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VOLUME:115 No.107, APRIL 26TH, 2018

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CLASSIFIED TRADER: CARS, CARS, CARS & MORE CARS

INSIDE

PM’s blueprint to save Over-the-Hill

Initiatives aim to be engine of rejuvenation

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday tabled the long awaited Over-the-Hill White Paper 2018, unveiling his administration’s proposed plans for impoverished communities, which include a variety of tax concessions, an action plan for physical rejuvenation along with social and economic empowerment.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Dr Minnis said the Overthe-Hill area will become the first empowerment zone in The Bahamas. He explained this concept as

MORE Bahamians believe police officers are corrupt than any other group of people, a scientific survey commissioned last October by Transparency International and its local contact Citizen for a Better Bahamas found.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis fared better

L SOUR CE

FOUR YEARS SIGNING IN ON BAIL - AFTER CASE DROPPED

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A YOUNG man from Grand Bahama has claimed his life was disrupted for four years because the Office of the Attorney General had failed to notify him armed robbery charges had been dropped against him since 2014.

Jarado Mark, 26, who had been on bail awaiting trial, learned on April 10 at a hearing in the Supreme Court the charges had been withdrawn by the Office of the Attorney General in January 2014, but he was never notified.

SEE PAGE NINE

NYGARD: JUST ANOTHER BRAVE HITS DAY AT FNM OVER COURT ‘SPY BILL’

one known throughout the world and related to areas designated as such because they were deserving of incentives due to economic hardship.

However, gaming houses and businesses deriving proceeds from alcohol sales will be exempt from the benefits of this zone.

Dr Minnis said the groundwork toward formulating a sustainable programme for the Overthe-Hill community began last October, which means it took the government roughly six months to have a developed plan ready to present to the public.

ABOUT-FACE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net A LITTLE more than a year after the Free National Movement used the Interception of Communication Bill as a weapon against the Progressive Liberal Party in their general election campaign, governing party members touted their version of the bill in Parliament yesterday, drawing derision from the opposition.

SEE PAGE TEN

SEE PAGE SIX

POLICE CORRUPTION YOUR TOP CONCERN

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

$1

MURDER RATE DOWN BY NEARLY 50%

than most on the question of corruption, with Bahamians believing he and his office are less corrupt than any other institution or group of people identified in the survey, including religious leaders.

The survey, called the first of its kind in The Bahamas, was conducted by marketing and research firm Public Domain between October 4 and October 17, 2017.

SEE PAGE FIVE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PETER Nygard leaving court yesterday after his latest hearing. He was ordered to pay legal costs for Save The Bays after his own legal team’s efforts to amend submissions caused an adjournment. See page seven for the full story.

FOR the first quarter of this year, overall crime figures were “trending downward” with murders on the decline by 45.2 percent, National Security Minister Marvin Dames announced yesterday, while conceding “there is still a lot of work left to be done”.

SEE PAGE THREE

SANDS ‘CONCERN’ OVER MUM-TO-BE’S PMH ORDEAL

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands has responded to a viral post on social media regarding the ordeal a mother had while delivering her baby in the public maternity ward of

Princess Margaret Hospital late last month.

In a lengthy post that was originally shared in a popular local Facebook group, the mother said she had initially registered at PMH’s private surgical ward.

However, upon arriving at the hospital she claimed she was told she had to

be admitted to the public ward, due to a missing form.

The mother later alleged the confusion was due to an error made by the hospital’s business office.

In the public ward, the mother claimed she was subject to a number of SEE PAGE 11

STOP MASHING OUR BRAVE CREWS

SEE PAGE EIGHT

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PAGE 2, Thursday, April 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

BTVI STUDENTS ASSIST IN MAJOR CONFERENCE SET UP

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TWELVE students from the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute (BTVI) had the opportunity to practice their skills away from the classroom in a real-life work environment.

They assisted in setting up and breaking down for the four-day Cisco conference at Baha Mar. BTVI dean of construction trades and workforce development Alexander Darville said: “The request came from The MoVi Group for six carpentry and six electrical engineer students.

“And as we strive to get job experience for the students, although usually internships, we were happy for this short-term opportunity for a real-life work experience and with pay. It fits in with our endeavours to develop a well-rounded globally competitive and economically viable graduate. And the feedback from MoVi on their all around performance, team work, punctuality and social interaction - not just their skills – coupled with the students’ feed-back, assists us.”

Burton Wallace, founder and leads/operations

manager of The MoVi Group, said he’ll be using BTVI students again.

“BTVI now has the opportunity to get students involved in practical training in the industry as we have plenty more jobs where we can bring them in.

We told Alexander Darville what we were looking to do and he was really excited.

We’ve been talking about it for a little bit, and finally the opportunity came along for us to put it into action.

We’ll definitely do this again. We have another job next month that’s maybe almost five times the size of this, and I told them I’ll need almost 50 people from them (BTVI) alone, so the relationship is good.”

Dwayne Wilson, one of the carpentry students, said he was thrilled when he heard MoVi was looking for students to help out on a project off-campus.

“I was in a morning carpentry class when one of the fellas came to me and said The MoVi Group was at BTVI wanting to hire some students. I was excited about it. I knew if I got selected it was an opportunity to get some real work

experience in a professional environment and get some extra funds. The first day we set up the stage lift with all of the lighting and sound; the people I met and worked with were friendly and nice. We worked with lots of other people - it was a big team. Overall, my expectations of what I was coming here to learn and see have been exceeded, so I’m glad it happened.”

BTVI’s Mr Darville said the request was very specific and the selected students met with Burton Wallace before they were confirmed for the job.

“They were specific – they wanted six students from carpentry and six students from electrical. So once we got the call I threw it out to the instructors for their advice and final selections, then I got the company to come in and have a conversation with the selected 12 students.”

The MoVi Group team was fifty-strong and included skilled personnel in various genres to set up and install the technical infrastructure for the Cisco event, a world leader in tech solutions.

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BTVI electrical and carpentry students advanced their trade skills with a real-life work experience by joining the MoVi Group team in assembling the stage and technical infrastructure for the Cisco conference at Baha Mar in April. From L: Bradford Roberts MoVi crew manager; BTVI students - Seaaren Maycock, carpentry; Antonio Smith, electrical; Cadwell Demeritt, electrical; Alexander Farquharson, construction tech; Dwayne Wilson, carpenter; Topaz Baillou, electrical; Patrick Jervis, electrical; Ian Braithwaite, construction tech.

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 3

POLICE tape outside the scene of a murder earlier this year.

Murder rate down by nearly 50% from page one According to The Tribune’s records, the last murder recorded in the country was on April 10, when 21-year-old Kenneth Kemp of Homestead Street was found dead in a building at Moore Avenue around five in the morning.

He was the 26th murder victim this year, according to our records.

The day before, George Mortimer, 29, died in hospital after he was shot while at Homestead Street.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, the minister said armed robberies were down by some 31.8 percent, crimes against the person and property showed a decrease of 14 percent nationwide and stolen vehicles were down 13 percent.

In addition, he said 102 firearms were removed from the streets of the country, while 3,365 rounds of ammunition were also confiscated.

“Though still early we have begun to witness positive results in our efforts to reduce crime within our nation due to new amended legislation and new enforcement strategies,” Mr Dames said as he wrapped up his communication during the start of debate on the Interception

MARVIN DAMES, Minister of National Security. of Communications Bill 2017.

“I am pleased to report for the first quarter of 2018, as a result of re-energised efforts by a re-energised team led by Commissioner (of Police Anthony) Ferguson, Deputy Commissioner (Emrick) Seymour and the rest of their team as well as the commodore of the (Royal Bahamas) Defence Force and his executive team and the prison, customs and immigration - we are seeing the overall figures trending downward.”

He said these recent successes were due in part to some short-term strategies, which will include the launch next Monday of the national Neighbourhood

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff

Watch Crime Council. “… It’s not only the job of the commissioner and his team,” he continued.

“This is why our leader Dr Minnis, our prime minister and the rest of the members of this House continue to push very progressive legislation to add to the fight to motivate law enforcement throughout this country, to energise them, to show them that we support them, to get the people of this nation behind them.

“On Monday, our leader will be launching the Neighbourhood Watch Crime Council, which is a national programme and I would like to take this opportunity to invite those on the opposite side to be our special guests

at that event on Monday at the police headquarters.

“We are, however, encouraged because the decreases and other successes are not occurring by happenstance, but by carefully thought-out and deliberate changes in the way our legislative agenda and law enforcement conducts its crime fighting strategies, new methodologies and our broad approaches to crime fighting, law enforcement partnerships, intelligence, building relationships with the communities at large, drug interdiction and gun control will be the key to making us all safer in this beautiful country of ours,” Mr Dames said.

JEWELRY STORE RAID ON PARADISE ISLAND TWO armed thieves robbed a jewelry store on Paradise Island Tuesday night police said.

The incident happened

shortly after 11pm.

The thieves, one armed with a firearm, entered the store and held the employees at bay.

They stole an undetermined amount of jewelry before escaping on foot, police said.

Anyone with

information on this crime is asked to call police at 919 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 328-TIPS.

SUICIDE SUSPECTED AS CREW MEMBER DIES ON BOAT IN BIMINI

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net THE death of a New Zealand native on board a vessel in Bimini is being investigated as a “sudden death/suspected suicide” by police.

In a press release yesterday, police described the victim as a Caucasian male who was a crew member on a cruise vessel named “Constance”.

Shortly after 10am Tuesday, police in Bimini were called to the 200ft vessel that was a moored half a mile northwest of

North Bimini.

The vessel arrived in Bimini on Saturday, April 21 from Miami.

Upon arrival on the vessel officers “were shown to the second deck where they met the body of a Caucasian male who is a native of New Zealand, lying on the floor, with wounds to his left wrist,” the press release stated.

He was pronounced dead by a doctor at the Bimini Community Clinic, police said.

Officers from Grand Bahama are assisting police in Bimini with the investigation.

