector, if approached from the beginning, may have willingly agreed to the amended tax structure, which allows the government to make $50m, instead of the initially proposed $75m. Might we note this is not exactly a loss for the government who still stands to make 127 percent increase from gaming tax revenue.

Unfortunately, it took us five months and whatever was spent during the litigation process to get here – a

figure we hope the government discloses.

Surely, it is no secret many among us loathe that number houses are legal business establishments popping up all around the archipelago. That is understandable.

However, there is a duty of responsibility which every one of us must have for ourselves. There is no business establishment in The Bahamas that forces anyone through its doors at gunpoint. That said, we must treat those who participate in this form of entertainment as adults.

The government, likewise, is fully in its right to seek more taxes from the gaming industry. And commendably, for what may have been stripped from society as a result of the proliferation of this industry, they’re planning to give it back through education.

Hopefully, in addition to education, the government will use these resources to lend additional support to the Ministry of Health and Department of Social Services to assist individuals and families affected by problem gambling.

We have seen a willingness from Bahamian businessmen to repay their debts to society through many philanthropic ventures. It would be great to see the government assist them with this interest in giving back by looking at how we can continue to develop our country through private public partnerships.

The Bahamian people must set aside judgments that only increase divisiveness and seek how we can benefit by channeling gaming tax revenues back into the community. This is a much more productive use of our passion, as it will require cooperation for our nation to progress.

One thing for certain, with the government in need of these resources, the numbers industry is not going anywhere anytime soon.

We may as well get used to it.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2019 PAGE 9

It’s simple elected T officials cannot serve two masters

HE law is the law and it is binding on all who dwell or visit within its jurisdiction. The law is particularly binding on those who make the law.

As I observed in a previous commentary, “Law makers should not be law breakers”.

This issue is raised again in the context of people who hold dual citizenships while seeking election – and, in some cases getting elected – to the legislative bodies of countries. Those who either seek or achieve such election violate the law of the land in countries of the Caribbean community (CARICOM), particularly when they also hold Cabinet positions, formulating national policy.

This matter has arisen time and again in Caribbean countries; among them: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, St Kitts Nevis and St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago where dual nationals have sought election, or have been elected, to the legislature, leading to political storms that caused them either to resign from office or withdraw as candidates for election.

The reason for the disqualification of a dual national from eligibility to legislative bodies and Government cabinets is simple and straightforward.

As University of the West Indies Law lecturer and columnist, Jefferson Cumberbatch, observed: it is “a secular version of the axiom that no man can serve two masters”.

To become a citizen of a country other than the one in which a person is born, allegiance must be sworn to that country. But, Caribbean constitutions forbid such double allegiance in the context of election to the House of Representatives. In almost uniform language, they state: “No person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives who by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign Power or State”.

The words “who by virtue of his (also her) own act” are important. In two celebrated instances involving Prime Ministers, Lester Bird of Antigua and Barbuda and Edward Seaga of Jamaica, held the highest elective office in their countries even though they were

born in the United States and were automatically citizens of that country.

However, they were not denied election to their legislatures or to the Office of Prime Minister, because they did not choose by their own volition to be born in the US, thereby becoming US citizens. To their credit, they both rescinded their US citizenships anyway.

There is a third, less famous case of David Thompson of Barbados who was a member of parliament, opposition leader and, briefly before his untimely death, Prime Minister of Barbados.

Thompson was born in the United Kingdom, again through no fault of his own.

Therefore, in standing for election, he broke no law.

Retaining foreign citizenship, while serving as a lawmaker and government policy maker, poses further problems beyond the substantial issue of “to whom do you owe allegiance?”

These include: payment of taxes to the country of second citizenship on income earned world-wide, that is applicable by Canada and the US, and obligations to serve in the military or to be conscripted. These obligations open the holder of a parliamentary or Cabinet post to influences, maybe even coercion, that could be harmful to the best interests of the country in which he or she is serving.

There is the further issue of what has been called “the no escape clause”. A 2008 study by the Caribbean Policy Initiative put that argument as follows: “An individual who has pledged allegiance to a foreign power may offer less than full commitment to either

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country. The risk is that, at the margins, the individual in question might make trade-offs that an individual who holds only one citizenship – and thus has no “escape clause” – would not have the option of doing. In the event of a crisis, he or she might leave the country. In the case of a conflict between the two countries of which he or she is a citizen, his or her loyalty to the country in which he/she is a law or policy maker might be compromised”.

