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VOLUME:114 No.146, JUNE 22ND, 2017
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NOTTAGE IS ‘GRAVELY ILL’ IN HOSPITAL By RICARDO WELLS Tribune Staff Reporter rwells@tribunemedia.net FORMER Minister of National Security Dr Bernard Nottage was in a “very troubling and grave state” in the Intensive Care Unit at Doctors Hospital up to press time, according to Progressive Liberal Party chairman Bradley Roberts. SEE PAGE SEVEN
Ash denies knowing BIG POLICE PRESENCE FOR COMMUNITY WALKABOUT former hurricane czar Shane Gibson By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net JOHNATHAN Ash, who received more than $8m for hurricane related clean-up exercises in New Providence according to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, was irate when asked about matters related to those revelations yesterday. Asked about efforts across social media to tie him to Shane Gibson, who led the Christie administration’s restoration efforts after Hurricane Matthew, Mr Ash told The Tribune: “Boss man, get off my phone talking (expletive). I
don’t know Shane Gibson. You crazy?” He then abruptly disconnected the call. When contacted by this newspaper earlier, he said he had nothing to say about the matter. “Only when you wrong you defend yourself,” Mr Ash told The Tribune. “When you guilty is when you talk.” Nonetheless, the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) is expected to launch a fierce defence of Mr Ash and the payments made to him during a press conference in the Minority Room in the House of Assembly today. SEE PAGE SIX
ISAACS: NATION GOT VALUE FOR MY $2M CONTRACT By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net
ERRINGTON “Minky” Isaacs, Progressive Liberal Party chairman emeritus, said yesterday his political affiliation had nothing to do with the nearly $2m contract he was awarded for remediation at the former Bahamas Electricity Corporation, as he labelled Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ criticism of the situation a “witch hunt”. In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Isaacs said Bahamians got
“plenty” value for money for the contract, adding that his client had not expressed any issues with his work. Asked to define the parametres of his work, Mr Isaacs did not respond, but said PLP leader Philip Davis was expected to address the matter at some point today. On Tuesday during the afternoon session of Parliament, Dr Minnis said Mr Isaacs knew as much about oil remediation as he, the prime minister, knows about flying a space shuttle. SEE PAGE SIX
THE ROYAL Bahamas Police Force held a walkabout in the Rock Crusher Road community to check on residents and their safety, as well as taking the opportunity to invite children to attend their upcoming summer camp. See pages two and three for the full story. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
GOVT CONSIDERING LAWS TO LET WOMEN U-TURN ON DUTY CUTS FOR WITH CANCER GENE KEEP INSURANCE PAINT, DRINKS By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands said he is looking at how best the government can draft legislation to prevent persons who test positive for the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene mutations, which increase a woman’s chances of developing cancer, from being denied health insurance. Dr Sands told The Trib-
une that in the absence of legislation, women can be left with significantly high hospital bills or may not receive treatment at all decreasing chances of beating the disease if they develop cancer. His comments came after a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that women with BRCA1 mutations have on average a 72 per cent risk of developing breast cancer
by the age of 80. For BRCA2 mutation carriers, the risk of breast cancer is 69 per cent. The average lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 44 per cent for BRCA1 and 17 per cent for BRCA2, according to the study. It was also found that the location of where the abnormality is found in the gene and family history influenced the risk. SEE PAGE SIX
BPL BOARD AUTHORISED TO FIRE STAFF AS THEFT PROBE INCREASES TO $4M IN TOTAL TM
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By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net MINISTER of Works Desmond Bannister said yesterday he has authorised the board at Bahamas Power and Light to “take the necessary steps” to remove persons from the company in relation to the millions of dollars that have allegedly
been stolen. In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Bannister said the issue is not about politics, but it is about protecting the people’s money and ensuring that anyone who breaks the law is punished. Meanwhile, a source close to the investigation told The Tribune that the amount allegedly stolen
from Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) has risen to $4m. When asked for comment on this, Mr Bannister said he has not received the updated figure. Last month, four BPL employees were suspended and one person was terminated pending the outcome of the theft investigation.
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By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
AFTER protest from local manufacturers and criticism from the Official Opposition, the Minnis administration has decided to reverse its planned duty reductions on paint and fruit drinks. The customs duty on paint will be 45 per cent while the duty rate on fruit drinks will be not be eliminated but reduced from 60 per cent to 30 per cent. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance K Peter Turnquest said representations were made to him by manufacturers of those products, prompting the reversal. “Our first priority is to Bahamian manufacturers and we don’t want to take action harmful to their benefit,” he said as bills related to the duty changes were passed in Parliament Tuesday evening. SEE PAGE FIVE