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PAGE 4, Thursday, April 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

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Corruption must be stamped out TWO years ago then DNA leader Branville McCartney expressed amazement to Tribune Business that government MPs and their leading supporters seemed to justify corruption.

It has “almost become a culture,” he complained.

As a Bahamian he was “embarrassed” at the comments of a former PLP member of parliament who backed the “system” by which governments blindly award contracts to their supporters, whether or not they had the equipment or expertise to do the work.

Mr McCartney found it amazing that there was a “public acknowledgment of corruption by a sitting PLP MP”.

“What is even more amazing,” he said, “I read this morning where a PLP stalwart said the US could not talk because they had ‘unclean hands’, and there was more corruption proportionately in the US than in The Bahamas.

“It’s almost as if they’re trying to justify corruption.... That shows not only locally, but internationally, that we have a corrupt system, and that has to change,” Mr McCartney said. He then referred to former Cabinet minister Loftus Roker who argued that the failure of many sitting and former MPs to comply with the Public Disclosure Act “breeds corruption.”

We recall when Mr Roker, who many years ago was PLP health minister, stood on the floor of the House of Assembly and told Bahamians that corruption in the Pindling government was rocking that government “to its very foundations”.

And then there was “Brave” Davis, deputy prime minister, who in 2014 argued that MPs should be paid more to deter them from wrongdoing. And in 2015, then prime minister Perry Christie expressed the hope that the majority of contracts for the Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) had gone to PLP supporters.

We recall a loud and bitter fight on the floor of the House of Assembly in 1988 – 30 years ago – when the late Wallace Whitfield, who headed the FNM after breaking with the PLP, insisted that the details of a $45m contract to Balfour Beatty be laid on the table of the House. The contract was to extend and improve harbours in Nassau and Freeport. Mr Whitfield, then supported by Independent Cooper’s Town MP Hubert Ingraham, maintained that the contract was heavily “padded” to “pay off” some

people, including the Bahamian shareholders of Balfour Beatty.

The argument was long, loud and bitter. “This contract,” said Mr Whitfield,“has not met in accordance with the usual provision. Every contract which is $100,000 or over must be let out to tender and must be approved by a tender board. But this contract has not been put out to tender,” he thundered. How many contracts since then have not gone to tender, and how many ministries fail to lay their financials on the table of the House at the end of every financial year? There are some ministries that are four or five years in arrears. And even today, despite the attempt to weed out corruption and the award of contracts between friends, there is still an attempt to avoid putting contracts out to tender.

We have been told that at least one Ministry, which in our opinion is in desperate need of a forensic audit, just can’t find the funds to afford the audit. We are not suggesting that dishonesty in government was introduced by the PLP. This is not true. Dishonest dealings go way back. It is woven in the historic fabric of every generation. However, now is the time to make it clear that this is the generation that will make a serious effort to end it. And it is this government that should be the government to start moving the country forward in this new direction.

Tribune-trained Adrian Gibson, who was a government teacher, then qualified as a lawyer and last year entered politics, has undertaken a herculean task as chairman of the Water and Sewerage Corporation. Mr Gibson is tenacious and has a deep sense of what is right and wrong. He is determined to run the corporation like a business for the benefit of all Bahamians.

He recognises that politically motivated interference is the root cause of the Corporation’s problems.

“Water and sewerage,” he told Tribune Business, “needs to be run like a business. It shouldn’t be a place where cronies are stacked and basic principles are ignored for the sake of expediency.

“For any business to survive it must move to right-sizing, streamlining and profitability.”

Adrian, you have chosen a hard path — the right path — but with your determination, you will succeed. It is young people like you who now have to make that important U-turn into the future.

Wayward donkey and busy roads EDITOR, The Tribune, CULMINATING an almost year-long dialogue with my MP Brent Symonette, about the abuse of the Eastern Road, the chickens came home to roost on Friday last. Out to dinner with friends, I had just placed my order when my daughter called to say that someone had posted a Whatsapp message to say that one of my donkeys was seen roaming on Culberts Hill Rd. Shortly after that, I got a call from the father of an Eastern Road neighbour to say that my donkey was now on Eastern Rd.

What should I do? Leave my dinner and go and recover the animal or what?

Thinking quickly, I thought “what are children for?’’ So I called my son and asked him to take a piece of rope and just secure the donkey to a tree and I would deal with it when I got home after dinner.

The messages kept coming of course, so I called my son again for a progress report. With frustration in his voice, he said that he had caught the donkey but as he was on his motorbike he was having some difficulty securing it. I then called my daughter and

Christie the worst EDITOR, The Tribune.

WHEN I saw your headline - “Davis - Peter Turnquest is worst Finance Minister” it made my blood boil - the arrogance he accuses Turnquest of! The cheek of the man - has he ever heard of Perry Christie

- he outshone them all as bottom of the league. He had to have a conversation with himself as Prime Minister before making a decision.

PATRICK THOMSON Nassau April 9, 2018.

H

asked her if she would go to help her brother. Not long after that, she called back to say that neighbours Steve and Michelle Stanhope, had stopped to lend a hand and he was fine now.

So, they managed to get an electric drop cord around her neck, as he could not find any rope, and led her to my stable in back of my house. To their great surprise, both of my donkeys were fine and well and in my paddock. Michelle being a horse owner at Camperdown Ranch quickly put two and two together and realised that the straying donkey was none other than “Rosie” owned by Ginny McKinney.

So yes, Eastern Road is still very much a rural neighbourhood and is not very well suited to high volume, fast moving traffic, nor multi-ton commercial delivery vehicles.

BRUCE G. RAINE Eastern Road, Nassau, April 21, 2018.

Tourism and the debate over education EDITOR, The Tribune.

REGARDLESS of any political differences which might exist between me and the FNM administration, there are two cabinet ministers whom I am constrained to congratulate on performing their portfolios well and beyond expectations.

It is no secret that the Hon Dionisio D’Aguilar (FNM-Free Town), Minister of Tourism & Aviation is my “favourite” FNM minister. With his recent pronouncements on preschool education and the ongoing construction at the Oakes Field Primary School, et al, the Hon Jeffrey Lloyd (FNM-South Beach), Minister of Education, is rising to the occasion.

Our economic viability depends heavily on tourism and the hospitality industry. Indeed, apart from the financial services sector and banking, tourism is the dominant factor from a pure economic position.

The bulk of our people are employed within the tourism field and many of them earn good income while providing an ever increasing level of courteous and professionalism.

When the FNM first came in the Ministry of Tourism was obliged to downsize and rationalise its bloated and, in some cases, unnecessary work force. This, of course, was viewed by many, inclusive of myself, as potential political “victimisation”. I always thought

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net that the manner in which this exercise was done was a bit inhumane and could have been handled better.

The MOT is now ticking like a Swiss watch. Visitor arrivals are up and their satisfaction is way up there, unlike before.

Efforts are being made to identify an adequate private sector partner to develop the Prince George Wharf into a world class facility along the lines of NAD over at the Sir Lynden Oscar Pindling International Airport. The former minister and his crew “wasted” millions of dollars in taxpayers monies and we have nothing of value to show for it. Millions more were poured into the MOT headquarters at George Street and the work continues in fits and starts even to this very day.

Where is Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Rolle, in all of this?

It is a pity that the FNM has not been able to get that hotel over in Freeport up and running but bear in mind that my own party, the PLP, was drop drop waddling with this project for many years and left office with it up in the air.

The PM spoke too soon last year when he predicted the opening of that property for December, 2017.

The Pointe, despite the

inordinate amount of Chinese labour is on track to open on schedule, creating more domestic employment and the development of condominiums, which must be serviced by locals.

As it relates to education, the minister, who comes across too often as arrogant and patronising, is getting his act together.

I loved his remarks about the absolute necessity of placing all of our children into preschool facilities so as to ensure that they have the necessary educational and social skills that are required for successful entry into the formalised public and even private school systems. Without these, as the minister rightly postulated, many of our pre-schoolers are at a stark disadvantage.... the results? On a national level....massive drop outs; lack of marketable skills and gross sexual promiscuity.

And so, Ministers D’Aguilar and Lloyd are to be congratulated on performing well within their respective ministries.

Whenever the PM shuffles his cabinet, he would do well to retain these two gentlemen with energy; focus and determination, in their respective portfolios. The rest of them are disposable, especially the Attorney General and the Minister of Labour.

ORTLAND H BODIE Jr Nassau, April 25, 2018.

Climate change EDITOR, The Tribune.

IS Prime Minister Minnis really serious about climate change and the environment?

His statement recorded

by BIS as to his visit to OAS in Peru and following CHOGM PM makes heavy mention of… climate change.

I am presuming much does the Prime Minister know what the introduction

and the burning of LNG at BP&L-Clifton will cause?

A considerable increase in CO2 in the air over us… without considering the safety aspects.

Did BEST Commission consult or advise the Prime Minister?

I am sure real Minister and Ministry of Environment – the Ministry with its heart torn out (BEST Commission) – would have quickly advised the

Prime Minister. Hey, the Minister is qualified as an environmentalist.

I conclude, therefore, that the Prime Minister in office no longer really cares about our environment or the public safety of residents living within say two-miles of Clifton/ BP&L? C HUMES Nassau, April 25, 2018.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 5

Police corruption public’s no.1 concern from page one telephone, including people in New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family Islands. The sample was “distributed across all populated islands in the Bahamas proportionate to population size based on available census data,” according to Lemarque Campbell, chairman of Citizens for a Better Bahamas and author of the report.

“Respondents were selected using a randomised approach from all available respondents in the household,” he said. “Further, the sample was representative of the local population by age, gender, island and social grade/income.”

The survey had a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, according to Public Domain President M’wale Rahming.

Respondents were asked: “How corrupt are different institutions and groups in society?”

Of the institutions and groups identified, 28 per cent of Bahamians said most or all police officers are corrupt; 23 per cent said the same of government officials; 21 per cent said this of members of Parliament; 20 per cent said this of tax officials; 19 per cent said this of business executives; 18 per cent said this of religious leaders; 17 per cent said this of local government councillors; 17 per cent said this of judges and magistrates; while 14 per cent said the same about the prime minister and his office.