There was at least one law-maker in the Guyana National Assembly who was a dual citizen – the now notorious Charandass Persaud – whose vote led to the success of a no-confidence motion and the political crisis in which Guyana is presently placed. Mr Persaud had an “escape clause”, namely his citizenship of Canada that he immediately exercised by returning there in residence.

Despite these cogent facts and the law itself, many dual nationals appear to remain in the Guyana parliament on all sides of the political divide. The law, therefore, takes second place to political expediency – at least, for now.

But, this relegation of the law will have to be corrected before the next general election which, after the current Court appeals are concluded, will have to be held. At that point, the list of names for submission as parliamentarians must be disinfected of all dual nationals. With the razor-thin majorities by which governments have been elected (and deposed) in recent times, it would take a successful challenge

LESTER Bird was prime minister of of Antigua and Barbuda even though he was born in the US. of only one dual-national to again topple a government and toss the country into constitutional and electoral confusion.

Throughout the Caribbean, those, who defend the instances of dual nationals knowingly seeking election despite the legal disqualification, argue that Caribbean countries are too small to disregard the talent and knowledge of their nationals who, for one reason or another, obtain a second citizenship.

In part, that argument has validity. Some of the Caribbean’s most experienced and informed nationals have gained their experience and knowledge abroad along with their second citizenship. However, they are not prohibited from returning to their native countries

and contributing their acquired capabilities. The prohibition only applies to those who seek elected office with the responsibility to make national policy decisions. The latter, as has been pointed out earlier in this commentary, makes the official who bears allegiance to a second country, susceptible to influences that could be inimical to the interests of the nation he or she is elected to serve.

Dual nationals, who still hold parliamentary seats and government Cabinet posts, do neither their party nor their country any good by retaining their second citizenships and sworn allegiance to the countries concerned. The same applies to dual nationals who might seek elected office in the future.

If these persons wish to hold elected office, they should rescind their citizenships of other countries and serve the necessary period of residence. There is no better demonstration of loyalty, fidelity and commitment to a nation than to shed allegiance to any other.

The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com

INSIGHT

PAGE 10 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2019

S

EEING an image of a violent adult, it is hard to imagine the innocent baby they once were. Is there such a thing as being born violent? Are there really “bad seeds” when it comes to a human life? Like so many qualities, violence involves a real interaction between genetics and environment.

We may not be able to alter the DNA we are born with, but we can strongly influence how these genes are expressed. With all the factors proven to contribute to violence, we cannot say that violent individuals are just “born that way”.

There is a lot we can do to prevent violence - hardly anyone, at any age is hopeless or beyond help.

Violence is the result of a combination of biological, social, and psychological factors, especially those that increase exposure to vulnerability, shame, and humiliation.

Preventing violence must involve the opposite: making sure people feel safe, cared about and connected, while ensuring they have a healthy and realistic sense of self-esteem and self-worth.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

Take violence out of the home and kids will have a chance that they too, should demonstrate care and concern.

Developing Empathy

Understanding and preventing violence Many environmental factors can contribute to violence. These include adverse childhood events such as abuse, neglect, trauma, loss and abandonment. Victims of poverty, children who are missing basic necessities and who struggle with poor healthcare or nutrition, are more likely to encounter or engage in violence.

So how can we prevent children from becoming violent? And how can we treat people who have already demonstrated violent tendencies? Here are some of the Do’s of stopping

violence among children, adolescents, and adults. This list is addressed to parents, but it applies to any influential figure in a child’s life.

Developing a Conscience Help your children develop a conscience by: • Being attuned to them • By not being violent toward or in front of them • By providing a secure, safe base for them • By repairing when you slip up.

We all make mistakes as parents, but openly admitting and apologising for these mistakes shows your kids you are human, that they are not to blame and

Help your child develop empathy.

Imagine the scene of your child hitting another child in the park.

In that moment, you would probably insist they say “sorry,” but what do you do to make them feel empathetic? Saying sorry can be meaningless if a child does not mean it. At these times, ask your child to describe how he/she would feel from being hit. This helps the child to feel compassion and sympathy, while understanding what it really means to hurt someone.

Getting Attention Give kids attention, never give them the silent or avoidance treatment.

Adolescents acting up need more attention, not less.

Depriving a kid in need of services and contact hurts them; their behaviour indicates they need more adult

contact. By isolating them, when their acting out is to seek attention, although negative attention, we continue the punishment cycle. Intensifying treatment when adolescents act out breaks the punishment cycle, while reducing their likelihood of becoming violent.

