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VOLUME:114 No.156, JULY 6TH, 2017
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Leave Baha Mar deal alone Ingraham warns govt not to meddle By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net SARKIS Izmirlian is “dead wrong” calling for a moratorium on the sale of Baha Mar, former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said yesterday. During a Rotary Club of Southeast Nassau meeting yesterday, Mr Ingraham said the Minnis administration should do nothing that would disrupt Baha Mar’s ability to open as quickly as possible and begin employing thousands of Bahamians. His comment came nearly two weeks after Mr Izmirlian, Baha Mar’s original developer whose family invested hundreds of millions in Baha Mar, called for a moratorium on the mega resort’s sale to Chow Tai Fook Enterprises Ltd. Mr Izmirlian also called for an investigation into the concessions the Christie
administration offered to Chinese investors for the efforts in remobilising construction last year on the troubled resort. “The completion of Baha Mar and its operation is of critical and essential importance to the economy of the Bahamas and the people of the Bahamas,” Mr Ingraham said. “The government must do nothing whatsoever to stop it from being completed; it must do whatever it can to facilitate the completion of Baha Mar because we need the jobs. We need to ensure that we are not downgraded (by international credit rating agencies) even further and that we get upgraded. So, I’m not aware of what Sarkis said but if he said that SEE PAGE SIX
TO succeed in the next general election, the new Free National Movement government must embrace humility and not become giddy with its recent landslide win,
L SOUR CE
POLICE WARNING AFTER DRAMATIC PI BRIDGE GUN BATTLE
By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
SENIOR Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean warned criminals “not to challenge the police” hours after an armed suspect was shot by officers following a high-speed car chase in New Providence. The drama unfolded shortly after 1am on Wednesday off Carmichael Road and ended near the Sidney Poitier Bridge on East Bay Street. Police said two armed men opened fire on officers, prompting an exchange of gunfire. Senior ACP Dean said police received information that two men were in a white Camry, armed with firearms. An all-points bulletin (APB) was immediately issued for the vehicle. “A few minutes later, officers from the Mobile Division were in the right place at the right time and they spotted the vehicle and signalled for the driver to stop,” Senior ACP Dean said. “The driver refused and sped off, which resulted in a high-speed chase through several communities in New Providence, but we were not going to let these men get away. The chase ended when the suspects’ vehicle crashed near the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge on East Bay Street. “The two male suspects exited the vehicle and opened fire on the police.” SEE PAGE SEVEN
FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham speaking at the meeting of Rotary Southeast Nassau yesterday. Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
FNM ‘MUST BE HUMBLE’ TO WIN RE-ELECTION By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
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former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said yesterday. The former FNM leader also warned that the Minnis administration should not try and find jobs for every member of Parliament who got elected. “The people will get tired of that too,” he said.
Bahamians have spent much of the last 25 years voting against governing parties rather than in support of opposition parties, Mr Ingraham said. “Twenty years ago, the FNM won about 55 per cent of the vote. The PLP were left with five seats thereabout in the House (of Assembly)
and by the following election the FNM was wiped out, the PLP came back in,” he said, in response to questions during an appearance at a Rotary Club of Southeast Nassau meeting. “The FNM won this time by a SEE PAGE SIX
TRIBUTES AS YOUTH MUSIC DIRECTOR CLEOPHAS ADDERLEY DIES, AGED 62 By DANIELLE BARNES
CLEOPHAS Adderley pictured last month receiving his lifetime achievement award at the Aliv Bahamian Icon Awards.
CULTURAL icon Cleophas Adderley Jr, 62, died Wednesday after a long illness. Mr Adderley, an accomplished composer, was the founder and director the Bahamas National Youth Choir (BNYC). SEE PAGE TEN LIMITED TIME!