Thirteen per cent of respondents said they have given a bribe to a police officer before; 11 per cent said they paid a bribe to receive identity documents; 11 per cent also said they paid a bribe

CORRUPTION to utility providers; 10 per cent claimed they paid a bribe to a judge or court official; seven per cent said they paid a bribe to a health worker or clinic or hospital staff while three per cent said they paid a bribe to a teacher or school official.

While the survey found more than half of respondents – 52 per cent – believe it is generally acceptable to report a case of corruption that they witness, only six per cent of respondents who paid a bribe said they reported it.

“Low reporting rates of corruption is not surprising in The Bahamas, given that respondents to the survey perceived the police as the

most highly corrupt public institution, along with the fact that the police (force) was also the public service with the highest bribery rates (according to the survey respondents),” Mr Campbell said.

Asked how well or badly the government is doing in fighting corruption, 65 per cent of respondents said the government is doing well; 18 per cent said the government is doing badly and 17 per cent said they don’t know.

Mr Campbell noted that during the first five months of the Minnis administration, several former ministers in the Christie administration were charged for alleged bribery

and there have also been investigations into alleged fraud at various government departments and entities, suggesting this has affected Bahamians’ perception of how well the administration is fighting corruption.

Despite high marks for the Minnis administration’s anti-corruption agenda, 54 per cent of respondents said corruption had generally increased in the preceding year in their view. When they were asked this question, 59 per cent of respondents from Trinidad and Tobago said the same thing in that country’s survey while 68 per cent of Jamaicans did the same.

Bahamians have overwhelmingly negative beliefs about the affect of money on politics.

Forty-one per cent of Bahamians believe voters are always bribed in elections; 16 per cent believe it happens often; 29 per cent believe it sometimes happens; four per cent believe it never happens and nine per cent said they don’t know.

Similarly, 34 per cent of respondents believe rich people and businesses are always offered favours in exchange of compensation during elections; 19 per cent of people believe this often happens; 29 per cent believe it happens sometimes; 14 per cent said they

don’t know and four per cent said it never happens.

Asked if financial support by companies to political parties should be banned, 43 per cent said yes; 32 per cent said no.

The government has pledged to bring legislation to amend the Public Disclosure Act to include a campaign finance component and allow for a matter to be referred to an independent prosecutor, but it is unclear when the government will fulfill the promise.

Mr Campbell, in his recommendations, said the government must “clean up the police,” “protect whistleblowers,” and “enact political campaign finance legislation.”

MINNIS PAINTS A ROSY PICTURE from page one

“The wanton corruption of the last five years has ended but we must continue to reform our laws in order to confront a culture of corruption. Our public finances are improving though we are not out of the woods.

“Still, amidst our challenges, The Bahamas is much better off than it was just a year ago when we were headed into an abyss from which we would not have easily recovered. The recovery of our national prospects and our economy has begun and has taken hold.”

Prime Minister Minnis said the administration also has a number of exciting tourism and investment projects slated for Grand Bahama.

“We continue to promote investment opportunities in the Islands of The Bahamas. It bears repeating: the restoration of the economy of Grand Bahama is critical for the economic recovery of The Bahamas.”

Prime Minister Minnis told the gathering that his Administration has an ambitious infrastructure programme slated for a number of the islands of The Bahamas.

Capital development and infrastructure, Prime Minister Minnis said, are “vital” for the growth of tourism in the Family Islands. A number of key infrastructure projects will be announced during the upcoming budget debate.

He said a number of “very promising investment prospects” are on the horizon that will boost economic growth and jobs.

These, he said, will be announced in due course.

“Let me note that while we have to see what

happens over the longer term, crime is down in New Providence,” he said.

“While this is a positive development, we must continue to improve policing and the criminal justice system, while promoting social intervention to help

tackle some of the causes of crime.

“Through the Citizen Safety and Justice Programme, we are providing education and training, intervention measures and job opportunities for former offenders and

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at-risk youth.”

The prime minister said his administration is committed to political, social and economic reform and transformation.

“Each of these areas of national life, are pillars of our nation. Political,

economic and social reform must work in tandem. By example, economic development requires reform in education and training.

Reforming government, an ongoing process, will better help to unleash the potential of businesses and

entrepreneurs.

“Economic transformation requires us to combat corruption at all levels of Government because corruption retards economic growth and poses a tremendous burden on Government finances.”

PAGE 6, Thursday, April 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

PM’s blueprint to save Over-the-Hill FROM PAGE ONE “The incentives outlined will apply to residential properties – both owned and rented, commercial and industrial undertakings, with an aggregate turnover of $5m or under and all enterprises whose primary income is not derived from the business of gaming or the sale of alcohol,” Dr Minnis told Parliament yesterday.

“For those qualified residents and business owners with respect to the redevelopment of land and buildings it is proposed (that there will be) exemption from real property taxes, exemptions from customs duties related to construction, equipping and completing building and structures for a specified period and exemptions from excise taxes.”

There will also be exemptions from stamp tax imposed on real property.

He added when it comes to business taxes, all those applicable with the exception of establishments engaging in restricted activity and upon obtaining a trade certificate proving location in the empowerment zone, the government will offer a 100 per cent waiver on the assessed business licence tax.

Customs duties for the purchase of a vehicle with

appropriate markings for use by the business will also be exempted, he said.

Dr Minnis told the House good corporate social responsibility is also essential to the success of this programme. He said it was the government’s hope to see businesses who benefit from the “generous” incentives give back to the community in beneficial ways.

He added there would be support for small- and medium-sized businesses, building local businesses and financial literacy in the community and creating opportunities for residents to invest in the cultural assets of the community.

As he highlighted the inner-city community’s high incidents of crime and poverty exacerbated by poor infrastructure and growing impoverishment of the environment by dilapidated homes and illegal garbage dumping, Dr Minnis said no government has invested the needed resources to facilitate a turnaround.

He said his administration was determined to change these circumstances by “taking back” the streets of the community by targeting illegal gun possession and introducing the empowerment zone concept, which relates to offering special incentives to area designated as

PRIME MINISTER DR HUBERT MINNIS such because of economic hardship.

“We know that the physical environs of Overthe-Hill is not where it should be,” he said. “While there are many gems in the community, there are also many rough stones.

“Over the past months, the people have witnessed a massive clean-up effort in the community. We plan to make this more consistent. We need to increase

existing waste collection efforts in the community.

We are planning to restore public spaces and recreational facilities.

“Two other key aspects of this component include: working on improving housing in the Over-the-Hill community and a “water for all” strategy to eliminate the need for standpipes and outside toilets by 2025,” Dr Minnis said.

Better healthcare – including mental and family planning services, childcare options for working parents and support for healthy eating and living initiatives, is also a proposal of the government, he said.

Regarding green technology, Dr Minnis said he instructed the Ministry of Works and the Beaches and Parks Authority to work together to ensure upgrades to parks and to ensure all parks have free Wi-Fi. This he said, is to be accessible to all Over-the-Hill residents.

Two parks in the inner city are scheduled to begin refurbishment in June this year.

Programmes that support both the youth and elderly will also be established, he said.

“Critical to social empowerment is the process to become more self-reliant and to comprehensively address poverty,” the prime minister said earlier in his communication to Parliament. “Our programmes will deal with poverty reduction, skills upgrading and job training, supporting employment opportunities for residents, supporting community building, health and wellness programmes and crime reduction.”

Dr Minnis said these efforts would involve strengthening the social support system and facilities for families within the

Over-the-Hill community.

He told MPs officials would be mapping and assessing existing social support services, and then improving access and strengthening these programmes.

The government also plans to work with partners both inside and out of the government to improve the employability of residents.

One programme, he said, will feature the facilitation of training residents to gain drivers licences and to assist with other forms of identification.

The white paper further features a community partnership initiative, which is about partnering with groups already working in the community.

Dr Minnis said the government was not aiming to reinvent programmes or taking them over. As it seeks to work with existing initiatives, Dr Minnis appealed to those already doing positive work to let the government know and officials will to their best to assist.

He also extended an invitation to those in the community who want to do something to reach out to the government.

Through these efforts, Dr Minnis said it was his administration’s wish to see a rebirth of values, beauty and economic viability for the Over-the-Hill community.

DATA HIGHLIGHTS SOCIAL ILLS IN INNER-CITIES

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Deputy Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia RESIDENTS’ lack of education in the inner-city and high unemployment levels were highlighted as key social ills that continue to plague the Over-the-Hill community as the government moves closer to rejuvenating these impoverished areas.

Data contained in the

white paper for the Overthe-Hill Community Development Partnership, tabled by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday, shows unemployment at its highest in Grants Town with 17.9 per cent of the residents without jobs.

In Centreville and Bain Town, 16.9 and 11.7 per cent of people respectively were not working.

Regarding education, many residents do not

have a secondary education, with even less of them having any level of tertiary education.

In Bain Town, only 59.5 per cent of people completed high school. In Centreville and Grants Town the numbers were a bit higher at 64 per cent and 64.7 per cent respectively.

Those who attained only a primary school education in Bain Town amounted to 6.5 per cent. In Centreville, the numbers were slightly higher with seven per cent and 7.6 per cent for Grants Town.

Those with trade and vocational training in Bain Town, Centreville and Grants Town amounted to 10.7 per cent, 6.8 per cent and six per cent. Residents with associate’s degrees were 3.5 per cent, 2.5 and 3.8 those areas respectively.

The information shows only 2.6 per cent of persons in Bain Town had bachelor’s degrees while 2.3 per cent of residents in Centreville and 3 per cent of those in Grants Town had this qualification.

These were the findings

of the 2016 Ministry of National Security Needs and Assets Assessment of New Providence communities as part of the Citizen Security Programme.

As of 2016, it was found that population levels increased since 2010. There were 10,800 people living in Centreville and both Bain Town and Grants Town have 9,500 residents.