Building Self-Esteem

Help your child find something they are good at and offer real praise for those achievements. False praise and encouragement inflates a person’s vanity but does little to enhance their real sense of selfworth or self-esteem. Yet, acknowledging children for honest accomplishments and true abilities helps them to know their value.

Learning Calming Techniques Teach your children good ways to calm down when they are upset. The best way to do this is to lead by

Jasmine’s rich reward for a leap of faith

example. It is important to demonstrate your own resilience, problem solving, and coping strategies in front of your children.

This does not mean acting tough or hiding your feelings. It means demonstrating healthy techniques for handling conflict and emotion in your own life and encouraging them to do the same.

The solution to the problem of violence is never to turn our backs, but to keep our hearts and minds open to how we can individually affect change. And that change starts with how we raise our children from the day they are born.

Let Us Create Safer Communities Please visit the Royal Bahamas Police Force Website at www.royalbahamaspolice.org or Facebook page at www.facebook. com/rbpforce for Latest News, Daily Crime Reports and additional Crime Prevention Tips I was excited to learn that I’d been one of the few students selected as a Lyford Cay Foundations Scholar, said Jasmine

E3SPORTS

THE TRIBUNE

JASMINE BAIN’S life was a model of success.

With 18 years of experience as a chef at Atlantis, Jasmine had worked her way up to a head pastry chef position while also teaching pastry and baking courses

Friday, September 30, 2016, PAGE 3

her associate’s degree in culinary arts under her belt, numerous certifications in GAIN AN EDGE her field and the respect of A NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON HIGHER EDUCATION colleagues.

A NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON HIGHER EDUCATION at the College of The BahaIt would have been mas. It would have been easy if Jasmine was not easy to simply coast with bothered by the gnawing

GAIN AN EDGE

feeling that there was more to do, see, learn and ultimately teach to fellow Bahamian chefs. The College of The Bahamas was transitioning to university status which meant Jasmine would eventually need an advanced degree to be eligible to become a full-time pastry instructor for the future bakery and pastry programme.

So, Jasmine took a leap of faith and applied to Johnson & Wales University’s Bachelor’s degree programme for baking & pastry arts and food services management.

She was surprised when she was immediately accepted and guaranteed a $15,000 scholarship by the university – but only for a year. Questions raced through her head: How would she make up the big difference in cost? Would she be able to maintain the grades needed to renew the scholarship each year?

Should she REALLY leave her good job at this age?

“Ironically, I’d also been accepted to Johnson & Wales back in 1992,” Jasmine remembered. “But my parents couldn’t afford the tuition, so I decided to stay and maximise all the opportunities available here in Nassau. When this opportunity came again, I wasn’t going to let it pass me by.”

The first year was challenging. Jasmine borrowed money to help cover her remaining tuition and she relied on the support of family and friends. Then she learned about Lyford Cay Foundations. Its online scholarship application process opens once a year from February 1–March 15 and offers renewable scholarship awards for successful applicants who have the goal of returning to The Bahamas to make a positive impact.

“Many people told me not to even bother applying because it’s a competitive process. I knew that I wouldn’t succeed if I didn’t at least try,” said Jasmine.

“I was excited to learn that I’d been one of the few students selected as a Lyford Cay Foundations Scholar,” she added.

With the addition of the Lyford Cay Foundations Scholarship, Jasmine’s life changed dramatically. “I no longer had to stress about whether I’d have to leave school because I couldn’t afford it or worry about whether my financial needs would be met,” said Jasmine.

Instead, Jasmine began experiencing as much as possible.

She believes every experience will better equip her for her dream of returning to The Bahamas and continuing teaching students at University of The Bahamas.

Besides maintaining a high grade point average, which has allowed her to renew her scholarships annually, her biggest focus has been on learning the latest technological advances in the industry.

“In my course work, I recently completed an international food safety management certificate with the national registry of food safety professionals. We were exposed to a digital logging system that is more accurate and safer than labelling food by hand,” she noted.

“Everything is now computerised. For example, if you make a batch of cookie dough and need a label for the product, you type ‘cookie dough’ into the system and the computer prints the label for the item which includes your initials, the date, time and expiry date. This creates a valuable food safety record. This

is the kind of knowledge that I want to share with Bahamian students.”

Jasmine has also immersed herself in building a supportive campus community. She works on campus as an international community student assistant in the office of student conduct. In this position, she’s earns money for her living expenses while creating engaging opportunities for international students.

She is a part of a close network of Bahamians at the university. Affectionately known by fellow students as “Ms. J”, she helps ensure the Bahamian students stay connected, tutor each other when needed and even volunteer together. Recently, the group came together to prepare a meal for a local homeless shelter.