OFFER ENDS AUGUST 31
NEW LAWS TO BLOCK BINGE SPENDING By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Deputy Prime Minister yesterday pledged that the Government’s planned Fiscal Responsibility legislation will make it “near impossible” to repeat its predecessor’s $234m preelection deficit spending binge. K P Turnquest, sticking by his $500m deficit projection for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, said the Central Bank’s latest report “absolutely” showed the extent of the Christie administration’s efforts to ensure it retained power. He said anti-corruption and Fiscal Responsibility legislation will be the first two areas addressed when Parliament reconvenes in September, adding that the Minnis administration was “very serious” about following through on these initiatives. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
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PAGE 2, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
No Zika cases so far this year
A FEMALE Aedes aegypti mosquito on the arm of a researcher. THERE have been no documented cases of the Zika virus in the Bahamas since November 2016, the Ministry of Heath announced yesterday in a press release. All tests for the Zika virus this year have been negative. The Ministry of Heath recorded 25 cases of Zika in 2016; 23 in New Providence, one in Bimini and one in Eleuthera. All persons in those cases sought medical attention and patients were treated for associated symptoms. The Ministry of Health previously said those persons who contracted the virus last year got it through a mix of travel and local transmission. As the rainy season approaches, the ministry advised the public to be vigilant and take action to prevent mosquito borne diseases such as Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya which are all transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The public is reminded to play a role in preventing the transmission of Zika by eliminating all breeding sites in residential areas and other working or common areas. Health officials suggest emptying all standing water containers at least once
per week, turning over or covering containers that store water, installing or repairing window or door screens, killing mosquitoes inside the home, wearing long-sleeved light coloured clothing and using mosquito repellents. The public is reminded that many people infected with the Zika virus have no occurring symptoms, or will only have mild symptoms. The most common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. Muscle pain and headaches may also occur. Everyone is prone to contracting the Zika virus and encouraged to take the necessary measures to prevent mosquito bites. The Ministry of Health warned women of child bearing age to take extra precautions to prevent infection due to possible transmission of the virus to their unborn babies which has been linked to birth defects. There is also evidence that Zika can be transmitted sexually. Condom use during the entire pregnancy is recommended. For further information, contact the Surveillance Unit at Department of Public Health at 502-4737, 3971021, 502-4790, 376-3809 or 376-3970.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 3
‘Making people pay for NHI will hurt those who need it’
By KHRISNA VIRGIL Deputy Chief Reporter kvirgil@tribunemedia.net A DAY after it was revealed the National Health Insurance Authority Board will consider introducing a co-payment system for primary healthcare, former Grand Bahama Minister Dr Michael Darville railed against the move saying it was bound to remove the equity for Bahamians from the system. Senator Darville told The Tribune no cash at the point of sale is arguably one of the most attractive features of NHI and to remove it would be a deterrent to the unemployed and indigent. He defended the Christie administration’s decision to implement a cashfree system for primary care and said this was done with a view to the longterm benefits of enabling early detection of chronic diseases. Dr Darville also criticised the Minnis administration’s $40m NHI budget. He said it was insufficient when compared to the $125m to $130m the former government intended to pump into the healthcare scheme. However, when he was asked how the former government intended to gather this hefty sum, Dr Darville could not give a definite answer, but instead said: “We were going to find a way to fund it.” This comes after Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said on Tuesday the NHIA will consider introducing a co-payment system for the first phase of NHI to cover pharmaceutical and diagnostic services. In this regard, Dr Sands warned: “Nothing in life is free.” “First of all, based on evidence from (the) Pan American Health Organi-
sation, in order to maintain equity in the system, we felt that for those who need healthcare the most (or) for those who cannot afford healthcare, if you put a co-payment for primary healthcare you actually take equity out of the system, meaning only those with money can access the system,” Dr Darville said. “We went against the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) as well as what is happening around the world elsewhere. We believe a service such as primary healthcare should be no cash at point of service in order to ensure that equity of those who are unemployed (and) those who don’t have access to resources are not deterred from accessing primary healthcare services because of funding. “What that does is, it saves the country a lot of money down the road because we could pick up diseases earlier. It means that we can protect individuals from going into the chronic nature because as you know chronic communicable diseases is what’s really eating up the health care budget.” He continued: “So we, based on the advice of KPMG our consultant as well as PAHO, (decided) universal primary healthcare should be with no cash at point of service. “Now when you start going into catastrophic care or the full medical package then you can take into consideration co-pay. So we were operating based on the advice that we received from our consultants as well as what’s happening around the world that copayment for primary healthcare would definitely not create equity. “So this whole thing about copay it goes con-
FORMER Minister of Grand Bahama Dr Michael Darville, who yestereday said that the PLP had planned to pump up to $130m into the NHI scheme, as opposed to the $40m budgeted by the FNM, though he did not specify how that would be funded. trary to the whole spirit of NHI.” Dr Darville also believes the government is not serious about universal healthcare. “Well it’s obvious, the $40m budget is not enough because the Christie administration based on the advice that was given to us, in order to run a relatively decent universal primary healthcare extending from Inagua into Grand Cay, the cost was estimated at $100m and we put an additional $25m to $30m for catastrophic care. “This business with
catastrophic care is the more people that access the primary healthcare network, the more we can pick up more advanced diseases. This means you have to have a mechanism in place to treat those advanced diseases to prevent frustration. So we have to find some money to deal with the catastrophic illnesses that we’ll pick up because now many more people will access the primary care. “As far as the money is concerned, I believe that if the government was truly serious about perusing aggressively universal
healthcare and some form of catastrophic care, their budget would have reflected that.” More than 60 providers registered for the scheme, the NHI Secretariat announced in April. The secretariat has also said laboratory services are accessible from at least five labs at no cost at the point of care. The changes to the plan may happen because the former administration, which pledged about $125m for the first phase of NHI, sequestered no money for this in the budget for this fiscal year, Dr Sands told The Tribune on Tuesday.