This amounts to 29,800 people, an 8.55 per cent increase from the 27,453 recorded in 2010 population census.

The programme, outlined by the white paper has six key pillars including social and economic empowerment, rejuvenation, smart technology, green sustainable energy and programmes for youth and the elderly.

First, the document said it is the government’s intention to strengthen social support systems and facilities for families using a competitive grant process where applicable, provide skills and job training to improve the employability of and empower residents in the community to participate in economic activity created by the rejuvenation process, provide improved access to health services

AS part of the Citizen Security Programme the government plans to start a number of social and economic activities to take back the streets alongside the work of the Police and rejuvenate inner city communities.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff

and taking back the streets.

The white paper further outlines steps the government plans to take to create incentives to encourage ownership and redevelopment of land and business growth.

The strategies involve establishing an economic empowerment zone to encourage the promotion of micro, small- and mediumsized businesses; building local businesses and financial literacy capacity and creating economic empowerment opportunities for residents by investing in the rejuvenation of cultural assets in the Over-the-Hill community.

Improving physical surroundings, solid waste management and infrastructure is also an aim of

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the programme and is outlined as its third goal.

The government plans to do this by increasing existing collection efforts for all types of waste, improving and upgrading water and sanitation infrastructure, the restoration of public spaces and those used for recreation and improving housing infrastructure along with developing affordable housing.

Further, smart technology is also included in the proposed plan.

There will be promotion of the use of smart technology/applications to facilitate improved effectiveness in the delivery of public and community services and bridge the digital divide by facilitating access to Wi-Fi at parks, schools, libraries, tourist sites, health clinics and other government offices.

Green technology will further be promoted and incentivised for residential and commercial establishments.

And under the plan’s youth and elderly empowerment pillar, the government will provide access to literacy and numeracy training and other learning opportunities, establish literacy and numeracy clinics at community centres throughout Over-the-Hill educational institutions and provide opportunities for experiential learning sessions and field trips.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 7

PETER NYGARD, right, pictured outside court yesterday.

Another day at court for Nygard

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net CANADIAN fashion mogul Peter Nygard was yesterday ordered to pay legal costs for Save The Bays after his legal team’s bid to amend certain legal submissions ultimately caused an adjournment of his appeal of his contempt of court conviction last year for engaging in dredging activities off the coast of his Lyford Cay home in defiance of a court order.

Mr Nygard, along with his attorneys Damian Gomez, QC, and Gia Moxey-Lockhart appeared before appellate Justices Stella Crane-Scott, Roy Jones and Milton Evans (acting) yesterday for the substantive appeal of Justice Rhonda Bain’s March 8, 2017, decision.

At the start of yesterday’s proceedings, however, Mr Gomez informed the appellate judges of his intent to seek leave to add certain documents to the record of his client’s matter.

However, Justice CraneScott expressed her concern over Mr Gomez adding documents that did not form part of the initial record and did not contribute to the basis of Justice Bain’s ruling, charging that doing so may unnecessarily add to the complexity of the matter.

Fred Smith, QC, lead attorney for Save the Bays, in noting Mr Nygard’s appeal has been somewhat of a “moving target”, also indicated to the court that on Tuesday, his legal team was served with a motion to re-amend Mr Nygard’s notice of appeal.

In light of the aforementioned, Mr Smith suggested Mr Nygard’s legal team would not be prepared to proceed with the substantive appeal yesterday. Mr Smith further submitted while STB was not objecting to Mr Nygard’s intent to amend the grounds contained in his notice of appeal, if leave is granted for them to do so, STB

would in turn not be prepared to proceed.

Justice Evans observed aloud that based on the submissions from counsel, it would be best if the parties adjourned and put their respective houses in order.

The matter was consequently adjourned to a later date, with the costs of yesterday’s proceedings being awarded to STB as a result Mr Nygard’s application to re-amend his notice of appeal, which ultimately caused the delay.

On March 8 of last year, Mr Nygard was convicted of contempt of court and fined $50,000 by Justice Bain for breaching a June 14, 2013 injunction prohibiting him from engaging in dredging activities at his Simms Point/Nygard Cay property.

If the fine was not paid

by March 21, 2017, Nygard faced 14 days in prison.

He was further ordered to remove the excavated sand and return it to Jaws Beach

by April 7, 2017, or face an additional $50,000 and a $1,000 fine for each day that order is not adhered to.

At the time, Justice Bain also awarded legal costs to STB, the local environmental group which has brought several judicial review cases against Nygard over offshore construction works allegedly carried out in the absence of necessary permits and approvals and which have resulted in the near doubling of the size of his property.

In closing arguments on February 27, 2017, before Justice Bain, Mr Smith told the court clear evidence had been presented, in the form of photographs and witness testimony, to prove that for a period of nine days in December 2014, Nygard periodically dredged the sea bed at Simms Point/Nygard Cay in explicit contravention of the court order.

Mr Smith further claimed that Nygard did not deny he

was fully aware of the terms of the injunction, and therefore knew he was breaching it by conducting such activities. Mr Smith argued that the dredging was clearly authorised by Nygard, as it was carried out on his property and, at times, under his supervision.

However, in his closing arguments before the judge, Mr Nygard’s lawyer Elliot Lockhart, QC, told the court that a permit to dredge the sea floor was granted to Nygard Holdings Ltd and not Peter Nygard in October 2014.

Mr Lockhart thus argued that in the absence of any definitive evidence to the contrary, the court should assume the company, and not the individual, carried out the dredging complained of in STB’s application.

Peter Nygard and Nygard Holdings Ltd, Mr Lockhart stressed, are separate entities.

Mr Lockhart also argued that no evidence had been adduced to prove that Mr Nygard was personally responsible for the dredging which took place off the coast of his property.

However, Mr Smith called that an “absurd” argument which “defied logic,” as it would allow any individual, prohibited by the court from undertaking certain activities, to simply carry them out under another name.

Shortly after Justice Bain’s ruling, Nygard’s press team said it disagreed with the ruling, adding while the fashion designer paid the $50,000 fine before the specified deadline, he would appeal the ruling.

Mr Nygard also maintained the actions in question were in accordance with a government issued permit.

“We respectfully disagree with the judge’s ruling and plan to appeal the decision, although we have paid the initial $50,000 fine in advance of the March 21 deadline, as required by the court,” a

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statement from Nygard’s US public relations representative, Sitrick and Company, said after the ruling.

“It remains our contention that the removal and stockpiling of sand from the Nygard Cay marina was carried out in good

faith in full accordance with the conditions of a government issued permit.

The permit was issued to Nygard Holdings Ltd, and its duly authorised representatives caused the lawful removal of obstructions to the marina. The permit was issued by the

government after the injunction was in place and we had no reason to believe that the permit was invalid or that the government had issued it without proper authority.”

Mr Nygard appeared in court for yesterday’s hearing.

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PAGE 8, Thursday, April 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Three cheers for the Commodore and his crews

By Diane Phillips

T

HERE is a lot to The Bahamas 36 years that many of you ago. So whenever I see out there know or hear a story about an about me. I’m arrest or a rescue at sea or the other side of middle the grounding of a vessel, I age and stuck with too pay attention, even closer much energy for my own attention than to doublewords good. I say what’s on my middle-consonant mind. I have had a lifelong and their relative value.

It was pretty hard not to love affair with words and secretly confess that I spend pay attention to the groundridiculous amounts of time ing issue this week when a thinking stupid thoughts clip went viral of the Prime like which is a better Minister greeting RBDF Commander example of a Tellis Bethel double-middle- Tonight, when saying, “Comconsonant verb you and I go modore, I hear that sounds like y’all still mashwhat it means, to sleep and ing up our boats hobble or lay our heads hey?

Your cobble. When down on a nice fellas need to you say the know how to word hobble clean pillow in navigate.” The you immedi- a nice soft comment was ately think of bed, Defence supposed to someone bent have been a priover, struggling Force vessels vate exchange for the next and marines as the prime step. But when will be at sea. minister made you say cobble his way into the as in cobbling Where we have a… anyway, you upholstery, they first of three get the picture. have aluminium workshops on the pendYou have no ing Freedom idea how much or steel. of Informatime I have wasted on thoughts like tion Act. But the mishap that. You may also know I greeting apparently slipped am 100 percent committed through the fingers of the to my clever husband, my communications team that two fabulous grown daugh- accompanies the PM and ters, granddaughters, the ended up on a Facebook environment, sea turtles, page.

It doesn’t take much for truth in reporting and more and not necessarily in that something to go viral – a cute baby feeding a dog order, but pretty close.

Here’s what you don’t from its own bottle will do know. I am a sailor and it it or better yet, a dog feedwas sailing that brought me ing a baby. We, the public,

COMMODORE Tellis Bethel. are eager to enjoy whatever strikes us as surprising, unlikely, unexpected and unpredictable so long as it is accompanied by an image.

The problem with the salacious enjoyment of a prime minister chiding someone in a high place is the public - which does not understand the respect we believe he and most everyone in The Bahamas has for Commander Tellis Bethel - believes whoever the PM chides must

deserve it. Yes, three of the nine Damen-built ships have experienced groundings resulting in damage to their props in a two-year period, the most recent incident just last Sunday as the HMBS Rolly Gray pulled out of the Coral Harbour Base. Yes, the accidents cost the RBDF money in repairs, though most was covered by insurance and the overall non-reimbursable expenditure has been surprisingly low.

Ships were also out of commission while repairs were being made. Two captains have been reassigned.

I am not about to defend a captain who veered too far one way or another. I just want to look at these incidents in a fuller light.

We all know the sad reality that it is a whole lot easier to criticise than to commend. Why do we rush to point a finger instead of shaking a hand and saying thanks for all you do? So without saying “Great job, you ran aground,” which would be ridiculous, I just want you to read on and form your own opinion. I’ve never been a fly on the wall of a Defence Force vessel but I can’t imagine it being much fun. I toured the new vessels when they arrived and even though they were an improvement because they were clean, they were about as far a cry as you could get from luxury.