When asked how she felt being a more mature student, she confessed, “At first it felt odd living on-campus and sitting in classroom with much younger students. But I quickly realized that we are all students, regardless of our backgrounds - and we’re in it together.”

Scholarships have been transformational for Jasmine and she advises students not to let finance become a barrier to a college education.

“More than anything, I’d advise students to just have faith in God, believe and take the first step by seeking out scholarships and applying. Don’t give up!!!”

“Gain An Edge” is a weekly collaboration of the Lyford Cay Foundations, Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute and University of The Bahamas aimed at promoting a national dialogue on higher education. To share your thoughts, email gainanedge@tribunemedia.net.

THE TRIBUNE

By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net OPPOSITION Leader Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday slammed civil society for its silence over the Frank Smith bribery and extortion trial, suggesting a double standard existed for the Free National Movement administration.

Mr Davis said the Progressive Liberal Party is “mulling over” plans to extend its boycott of both the lower and upper chambers.

“You don’t have any independence, there is no outrage from civil society,” he said in an interview with The Tribune.

“If this was the PLP they would be all over it. Where there is a clear finding that the streams of justice are being contaminated and infested with political interference. You had a witness who talked about being pressured, talked about giving evidence against her will. There was clear evidence she was awarded a contract for $2m less than two weeks before going in the witness box.

“There are no independent voices that can speak to that? The Bar Association has said nothing.

“This woman was so vulnerable. How could the AG’s office have asked about (the PHA contract), and they skip the story?”

The Tribune has reached out to several prominent lawyers for comment on Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt’s ruling, which cited “egregious” conduct in connection with Mr Smith’s trial.

Yesterday, Mr Davis said the members of the opposition were awaiting the government’s response to their complaints,

Monday, February 18, 2019, PAGE 11

Double standards exist for FNM, claims Davis insisting they wanted their concerns about their perceived assaults on democracy taken seriously.

The party last week staged walkouts at both the House of Assembly and Senate in protest of “tyrannical attitudes” in government, whom it claimed were determined to use prosecutorial powers of the Crown to target PLPs. The move has drawn criticisms from several government officials including Attorney General Carl Bethel who has attacked the PLP’s position on at least two occasions in recent days.

Mr Davis yesterday took issue with the government’s continued action against the PLP, calling for greater outrage from societal groups and general public over the government’s handling of cases involving PLP members.

“It’s in peril and there seems to be no outrage over what is happening,” Mr Davis told The Tribune.

Referring specifically to major revelations that came out of the Frank Smith case, he questioned why a government so pressed on attacking corruption has done so little to investigate the corrupt actions highlighted through the case.

“We would expect they would at least launch an investigation into why the phone records were doctored,” he said. “I mean it’s indefensible.”

“A witness was given a $2m contract days before she goes in the witness box.

There should at least be some response and there is nothing.”

He added: “… The Shane Gibson case is worse, they put a gag order on it but it’s worse. It makes Frank’s case seem insignificant, it’s really troubling.”

Mr Davis further claimed that the actions of the FNM have shattered the confidence the Bahamian people had in the administration of justice in the country.

He said throughout the country currently, persons are questioning the validity of the cases against many, if not all, of the inmates at the Department of Correctional Services. “… People are talking about it because that innocent man from over the hill may be in prison now, and his parents have been claiming that this has been happening to them and were unable to uncover the smoking gun,” Mr Davis said.

“How can you have confidence?”

When asked if his comments should be viewed as an indictment against law enforcement agencies, Mr Davis said his commentary had more to do with the persons in positions of authority who were allowing themselves to be manipulated.

“I don’t know if the force is strong enough to stand

PLP leader Philip Davis speaking outside court after the Frank Smith trial was brougt to an end.

up to the political electorate and it does not appear to be that way,” Mr Davis asserted.

“People are honestly getting angry.

“People are anxious to see what the government is going to do.

“Is Sands going to resign?

Is Dames going to resign?

Their own members are now raising this question of them applying rules of the Westminster system selectively.”

Mr Davis implored the Minnis administration to do all necessary to restore confidence in the judiciary.

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PAGE 12, Monday, February 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

GIBSON ‘ENDANGERING MY LIFE AND MY FAMILY’S’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

a confidential term of the union chief’s employment.

Last week, Mr Gibson said Mr Woods has not performed a day’s work for the corporation in years, adding he was paid approximately $60,000 each year despite being on administrative leave.

The statement sparked Mr Woods’ anger yesterday

BAHAMAS Utilities Services and Allied Workers Union President Dwayne Woods has accused Adrian Gibson of endangering his life after the Water and Sewerage executive chairman made public

as he told The Tribune Mr Gibson was severely “disingenuous”.

Mr Woods insisted the existing industrial agreement facilitates “union leave” to carry out the people’s business.

According to clause 14.01 in the agreement “an employee elected to a permanent union office which

requires union leave maybe granted such leave as the corporation determines for a period not exceeding 36 months subject to the demands of the service and the availability of a suitable replacement, and shall continue to be covered by the corporation’s medical and pension plans.”

Mr Woods said: “First

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and foremost, I would like to say that I was of the view that my salary was confidential information and I would like to acknowledge the fact that in breaching this confidentiality agreement of the corporation I am baffled or surprised that the chairman would do such a thing,” Mr Woods said.

“I would like to make it abundantly clear that he is probably only doing it to endanger my life and the life of my family. It is disingenuous for the chairman to make such a statement and nothing could be further from the truth.

“What is actually happening is the chairman is playing brilliant politics.

“What he is doing is actually putting up a smoke screen and mirror by saying that I don’t work and haven’t performed a day work for the Water and Sewerage Corporation in years.”

Regarding his administrative leave for the past seven years, Mr Woods said he was completely within the confines of the standing industrial agreement, having been elected three times to the post of union president.

“The reality of the matter is that he is attempting to roll back the very benefits that are contained in the industrial agreement between the Bahamas Utility Services and Allied Workers Union and the Water and Sewerage Corporation under article number 14.01.

“That particular article gives rise to a leave called union leave which is a benefit unto the people I represent. It speaks to an employee being elected to permanent office for a period of three years or 36 months subject to the demands of service and a suitable replacement.

That it would continue with all the benefits that an employee would enjoy.

“That particular clause gives rise to me being off to do the work of the people, to the people, for the people, by the people.”

According to Mr Woods, the leave has been practised for several years.

“The benefit has been in practise for 11 to 13 years.

The past president enjoyed two terms and myself, I have enjoyed two terms and I’m in the middle of a third.

It makes it clear that the benefit can only be reversed by mutual agreement and the chairman cannot roll it away unilaterally because there is a contract in place which governs it.

“This raises the question why would the executive chairman attempt to change the rules of the game in the middle of the game a year and a half after the union had sent a letter to them requesting a renewal of the benefit?

“The renewal is not an approval but a mere courtesy to outline to the board of directors that an election was held and the now president has retained his position as president. Had I lost the election another president would be writing to inform the corporation of the courtesy that I have gone back to work and a new president is coming in to enjoy my leave.

“I would conclude by saying that the only way I am allowed to give up the leave and go back to work is if a new president unseats me and the new president

DWAYNE WOODS

ADRIAN GIBSON will retain the comfort of the leave.

He further raised questions regarding Mr Gibson’s appointment at the corporation.

“I’d like to raise the question who does the chairman represent? He represents the government. What is his salary as executive chairman? What is his salary as an MP and how much hours does he put in as an executive board member? And how much hours does he put in at the corporation?”

Last Sunday Mr Gibson said the industrial agreement did not make provisions for Mr Woods’ leave.

The WSC executive chairman said at the time “unlike any other union president in The Bahamas”, Mr Woods draws an annual salary of some $60,000, accrues vacation time and sick leave, the latter of which adds up and rolls over, and “enjoys all the benefits” without ever coming to work.

That, Mr Gibson said, is notwithstanding the $2,000 or so Mr Woods “pays himself” as the union’s president, and the other “perks” he enjoys such as the union paying for his cellphone, airfare “whenever and wherever he travels”, and allegedly gasoline for his vehicles.

Mr Gibson said Mr Woods has also requested yearly increments and additional benefits, promotions and/or upward mobility, despite not having a job description and therefore being “unable to have his performance evaluated in the absence of any WSC job-related performance/ activities”.

The Long Island MP said at the time that due to the “simply unjust and unfair” practice of Mr Woods being paid $60,000 plus perks without performing any work for WSC, the corporation decided as of last year May not to renew his administrative leave, and to order Mr Woods back to work.

Mr Woods, in turn, has filed a Supreme Court action against the corporation, the crux of which, according to Mr Gibson, is that he feels he should not return to work and continue being paid by WSC. However, Mr Gibson said the corporation has instructed its attorneys to seek to strike out the BUSAWU’s writ of summons as the matters stated therein are personal to Mr Woods and consequently, the union has no capacity to bring that action before the courts.