Tonight, when you and I go to sleep and lay our heads down on a nice clean pillow in a nice soft bed, Defence Force vessels and marines will be at sea.

Where we have upholstery, they have aluminium or steel. Where we have physical comfort, they have the comfort of knowing they will be home one day soon.

Where we are counting on them traversing thousands of miles back and forth across the 100,000 square miles of open ocean, we complain about traffic driving down the road.

Many of those marines have families at home but they won’t be with them tonight or waking up with them in the morning. I’ve sailed at night. It is only glamourous for the first hour or two and then it is cold and, depending on the weather, rough or bonechilling or lonely or scary or all of the above. Tomorrow morning, while we are waking up to the smell of bacon or slicing up fresh fruit, they are scrambling into gear that is a bit damp, sharing a bathroom (called a head), sitting cramped in a small dinette off the galley (kitchen) before starting their day and night patrols.

For everyone who loves the sea, there are multiple forces, the unpredictable weather conditions, the raw beauty, the constant change.

Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff It is a life of highs and lows top of a wave, at the very few will ever experience crest, and you are in a small and it comes with a price. sailboat with virtually no When I sailed, I got to steerage because the wind swim during the day, fix a is right at the bow coming cocktail in the early evening, at you with full strength. read a book with a steam- You cannot manoeuver, ing cup of coffee on deck the small engine ineffecin the early morning, climb tive. You are at the mercy into a dinghy and jig for of nature as the boat lifts jack with hubby and child as off the crest and plummets the sun rose and if we were down a valley. You look up lucky, we’d see a flock of and all you see is a wall of birds hovering, make it to water, there is no sky, no the school of jacks before horizon and you ride that they scooted. We’d bring wave up to the crest again, what we caught back to the and again you slide down a boat and grill them up with wave as high as a four-stoa little pepper and lime for rey building. You hold your breakfast. Our daughter had breath, pray, make deals a little pink fishing rod and, with God, close your eyes. boy, she could catch jack in And it happens again and the morning with that little again and then suddenly rod by the time she was five. it is all over, the storm has That was our kind of sailing. passed, the sea quiets down The marines aren’t look- and you can breathe. ing for jack or marlin or Sailing takes courage, anything else that to us grit, patience, endurance. was the joy of being out It takes a certain spirit on a boat at sea day and and a special stamina so night. According to the please, do not be so hard report issued yesterday by on the marines nor on Commander Tellis Bethel, Commander Bethel who of the three incidents of has sailed every inch of grounding, one was not the these waters. His is a job fault of the captain. Two that few in the world could captains have been reas- handle, overseeing a fleet signed. A new simulator to and troops who are tasked be used for training is on with patrolling waters that order. But since the vessels make up 90 percent of a have been deployed with country, waters geographithe Sandy Bottom Project cally ideally suited for the patrols are far greater smuggling just about any than ever because they no kind of material or human longer have to come out of contraband from its original the Coral Harbour base and destination to the greatest take up to a day to reach and hungriest market in the where an incident might hemisphere, the US. have occurred.

We ask so much of the Stepped-up patrols have Defence Force, yet we treat netted far greater results in the operation as an outside Bahamian security. Those child. Parts of the Defence same nine vessels have Force base look like they caught and arrested seven should be condemned. The foreign boats for poaching, men and women who are retrieved more than 100,000 always working out, trainpounds of fisheries prod- ing, marching, cleaning ucts, apprehended almost equipment when they are 2,000 migrants, interdicted not onboard ships are the $1.5m worth of narcotics, quiet unsung, largely out engaged in extensive dis- of sight members of our aster relief operations at national security team. We home and abroad – includ- see the police everywhere. ing being the sole source When their cars are in acciof water and electricity for dents, and many are, do we entire islands after Hurri- chide their Commissioner? cane Joaquin, Matthew and We trust they are doing Irma. They also assisted their best to protect us. in the rescue of nearly 100 Maybe the PM’s accidenlives at sea without loss of tal chiding will help turn the life. tide reminding all of us to If you have never tried stop for a moment and give to rescue anyone, espe- credit where it’s due. We do cially in rough waters and not need to bless mistakes. storm conditions, it can be That would be useless. But a pretty dangerous, dra- we do need to see them matic and traumatic event. in the light of a larger picThere may be 20 to 30 feet ture of how important the or more height difference RBDF is to our nation and between someone in the remembering to say thanks water and the deck of the for everything they do rescue vessel or pounding even if they have to cobble waves can keep boats from together resources and being able to come side by their boats have to hobble side. Every manoeuver has back to port. to be carefully calculated And while we are at it, and executed with prayer, can we please move ahead survival skills and a dose of with naming the waters of luck.

The Bahamas, still the only Commander Bethel calls significant unnamed body the sea “unforgiving”. Let of water in the world, the me share how unforgiving Lucayan Sea? Now, that it can be. Imagine being on would go viral.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 9

Four years signing in on bail - after case dropped from page one For the past six years, Mr Mark had to report and sign in to a police station twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays.

Mr Mark, a father-ofthree, said while he is glad the matter was withdrawn, he and his family were put through a lot of unnecessary stress. He intends to sue the government over the matter.

“For six years straight after coming out of prison after spending six and half months (on remand) for this matter, I had to sign in with the police, and I was getting pressured from my jobs - it was very hard,” he said.

“I did not mind the first two years in 2012 and 2013, but for an (additional) four years on top of that, that is ridiculous,” he complained.

“They treat you when you go in there (prison and court) like you are not human, like you are a criminal. They talk to you any kind of way and treat you any kind of way; they treat you like you are an animal.”

He said trying to support his family was also very difficult because he could not secure a stable job.

“I had a family and children to feed. And because of the economic state of Freeport, my family had to move to Nassau, and I also tried to move there and sent a letter to the AG’s Office to have my sign-in transferred to Nassau so that I could look for work. Three years went by, and I never got an answer – I was under a lot of pressure,” he said.

According to a local advocate, Reverend Glenroy Bethel, founder of Families for Justice, up to April 16, days after he was informed of the dropped charges, Mr Mark was still required to report and sign in to the police station even after presenting police with the document from the Office of the Attorney General that the charge against him was withdrawn.

“They (officials in the Office of the Attorney General) had never called him and told him they dismissed the matter four years ago.

They had him going to the police station and signing for four years,” said Rev Bethel.

“We want to bring this matter to the public’s attention; we have constitutional rights in this country, and we intend to take this matter further,” he said.

In 2012, Mr Mark was among several people taken into custody by

THE Rev Glenroy Bethel (right), founder of Families for Justice, and Jarado Mark, 26, outside the Office of the Attorney General in Grand Bahama.

Photo: Denise Maycock/Tribune Staff police investigating an armed robbery at a business on East Sunrise Highway.

He was formally arraigned in the Magistrate’s Court and was remanded for six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services before applying for bail in the Supreme Court.

Rev Bethel said Mr Mark was informed by legal officials that the armed robbery matter would proceed by a voluntary bill of indictment bypassing a preliminary inquiry in the Magistrate’s Court and fast-tracking it to the Supreme Court for trial.

Meanwhile, he was required to report twice weekly to a police station pending his trial.

Rev Bethel explained Mr Mark, who had always maintained his innocence, sought his assistance and he subsequently filed a constitutional motion in the Supreme Court on his behalf. The matter was heard before Justice Estelle Gray Evans about two weeks ago.

It was during the hearing that he and Mr Mark, he said, learned the Office of the Attorney General had withdrawn the charges since 2014, but had allegedly lost the document in their files.

“We learned the AG’s Office had decided to dismiss the charge against him.

We were happy at first, but when looked at the documents we noticed that the charges had been dropped in January 2014,” Rev Bethel said.

“He had never missed any court dates, and they never called to tell him the matter was dismissed. His parents had put up property for his bail,” he said.

“They had him signing to the police station for four

years. When we asked why they did not contact him, they said the document was lost in their files,” he claimed.

Rev Bethel stated they also learned during the hearing there was no VBI filed in connection with the armed robbery charge against Mr Mark in the Supreme Court.

Although Mr Mark said he had been instructed to take the document showing the matter was dropped against him to the police

station, he claimed that police refused to accept it.

“I feel a lot of things going on in the system need to be fixed. People who are in positions they don’t deserve to be there because they are not doing their jobs because… I was reporting to the police station for four years straight because of a document they say they lost in the system - that is not acceptable,” he said.

Neil Brathwaite, a senior prosecutor in charge of the AG’s Office in Freeport,

said he could not comment on the matter as no official complaint has been brought to his attention.

Meanwhile Rev Bethel said Mr Mark intends to bring a civil suit against the Government.

“The AG never brought forth any evidence to prove the case. But this is the kind of injustice we intend to fight.

We intend to bring a civil lawsuit against the government of The Bahamas because for four years he could not do anything,” he said.

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PAGE 10, Thursday, April 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Brave hits FNM over ‘Spy Bill’ about-face from page one PLP MPs laughed when National Security Minister Marvin Dames said people should stop calling the bill a “Spy Bill,” a characterisation the FNM embraced last year.

Opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis said the party will not vote for the bill in its current form.

Unlike the original bill tabled in early 2017, he said, the current bill contains provisions from the Listening Devices Act, the controversial 1972 law the PLP wanted to replace and rectify by its interception bill.

In the lead-up to the election, the FNM said the bill tabled by the Christie administration was “dangerous” and would be used by the PLP for political reasons. Yesterday Mr Davis said: “The very thing they complained about then is the very thing they have introduced into this bill.

Our bill responded specifically to the criticisms that were levelled against the Listening Devices Act by the Privy Council... Their concern was that the right to intrude in a person’s private business ought not to be in the hands of politicians. We responded to that. Our bill took it out of the hands of politicians

OPPOSITION leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis. and rested it in the hands of judges…”

Pointing to part six of the bill, which incorporates all provisions of the Listening Devices Act, Mr Davis said: “Their bill is regressive because it still remains in the hands of the politicians to intercept communications for any offence.”