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THE TRIBUNE

Monday, February 18, 2019, PAGE 13

MP Lewis gets to work on ‘rampant’ litter problem

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net IRAM Lewis, MP for Central Grand Bahama, has embarked on an intense clean-up programme in his constituency, particularly in the Eight Mile Rock area where he says there is a rampant litter problem.

He warned police and environmental officials will be enforcing environmental laws to discourage littering and other illegal dumping activities that damage the environment. “Many persons do not care about the environment , and there are many litterbugs in the area. As we clean, in a matter of days when you drive through the area it is filthy because persons come

back and empty their trash Beach area where they were here,” said Mr Lewis. planting palm trees along Mr Lewis believes keep- the verges on the bayside. ing the area clean will make He warned they would it attractive to investors be going after violaand encourage more eco- tors of the environment. nomic activity in the area. “We are going to have He said the “clean and to find ways to mainmaintain” Central GB tain the cleanliness of the initiative includes the community. The Police, area west of Hawks- Environmental Health bill Creek to Sunset and Urban Renewal went Village at the Administra- through the community tor’s Complex in EMR. giving out pamphlets to the Mr Lewis said the effort residents advising them that is supported by local part- the environment has a right ners such as Sanitation to be cleaned and that there Services, Sharan Pinder, are local laws that will be Environmental Health, enforced to ensure that we Local Government, Police, do not encourage littering. and Urban Renewal.

“We are asking persons Clean-up started to be whistleblowers and at 7am on Saturday. to keep an eye out because By 11am, Mr Lewis and his they are custodians of their team had already worked environment and commutheir way to the Lover’s nity. We want to encourage

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economic activities so that when potential investors drive through the community, we want it to appear to be investor-friendly. So again, we expect the community to support and participate in the clean-up initiative, but also the maintenance of the area,” Mr Lewis said.

He urged persons to keep in mind that ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’.

“We are known as a Godly nation, but the way we keep the environment does not reflect that. What I remember growing up in GB is how

clean it was and how people who came here always marvelled about how clean the environment was,” he said.

According to Mr Lewis, the initiative will be an ongoing cleanup programme and stressed that persons must understand the importance of keeping the environment clean and that littering a crime punishable by law.

Mr Lewis noted that two weeks ago in New Providence persons were brought before the first Environmental Court to answer to charges of littering.

When asked about oil spills in the area, the Central Grand Bahama MP said that he had not seen any physical signs of oil spills at Lover’s Beach.

“It is one of the most beautiful intimate spots, and I have not seen any oil spill or tar on the beach. The Ministry of the Environment and the oil company are conducting regular patrols in the area to ensure that if there are any spills remediating action is taken right away.

So far, we don’t see any physical sign of an oil spill.”

PAGE 14, Monday, February 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

SEX ABUSE SURVIVORS SAY VATICAN SUMMIT MUST DELIVER ACTION VATICAN CITY Associated Press

ROMAN Catholics who were sexually abused by clergy are insisting that decisive actions to confront the decades-long problem of pedophile priests and church cover-ups must come out of an upcoming Vatican summit.

A founding member of the advocacy group Ending Clergy Abuse, Peter Isely, contended yesterday that Pope Francis is “facing resistance” from top Vatican officials as he prepares to convene bishops from around the world.

“Let me tell you what it was like to try and have to resist that priest when I was a boy who was sexually assaulting me,” Isely said.

“So whatever difficulty for him

or discomfort this is for anybody in the papal palace, it is nothing compared to what survivors have had to undergo.”

Isely offered his perspective in an interview near St. Peter’s Square shortly before Francis spoke of the importance of the Feb. 21-24 event on protecting children and teenagers in the church. Addressing faithful in the square, Francis asked for prayers for the gathering of the heads of Catholic bishops’ conferences worldwide.

Francis said he wanted the summit, to be “an act of strong pastoral responsibility in the face of an urgent challenge of our time.”

Revelations in many countries about priests raping and

committing other kinds of sexual abuse against children and a pattern of bishops hiding the crimes have shaken the faith of many Catholics.

The Vatican announced on Saturday that Francis approved the expulsion from the priesthood for a former American cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, for sexual abuse of minors and adults.

But survivor advocates also have demanded that Francis say what he and other top Vatican officials knew about the prelate’s sexual wrongdoing, which spanned decades. “You abuse a child, you have to be removed from the priesthood,” Isely said. “If you cover up for abusing a child, you have to be removed from the priesthood, and

THE POPE speaking yesterday.

this is the only thing that is going to turn the corner on this global crisis.”