The provisions of the LDA empowers the minister of national security

to allow authorised people to use a listening device for no more than 30 days.

The provisions also involve the attorney general in the authorisation of a listening device, mandating that she or he consult with the commissioner of police before a communication can be intercepted.

Such involvement of politicians, Mr Davis argued, goes against the intent of

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the original bill drafted by the Christie administration which sought to remove this power and put the Supreme Court in charge of authorising interceptions of communication.

“I have always been challenged about this fact about politicians being involved in deciding on intercepting of communications,” Mr Davis said.

“I cannot in this dispensation at this time in a 2018 Bahamas agree and to vote for a bill that would allow politicians to listen on communications by our private citizens. I accept that the introduction of our bill, the timing of it may have caused a lot of anxiety because it was in the height of the election season, but

suffice it to say that our objective and purpose in introducing the bill was to upgrade and modernise the then 45-year-old Listening Devices Act passed in 1972.

It was to allow the police under the authority of the courts, not politicians, to intercept the planning and execution of serious crime.”

Addressing his party’s about-face on the bill, Transport and Aviation Minister Frankie Campbell, a former police officer, said FNMs were concerned with the timing of the original bill’s tabling - ahead of a general election - and what that may have meant for its potential use.

“I would not have been in this place when the bill was introduced by those

on side opposite but as a concerned citizen I would have followed, I would have listened to much of the commentary and I too would have had some concern about the bill but not necessarily the contents of the bill,” he said.

“I would have been concerned with the timing of the bill. Having had five years (in office) and then to be threatened by a fiery hot opposition and then all of a sudden you decide you want to bring something like this, mindful that we were in that time in an environment where the country would have continuously begged for five years for an explanation about this NIA (National Intelligence Agency), their remit, their purpose, etc, and then to have this brought in on the tail end, mindful the then opposition was hot on their heels, mindful that the person who was alleged to be in charge of this NIA was being rumoured to become a candidate; We would’ve been concerned that if this were allowed to happen at that particular time there was no guarantee human nature being what it is, that the alleged leader of the NIA, a potential candidate, would not have used that position to disadvantage the then opposition now government.”

Former Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Clifford “Butch” Scavella was reported to be the director of the NIA. He ran unsuccessfully in the Central & South Eleuthera constituency last year for the PLP. The bill now passes to committee.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 11

Sands ‘concern’ over mum-to-be’s PMH ordeal

By MORGAN ADDERLEY Tribune Staff Reporter madderley@tribunemedia.net HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands has responded to a viral post on social media regarding the ordeal a mother had while delivering her baby in the public maternity ward of Princess Margaret Hospital late last month.

In a lengthy post that was originally shared in a popular local Facebook group, the mother said she had initially registered at PMH’s private surgical ward.

However, upon arriving at the hospital she claimed she was told she had to be admitted to the public ward, due to a missing form.

The mother later alleged the confusion was due to an error made by the hospital’s business office.

In the public ward, the mother claimed she was subject to a number of humiliations, including rude and crass nurses, interns and doctors; sent to use a bathroom stall with someone else’s blood on the wall; denied pain medication; and had her labour augmented against her will.

The mother also alleged she was left waiting for approximately an hour after giving birth before she received stitches. The administration of the stitches was also a painful experience, she said.

When contacted by this newspaper, Dr Sands told The Tribune he reached out to the woman about her ordeal. The mother confirmed this interaction took place in a follow-up post on social media.

Dr Sands said he also reached out to staff at PMH regarding the matter.

“Any time any patient has an unpleasant experience at one of our institutions, it is cause for concern,” he said.

“That said, there has to be thorough investigation and evaluation of the facts and the determination of what opportunities there are to systemically improve the experiences and the quality of care that we deliver,” he said.

“And so, I would have reached out to her. I would have had communication with the head of

PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL, where a mother endured a nightmare experience, which she later detailed in a Facebook post.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the medical chief of staff, the hospital administrator, the managing director, the board, etc.”

Dr Sands admitted her complaint “is clearly not the only complaint we that we have fielded in recent days.”

However, he added the goal is to move the healthcare system to a more “customer-sensitive place” where patients report an “excellent experience.”

“We’re not there yet.

But we have to try and get there,” he told The Tribune.

When asked if these complaints were specific to the maternity public ward, Dr Sands said they’ve been in reference to a “number of areas.” However, he also defended the integrity of the public hospital.

“We’ve also had messages of congratulations.

By no means should the public believe that the only thing we ever hear are complaints.

“We get messages of

SOME of the migrants as seen in this social media post.

35 HAITIANS DETAINED IN ABACO MORE than 30 undocumented Haitian migrants were picked up after a combined effort by law enforcement officials in Abaco.

The group includes 12 females and 23 males.

Officials said 35 migrants

were taken into custody early yesterday after they were found on board an American sailing boat near Murphy Town before being escorted to Marsh Harbour.

The migrants are awaiting deportation to Haiti.

surprise, messages of excitement, messages of gratitude about the experiences that they would have in the hospital or individuals that they may have encountered.”

When asked how he would respond to those who feel as though they are “gambling” on the kind of experience they will have at PMH, Dr Sands reiterated it is the “premiere medical institution in the

Commonwealth of the Bahamas.” “(PMH) provides the lion’s share of medical care that is delivered, certainly for in-patient services. And given its 60, almost 70 years of existence, I think it has contributed mightily to patient care over time.”

“So, by no means are people gambling when they go into the hospital.

The question however is

whether the gap between either expectations and outcomes or the perception of service, ambiance, environment, supplies, equipment, personnel etc.

“So, it’s a need to do better. And we recognise that need and we’re trying to do better. It’s a continuous quality improvement effort that we take very, very seriously.

“Even though we have

significant challenges, but we’re not deterred by the challenges, we want to make the best facilities that we can. And I’ve worked to Princess Margaret Hospital for 23-plus years. I know about the incredible things that happen there.”

The Tribune contacted the mother who wrote the social media post referenced, however she declined to be interviewed.

PAGE 12, Thursday, April 26, 2018

THE TRIBUNE

Bill to expand power to tackle terrorist threats

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE government tabled the Anti-Terrorism Bill 2018 yesterday, which greatly increases the scope of authorities’ ability to address terrorist threats beyond what is currently legislated in the 2004 AntiTerrorism Act. The bill aims to “strengthen The Bahamas’ capacity to suppress and detect terrorist acts or acts designed to facilitate a terrorist act or actions and to bring to trial or extradite, persons committing those acts”.

Attorney General Carl Bethel told The Tribune: “The Bahamas is a

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maritime nation. We run a major transshipment port in Freeport. The dangers of proliferation through shipping routes are real and present. The Bahamas has a large offshore sector which is in part playing a significant role in international financial transactions, some of which could involve aspects of terrorism financing. All these things are realities of the modern interconnected world. Our laws have to keep pace with the stratagems of often sophisticated international criminals.”

Among other things, the bill criminalises the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition and retention of biological agents or toxins that have no “justification for prophylactic, protective or peaceful purposes or any weapon, equipment or means of delivery designed to use biological agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict”.

Among its many provisions, the bill seeks to “criminalise the use, development, production,

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transfer or possession of chemical and nuclear weapons” as well as the “financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”.

The bill empowers the minister responsible for national security to create exceptions to the aforementioned restrictions.

The bill would criminalise the “providing or collection of funds for criminal purposes which are terrorism related and does not require that the funds were used to carry out a terrorist offence…”.

The bill stipulates that anyone who supports or solicits support for terrorist groups or the commission of terrorist acts is liable for imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years.

The bill makes it illegal for a person to create a hoax involving noxious substances or things, explosives or other lethal material.

Someone who places a substance in a place with the intention of causing people to believe the substance contains a noxious substance or is lethal can face up to 15 years in prison.

ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel.

READERS REACT TO MINNIS’ TREATMENT OF COMMODORE AFTER a clip went viral of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis admonishing Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Tellis Bethel about marines “mashing up” Defence Force vessels, readers took to tribune242.com to give their reactions.

DDK said: “Let those that cause the damage pay for the damage, not the People! Are those vessels not equipped with

Classic + COOL

depth/echo sounders? Of course we are working on the assumption that those at the controls can read!”

The_Oracle had this to say: “This is the inevitable

result of your ‘able seamen’ not being able but being landlubbers slotted into Government jobs.

I’m sure there are more than a few who serve via their love of the sea, as I once had aspirations to do, being of the requisite age when the RBDF was formed. In that, as in any other civil service hierarchy, i’d probably still be swabbing decks! I laud the concept of the RBDF, but lament the competency.

The PM’s comment should be taken seriously.”

John offered this suggestion: “When the cruise ships arrive at Nassau Harbour, a Bahamian captain boards the vessel and, with the assistance of tug boats, safely navigates the ship to its docking pier. The same thing happens when the ships are leaving the harbour and probably happens in every port the ship visits. Most of the damage happens to the Defence Force vessels either when they are in shallow water or leaving or entering port. Well some may argue that that is only logical since there is nothing out there on the ocean for these vessels to collide with and become damaged. So then the force may need to change its protocol for ships entering and leaving the base or operating in shallow water.

Of course speed is almost always a factor. And the slower a vessel is when it collided or hits a reef, the

less likely the damage.

And at the airports major aircraft are hooked up to a tractor that pushes the aircraft away from the gate then slowly pulls it toward the runway. Only then are the jets engines started and it goes on its way. So maybe in the absence of more competent captains and capable crew, the Defence Force needs to invest in small ‘run arounds’ to assist its larger ships in and out of harbour.”

Joeblow said: “The PM should understand that what he wants from the commodore (proper leadership) is exactly what the Bahamian people expect from him and when they don’t see it they will complain too!

After all, the PM works for the people!”

And Cx posted this comment: “Sounds like they need to quickly get the satellite bases/fuel depot in Inagua and Ragged Island operational and get smaller vessels to patrols those waters. I have not heard anything of the 100 ft vessels grounding only the larger 140 ft boats.