Another founding member of the group, Denise Buchanan, a native of Jamaica, said a priest raped and assaulted her when she was 17. “That rape actually resulted in a pregnancy, and the priest arranged for an abortion,” Buchanan said.

Veteran Vatican watcher Marco Politi also sees the pope facing inside resistance. “There is a struggle going on between the pope and his supporters who want a change, and a lot of people among the bishops and among the clergy who don’t want transparency and applying law and order in the abuse issue in the world,” Politi said.

Trump set to issue first veto of his term FLORIDA Associated Press

PRESIDENT Donald Trump is prepared to issue the first veto of his term if Congress votes to disapprove his declaration of a national emergency along the US-Mexico border, a top White House adviser said yesterday.

White House senior adviser Stephen Miller told “Fox News Sunday” that “the president is going to protect his national emergency declaration.” Asked if that meant Trump was ready to veto a resolution of disapproval, Miller added, “He’s going to protect his national emergency declaration, guaranteed.”

The West Wing is digging in for fights on multiple fronts as the president’s effort to go around Congress to fund his long-promised border wall faces bipartisan criticism and multiple legal challenges. After lawmakers in both parties blocked his requests for billions of dollars to fulfill his signature campaign pledge, Trump’s declared national emergency on Friday shifts billions of federal dollars earmarked for military construction to the border.

California Attorney General

PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks at the White House to declare a national emergency in order to build a wall along the southern border.

Xavier Becerra told ABC’s “This Week” that his state would sue “imminently” to block the order, after the American Civil Liberties Union and the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen announced Friday they were taking legal action.

Democrats are planning to introduce a resolution disapproving of the declaration once Congress

returns to session and it is likely to pass both chambers. Several Republican senators are already indicating they would vote against Trump — though there do not yet appear to be enough votes to override a veto by the president.

The White House’s Miller insisted that Congress granted the president wide berth under the National Emergencies Act to take

action. But Trump’s declaration goes beyond previous emergencies in shifting money after Congress blocked his funding request for the wall, which will likely factor in legal challenges.

Trump aides acknowledge that Trump cannot meet his pledge to build the wall by the time voters decide whether to grant him another term next year, but insist his base will remain by his side as long as he is not perceived to have given up the fight on the barrier.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that he believes Congress needs to act to “defend” its powers of the purse.

“I do think that we should not set the terrible precedent of letting a president declare a national emergency simply as a way of getting around the congressional appropriations process,” he said.

Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, a critic of Trump’s border policies, said he would support legislation to review Trump’s emergency declaration, saying, “It sets a dangerous precedent.”

“My concern is our government wasn’t designed to operate by national emergency,” he told CBS.

SENATOR TELLS VENEZUELAN SOLDIERS TO LET AID ENTER CUCUTA, Colombia Associated Press

SENATOR Marco Rubio visited a border staging point for US aid to Venezuela yesterday and warned soldiers loyal to socialist President Nicolas Maduro that it will be a “crime against humanity” if they block entry of the goods that are being channeled through Maduro’s rivals.

An enthusiastic throng of Venezuelan migrants, some chanting “Rubio! Liberty,” met the Florida Republican as he visited Cucuta and held a news conference in sight of a border bridge that has been flooded in recent months by people fleeing the hardships of Venezuela’s hyperinflation and severe shortages of food and medicine.

The US has used military and civilian aircraft to fly in food and personal care aid in an effort meant to undermine Maduro. The aid is supposed to be moved into Venezuela on Feb. 23 by supporters of congressional leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized by many as the legitimate president.

POLICE SEEK FOLLOW-UP INTERVIEW WITH SMOLLETT

CHICAGO Associated Press

CHICAGO police and representatives for Jussie Smollett weren’t speaking publicly about the investigation into a reported attack on the “Empire” actor a day after authorities said the case had “shifted” and they wanted to interview Smollett again.

Pamela Sharp, a spokeswoman for Smollett, said yesterday that there were no updates “as of now.”

Another spokeswoman, Anne Kavanagh, later said she couldn’t comment on whether Smollett had agreed to another interview.

The trajectory of the investigation “shifted” after detectives questioned two brothers about the attack and released them late on Friday without charges, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Saturday.

He said police also reached out to Smollett’s attorney to request the follow-up interview with him.

Smollett’s lawyers said late on Saturday that the actor felt “victimized” by reports that he played a role in the assault, adding that, “Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

The statement from attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor P. Henderson also said Smollett would continue co-operating with police.