The Bahamas is not a easy country to navigate and patrol by sea. They should sell off those two big 200ft they have been having problems with forever and get some of the small 80 ft boats to patrol those areas.”

• Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.

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THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 13

Trump’s travel ban likely to be upheld, justices indicate WASHINGTON Associated Press

THE Supreme Court seemed poised on yesterday to uphold President Donald Trump’s ban on travel to the US by visitors from several Muslim-majority countries, a move that would hand the president a major victory on a controversial signature policy.

In the court’s first fullblown consideration of a Trump order, the conservative justices who make up the court’s majority seemed unwilling to hem in a president who has invoked national security to justify restrictions on who can or cannot step on US soil.

The justices in December allowed the ban to take full effect even as the legal fight over it continued, but Wednesday was the first time they took it up in open court. Trump’s tough stance on immigration was a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, and he rolled out the first version of the ban just a week after taking office, sparking chaos and protests at a number of airports.

The ban’s challengers almost certainly need either chief justice John Roberts or justice Anthony

Kennedy on their side if the court is to strike down the policy that its opponents have labeled a Muslim ban.

But neither appeared receptive to arguments made by lawyer Neal Katyal, representing the ban’s opponents, that Trump’s rule stems from his campaign PRESIDENT pledge to Donald Trump keep Muslims out of the country and is unlike immigration orders issued by any other president.

The room was packed for the court’s final arguments until October, and people waited in line for seats for days. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was in the audience. Demonstrators protesting the ban filled the area outside the building.

Some who oppose the ban have said courts should treat Trump differently from his predecessors. But that issue was raised only obliquely from the bench when justice Elena Kagan

talked about a hypothetical president who campaigned on an anti-Semitic platform and then tried to ban visitors from Israel.

When Solicitor General Noel Francisco, defending the ban, started to answer that such a turn of events was extremely unlikely because of the two countries’ close relationship, Kagan stopped him. “This is an out-of-the-box kind of president in my hypothetical,” she said, to laughter.

“We don’t have those, Your Honour,” Francisco replied.

While there was discussion about Trump’s statements both as a candidate and as president, no justice specifically referenced his tweets on the subject, despite Katyal’s attempt to get them to focus on last Fall’s retweets of inflammatory videos that stoked anti-Islam sentiment.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the most aggressive

questioner of Francisco.

She told him she doubted that the president has “the authority to do more than Congress has already decided is adequate” under immigration law. She and Kagan also questioned Francisco closely about whether the ban discriminates against Muslims.

From the other side, Kennedy challenged Katyal about whether the ban would be unending. He said the policy’s call for a report every six months “indicates there’ll be a reassessment” from time to time.

“You want the president to say, ‘I’m convinced that in six months we’re going to have a safe world,’” Kennedy said, seemingly rejecting Katyal’s argument.

His only question that seemed to favor the challengers came early in the arguments, when he asked solicitor general Francisco whether Trump’s campaign statements should be considered in evaluating the administration’s ban. Francisco told the justices they shouldn’t look at those campaign statements.

Kennedy pressed on that point. Speaking of a hypothetical candidate for mayor, he asked if what was said during that candidate’s

campaign was irrelevant if on “day two” of his administration the new mayor acted on those statements.

Francisco held his ground saying the presidential oath of office “marks a fundamental transformation”.

With Katyal at the lectern, justice Samuel Alito said it seemed wrong to call the travel policy a Muslim ban when it applies to just five of 50 mostly Muslim countries, eight percent of the world’s Muslim population and only one country — Iran — among the ten largest with Muslim majorities. “Would a reasonable observer think this is a Muslim ban?” Alito asked.

Outside the court, opponents of the ban held signs that read “No Muslim Ban Ever” and “Refugees Welcome”. In another indication of heightened public interest, the court released an audio recording after arguments ended. The last time the court did that was for gay marriage arguments in 2015.

The justices are looking at the third version of a policy that Trump brought out shortly after taking office.

That brought immediate turmoil as travelers were stopped at airports and some were detained for hours. The

first version was blocked by courts and withdrawn. Its replacement was allowed to take partial effect, but expired in September.

The current version is indefinite and now applies to travelers from five countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. It also affects two non-Muslim countries, blocking travelers from North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. A sixth majorityMuslim country, Chad, was removed from the list this month after improving “its identity-management and information sharing practices”, Trump said in a proclamation.

The administration has argued that courts have no role to play because the president has broad powers over immigration and national security, and foreigners have no right to enter the country. Francisco also has said in written arguments that Trump’s September proclamation laying out the current policy comports with immigration law and does not violate the Constitution because it does not single out Muslims.

HOUSE ALREADY THREATENED, COULD GOP ALSO LOSE SENATE GRIP?

By BILL BARROW AND THOMAS BEAUMONT Associated Press

REPUBLICANS have known for months that their House majority is in genuine peril. But after another bruising showing in a special election, some in the party are reconsidering the once inconceivable notion of losing the Senate.

It’s a sobering possibility, particularly given Republican’ confidence not long ago that they probably would increase their Senate edge after the November vote. Far more Democratic senators are facing reelection in states favorable to Republicans than the other way around. That’s why the GOP held out hope of expanding its ranks and easing the path for President Donald Trump’s agenda.

Yet a Republican congressional victory on Tuesday in the Phoenix suburbs has set off new alarm bells.

Republican Debbie Lesko won the special House election by six percentage points, though Trump captured the district by 21 percentage points in 2016. GOP turnout dropped off, and unlike Republicans’ shocking losses in a Pittsburgh-area House race and an Alabama Senate contest, there was no weak GOP nominee to blame in Arizona.

The only explanation was the most worrisome for the GOP: Trump’s presidency is activating Democrats and demoralising some Republicans and if that trend continues, trouble is ahead.

“The first question is if Democrats can take the undeniably stronger turnout in most of these special elections... and replicate that in the fall,” said Steven Law, a Republican operative running the Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee at the forefront of Republicans’ November strategy. “My guess is they will.”

Democrats certainly have a steep climb and must do more than play defense to win the Senate majority.

Even if they successfully protect all 26 incumbents — 24 Democrats and two independents who caucus with them — they still would have to pick up two seats. Arizona and Nevada are the most likely.

For every Democratic loss among the ten incumbents running in states where Trump won two years ago, Democrats would need to add another Republican pickup. That could leave them dependent on knocking off Republican Ted Cruz in

Texas or winning in GOPdominated Tennessee.

Still, there are signs that seizing the Senate is no longer a pipe dream.

Democratic incumbents are outpacing Republicans in fundraising. Of the ten Democratic senators running in Trump-won states, nine are among the top 20 campaign fundraisers across all Senate candidates this election cycle. None of their potential Republican opponents has made that cut.

The lone Democratic exclusion, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, ranks 31st, but that still puts him ahead of his potential GOP rivals.

In fact, the top Republican Senate fundraisers for the cycle are Roy Moore and Luther Strange, the two Alabama Republicans who vied for the seat now held

by Democrat Doug Jones.

Cruz, the Texas senator, tops his Republican colleagues with $9.1m for his re-election bid. But Democrat Beto O’Rourke, even with his underdog status, has taken in more than $13m.

In Missouri, where Claire McCaskill has been viewed as among the most vulnerable Democratic senators, the two-term incumbent had more than $11m her campaign account this month. That compares with $2m for the Republican state attorney general, Josh Hawley.

Republicans will have plenty of resources with independent groups and their wealthiest backers paying for advertising and voter outreach. But Democrats’ performance among rank-and-file donors is just one more measure of voter enthusiasm.

The Arizona race, in a conservative district northwest of downtown Phoenix, highlighted other Republican concerns.

Republicans tried to turn the tax law into a shield.

But the Democratic nominee, Hiral Tipirneni, didn’t shy away from hammering Lesko as a lackey for national Republican leaders she said are intent on cutting health care services and Social Security.

The GOP arguments apparently worked well enough for the party to hit its early voting targets in Arizona. But doing that and still winning by only six percentage points suggested that the rest of the electorate, including independents, broke solidly for Democrats.

All ten of the Democratic senators in Trump-carried states who are running for re-election voted against the GOP tax law.

“It wasn’t that long ago that Republicans declared that the tax bill was going to solve most or all of their problems,” said Democratic pollster Zac McCrary.

“Now, even in ruby red Republican area, it’s only exacerbated Republican problems, and they’re just

limping across the finish line in a district like this.”

Increasingly bitter Republican primaries also magnify Democrats’ early advantages. And beyond being forced to spend precious money now, several Republican primaries have become divisive and

could leave the GOP base wounded in November.

In Wisconsin, conservative businessman Kevin Nicholson is accusing his GOP opponent, state Sen. Leah Vukmir, of cuddling up to the party establishment and Gov Scott Walker. The line of attack

may work in a primary, but risks alienating Walker supporters later.

In West Virginia, Republicans are mounting attacks on coal company CEO Don Blankenship, vying to face Manchin, for his role in the deadliest mine disaster in decades.

PAGE 14, Thursday, April 26, 2018

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LIFE SENTENCE REDUCED - BUT 50 YEARS STILL TO SERVE Doctor says hundreds CHARGED WITH DOUBLE MURDER

By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A JAMAICAN man sentenced to life in prison for a double murder in 2011 previously believed to be the motivation for a triple murder that occurred just weeks later will now be released from prison in just over 50 years’ time.

Appellate Justices Jon Isaacs, Sir Michael Barnett (acting) and Acting Chief Justice Stephen Isaacs, substituted Serrano Adderley’s

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life sentence for murdering his appeal against his conIn late 2013, a Supreme Road buying food when IDENTIFIE Kevin Forbes and Alwayne viction, will come at a later Court jury unanimously the shooting occurred, and Leslie for a sentence of 60 date. convicted Adderley of that he received aATTACKER message years, minus time spent on After the decision, the July 12, 2011, double saying there was a shooting BREA remand.