Smollett, who is black and gay, has said he was physically attacked last month by two masked men shouting racial and anti-gay slurs and “This is MAGA country!” He said they

ACTOR Jussie Smollett. looped a rope around his neck before running away as he was returning home from an early morning stop at a Subway restaurant in downtown Chicago. He said they also poured some kind of chemical on him.

Police said they combed surveillance video in the heavily-monitored area but were unable to find any footage of the attack. They did obtain images of two people they said they would like to question.

On Wednesday, Chicago police picked up the brothers at O’Hare International Airport as they returned from Nigeria.

They described them as “suspects” in the assault, questioned them and searched their apartment.

Then, late Friday evening they released the two men without charges and said they were no longer suspects. They said they had gleaned new information from their interrogation of them.

One of the men is Smollett’s personal trainer, whom the actor hired to help get him physically ready for a music video, Smollett’s attorneys said in their statement.

RARE OWLS THRIVE NEAR LA AIRPORT RESEARCHERS have discovered a group of rare owls thriving in a nature preserve near Los Angeles International Airport. Among the 10 burrowing owls are a breeding pair that stand guard over a nest. “This is very exciting — a real stunner,” said Pete Bloom, a biologist and avian expert who helped conduct a wildlife survey this month.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, February 18, 2019, PAGE 15

45-YEAR-OLD FOUND GUILTY OF UNLAWFUL SEX

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A WEST End man who was convicted in the Supreme Court in Grand Bahama of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor of the same sex will learn his fate at a sentence hearing in early April.

Fred Williams, 45, of Bahama Beach, West End, was found guilty by a jury on February 8 of one of three counts of unlawful

sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old boy, who testified at the trial.

At his trial which opened on January 28, Williams was alleged to have sexually assaulted from October 2016 to November 2016; in February 2017, and November 2017.

A jury of six men and three women heard evidence from a medical doctor, police officers, and other witnesses, including the complainant’s mother, best friend at school, and

FRED Williams was found guilty of unlawful sex with a boy.

a school guidance counsellor. Williams - who also took the stand and gave evidence from the witness box - admitted to knowing the teen but denied having any sexual relationship with him.

After two weeks of testimony, the jury found the accused not guilty of the incidents in October 2016 by a vote of 7-2, and the incident in November 2017 by a vote of 9-0. The jury, however, found him guilty of the incident in

18

$

February 2017 by a vote of 7-2. According to evidence, it is alleged that Williams took the complainant to BORCO fuel pipeline in Pinder’s Point where he had the teen perform oral sex on him.

Sentencing is set for April 4, 2019.

Carlson Shurland represented Williams. Erica Kemp of the Attorney General’s Office appeared on behalf of the Crown. Justice Estelle Gray Evans presided over the matter.

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PAGE 16, Monday, February 18, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

SPECIAL ASSEMBLY HELD TO HONOUR MAURICE MOORE

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Ambassador Maurice Moore was honored at a special assembly at the Maurice Moore Primary School last week.

The ceremony, held on Valentine’s Day, marked the school’s 20 years in existence.

Under the theme, To Sir with Love, students, teachers and administrators and Ministry of Education officials paid tribute to the school’s patron, Mr Moore, who was dressed in red and white for the occasion.

The school was named in honour of Moore’s significant contributions to education and training.

Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd attended and brought remarks, describing

Mr Moore as “a giant of a man” who paved the way for many Bahamians.

There were song, poem, and performance tributes to the former Cabinet minister and Grand Bahama MP, who was one the longest serving parliamentarians in the Bahamas. There were also performances by Bahamian artist Julian Believe, and well-known actor/ comedian Matthew Wildgoose of Freeport.

Minister Lloyd commended the school for recognising Mr Moore and putting on a great programme honorning Mr Moore for his contributions to the nation.

Also paying tribute was House Speaker Halston Moultrie, who said that Mr Moore was a trailblazer, a non-conformist and an individual with the courage to stand up and make the

transformational changes needed.

Mr Moore, he said is “no ordinary man”, and that he serves as an example of what anyone can achieve if they put their minds and heart to it.

Maurice Moore commended the students and teachers for the tributes and presentation.

He was happy the school was named during his lifetime so that he could be a part of its development in education. “I am humbled that this school, almost 20 years ago, was named in my honour by the then prime minister Hubert Alexander Ingraham and I am grateful for it,” he said.

Mr Moore thanked the Grand Bahama community for their ongoing support, and said that Grand Bahamians have been the wind beneath his wings.