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By SANCHES Thus, in light of the “re-appeal” the deciOn May 20, 2014, Justice Village. two years and ten Bymonths sion, to which Justice Jon which Indra Charles sentenced Adderley also said that CELESTE NIXON transmitted by mosquitos, THE coun Tribuneon Staff Reporter cannot be spread he from person the 36-year-old spent Isaacs replied by saying Adderley to two life senwhile in custody murder he was victim cnixon@tribunemedia.net to person. breath to ident remand, the appellate could pursue the matterthat tosymptoms tences for the double slapped, kicked and forced He continued describ THEwill number of persons include fever, Privy headache, chills, judges said Adderley the London-based murder, while simultaneinto a body bag erbyandofficstances lead showing symptoms of dengue eye pain and general body and now effectively serve 57 Council. ously rejecting the death ers during the investigative death. fever continues to rise at muscle aches, similar to that of years and two months from When Adderley then penalty because his crime stages of the matter.Police say M Princess Margaret Hospital. the flu.

Speaking yesterday about the Because the accident and intosh, 20 , w the date of his sentence on asked if he emergency could secure did not meet the criterion Adderley further denied increase of patients with dengue department is scious and res May 20, 2014. leave to appeal to the Privy of being the “worst of the there was an altercation fever symptoms, Dr Collin becoming “overwhelmed” with police arrived Bullard, Chief ofCouncil, Service for the the number of patients it Justice Jon Isaacs said Justice Jon Isaacs worst”. between himself Sunday and morni the Accident and Emergency at receives on a daily basis, Dr Macintosh their reasons for Princess altering indicated leave According to earlier deceased earlier in the day, Margaret Hospitalsuch Bullard said would he is encouraging Princess Marg (PHM), said there has been only the public to gofiles to their reports, local Adderley’s sentence, while be granted if he on July 12, 2011, and further contended that a eight hours some “outbreak”the but results are paperwork. clinics for treatment. shot in the simultaneously rejecting proper the police control room all of the eye witnesses tori needed to confirm what type of “Accident and emergency is a abdomen, by a information that the shooting were lying. viral illness is being experienced. very busy place as it is andreceived this police he knew “What we are seeing here at on top of that has just comtwo people were shot in a He specifically maintained According PHM,” he said, “is a lot of pounded a problem,” Dr Haitian village off Montthat Ms Bullard Macintosh and herd patients presenting with sympBullard said. toms that are consistent with While awaiting bloodgomery test Avenue. Police daughter were coerced to SEE pag dengue fever – it has been in results patients are being found diagthe bodies of two give evidence against him the hundreds, 70 to 100 people a nosed with acute viral illness men with gunshot injuries SERRANO ADDERLEY, pic- by Knowles, who at the day presenting with these sympbased on their clinical presentured in 2011. toms.” tations. to the body and face. time was charged FORMER with theM “There has been a definite Increasing from the two cases According to the Crown’s murder of his pregnant Adderley, whom she’d CLAIMS BR increase in the number and it is of dengue fever confirmed by hard to say where this is going the Minister of Health in a case, press the shooting was known for four months and girlfriend.

‘PANDERIN and we have reached the peak conference last week,witnessed Dr from different would see every day. She Weeks after the double of this outbreak, but right now Bullard said there have been 34 OVE perspectives of varying said after Adderley shot murder, on June FEARS 30, 2017, we are seeing a significant numconfirmed cases and another 80 ber of cases,” said Dr Bullard. blood samples have beendegrees sent and times by three three people, including a CHARGED: 30-year-old Serrano her father and “Yardie”, he IMMIGRATI According to Dr Bullard Adderley outside of court yester-ran after her cousin Shawn witnesses. pregnant woman due to dengue fever is a viral illness SEE page nine

By TANEKA day. He is accused of killing Tina Bullard indicated give birth to a baby boy THOMPSON Alwayne Nathaniel Leslie, 28, of Knowles.

Deputy Chief Kingston, and Kevin Forbes was herJamaica boyfriend an Forbes’ daugh- were fatally shot during tthompson@trib Antonio 40, of Miller's ter at the time of Forbes, the shooting. incident that prosecutors attended an Heights, off Carmichael Road.

On the date in question, identification parade some- alleged at the timeBRANVILL was in Clarke/Tribune for staff Forbes’ is "pandering" • SEEhome PAGE THREE she said she was at and time later where she picked Timretaliation bic fears over washing when she heard a out Adderley as the person Leslie’s deaths. gration in an support of gunshot.

She said ran to CRIME According to thereports, who SCENE killed her father and POLICE WHOsheLEAKED PHOTOS base, said the direction of the sound his friend. the victims were voter asleep in G inet Minister SOON TO FACE DECISION DAY’ His commen and in‘WILL doing so HAVE found a one-bedroom apartment Knowles, Forbes’ nephew Mr McCartney THEpointing police insiders this year. main The Adderley a responshot- dered prosand earlier the Crown’s wit- when intruders, who will fight to cha for leaking the graphic body of 42-year-old Ms Brown gun atsible her boyfriend’s face ecutors alleged at theconstitutio time ness, said the date in try's crime scene photos of Nellie was found in anon apartment born he beforeMae pulling the will trigger.

Timothy Brown-Cox soon have complex on Bougainvillea question, he was in his to be Knowles anddren immigrants wi face decision day, said ComSouth Beach. In the She to also said Leslie was Boulevard, way residence when he heard Saunders, forced their ble for Bahami missioner of Police Ellison midst of the investigation, the Mr locks McCartn lying on the ground along “boom” fivehertimes.

He said inside by blasting the Greenslade, on a radio talk police report into death surformed t online. his home and saw with show her yesterday. boyfriend. Ms faced with a shotgun. newly he exited Democratic Nellie Mae Brown, former Mr Greenslade confirmed Bullard later identified Once inside, they shot Adderley standing over president of the Bahamas Heart COMMISSIONER OF POLICE SEE page SEEand pag Adderley in anwasidentificaShackara Association, brutally murGreenslade Rahming Forbes, his nine uncle, before Ellison tion parade. pointing the shotgun at Erica Ward in the head Ms Bullard said Adder- Leslie and killing him. and Edward Braynen in Send vacation!

Day No ley, whom she your knewloan as onKnowles using a shotgun. said Debt$AVER Adderley, the back30 “Rano”, was her neighbour, whom he knew for some Four young children inside Ź Qualify for a Debt$AVER CONSOLIDATION and that he moved into the seven months prior to the the apartment were found a 30 Day payment holiday unharmed by police. neighbourhood LOAN at leastand sixgetincident and saw every day andincident. a built-insince Savings Plansubsequently months before the Ward was pregnant with then, Ms Bullard also said they turned the gun on him, Adderley’s child at the time were friends and that she causing him to flee. of her death. would see him every day.

On August 4, 2016, both Knowles also said that Forbes’ daughter, who on June 12, 2011, he under- Knowles and Saunders was eight-years-old at the stood Adderley had an were sentenced to 18 years of the incident, said altercation with Forbes, in prison by Stephen Isaacs, NASSAUtime AND BAHAMA LEADING NEWSPAPER around 8pm on the ISLANDS’ date aka “Wabby.”

Knowles said who was a senior justice in question she was home he was told by Leslie that at the time. However, when she saw someone Forbes fired two shots over Knowles’ sentence was sneak up on her daddy’s Adderley’s head during reduced to 17 years after friend “Yardie” and blow an argument over shared receiving credit for time his face off. She said the living quarters and housing spent on remand awaiting same person then shot her arrangements. trial. dad in the face.

Saunders had his senAdderley, meanwhile, Forbes’ daughter indi- raised an alibi defence and tence reduced to 14 years cated the person who did claimed he was at Bamboo for his four years spent on the shooting was “Rano” Shack on Carmichael remand prior to trial.

showing signs of an unconfirmed viral illness

www.ub.edu.bs

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Suitably qualified candidates are invited to apply for the following positions available at University of The Bahamas:

Athletic Trainer, responsible for assisting the Athletic Trainer with all

phases of the daily operations in the Athletic Training Room and services needed to cover the eight athletic teams at UB. Duties and responsibilities include assisting in scheduling and administration of student-athlete preparticipation physical exams; evaluating athletic injuries; treating athletic injuries; providing counseling and education to student athletes, coaches, and parents dealing with athletic injuries; enforcing code of conduct and rules for athletic training facilities and equipment; and assisting with recordkeeping and documentation. Required qualifications include a Bachelor’s Degree in Athletic Training, Kinesiology, Sports Medicine, Sports Science or other related field; Board Certification; and two (2) or more years of experience.

Sports Information Officer, responsible for the production, presentation, distribution, and collection and archival of information pertaining to University Athletics. Duties and responsibilities include creating and distributing all sports related information to local, provincial, national, university and other media sources; cultivating key media contacts for the department; facilitating interviews and press conferences, write and prepare press releases and other promotional material/content for various media; liaising regularly with the Office of University Relations, varsity coaches and colleagues at other universities and athletic organizations and assisting with managing and updating the Athletic Department’s website. Required qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s degree is preferred) in Journalism/Broadcast, Communications, Public Relations and demonstrated experience with software sufficient to support media publications and relevant athletic events’ statistical calculation, including but not limited to, Adobe in Design, Adobe Photo Shop, Illustrator and Stat Crew/Dakstats software.

Detailed position announcements are available online at: http://www. ub.edu.bs/about-us/career-opportunities/staff/ .

Interested applicants should submit the following to the Human Resources Department via hrapply@ub.edu.bs by Wednesday, 9th May, 2018: • A cover letter of interest highlighting work experience and accomplishments relevant to the position; • Completed UB Employment Application Form (www.ub.edu.bs/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Application-forEmployment-Staff.pdf) • Current curriculum vitae or resume; • Copies of relevant qualifications and certificates; • Copy of the relevant pages of a valid passport showing passport number, photo identification and expiration date; • Copy of N.I.B. Card; • At least three (3) written, professional references.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, April 26, 2018, PAGE 15

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