MCCARTNEY HASN’T RULED OUT STANDING AGAIN TO LEAD DNA By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
DEMOCRATIC National Alliance Leader Branville McCartney said yesterday he has not determined if he will be putting himself forward for re-election as the party’s chief whenever its next convention is called. Mr McCartney, during a press conference at his law office on Village Road, said the party is currently “restructuring” and will soon determine if there needs to be a leadership change. However. he said, no date has been determined for when this decision will be made. He denied rumours that he no longer wishes to be a part of the DNA, insisting that his silence on public matters since the May 10 election was due to travel and because “he thought it was fitting for the government to have an opportunity to do what they have to do”. The statements by the former Bamboo Town MP came a day after DNA Deputy Leader Chris Mortimer told The Nassau Guardian that he soon expects to become leader of the party. Mr Mortimer said he believes he has the support of “a number of executives in the DNA” in his leadership bid, and said he also believes he “will have the support of Mr McCartney when I do stretch my wings and become leader of the DNA.” When asked about the role Mr McCartney would play in the DNA should he become leader, Mr Mortimer said the former Bamboo Town MP would hold an “emeritus position” in the party and be “a part of the brain thrust that determines the ideas and the concepts that we believe
DNA leader Branville McCartney Mortimer. will ultimately transform this country.” When asked if he will again offer himself for the party’s top post, Mr McCartney said: “…In terms of me putting myself forward that has not been determined yet, but no doubt you’ll know what my position would be in that regard.” When asked by The Tribune if the party planned to make any leadership changes as a result of its election defeat, Mr McCartney said that such a decision could be made at its next convention or a “special meeting” with party executives. “Right now the party is restructuring,” he said. “The question was asked in relation to what we’re doing. We have to see where we went wrong, what can we do better, how can we make the party better moving forward, and that has been happening. We’ve had meetings—the party has had several meetings since the election. And we’ve said this before and I’ve said this from election night, the party will make that decision and again it’ll either be through a convention or by way of a special meeting moving forward.”
and, left, deputy leader Chris When asked by a reporter to elaborate on what he meant by “restructuring”, Mr McCartney said: “Restructuring in terms of the different organisations within the party, strengthening them and building them.” He also said the party is currently having an assessment done to determine exactly which factors contributed to its dismal performance in the last election. The party failed to win any of the 35 seats it contested, and neither did it capture a significant portion of the votes. The third party captured about 4.7 per cent of the vote, about half the support it received in 2012 when the party was just a year old.
Yesterday, Mr McCartney also addressed his silence on public matters since the general election. “We just came out of an election, I spoke a lot during the election, I spoke a lot before then, I spoke so much people were saying they were tired of hearing from me,” he said. “And the thing is, let the government get in there and do what they have to do. And I hope they do what they have to do. From day one these things should be in place, certain things should have been in place. “Had the DNA won, on day one, we would have had certain things in place,” he added. “We’ve had certain legislation ready to go. We’ve actually produced legislation, many things prior to the election, and we would not say we do not have time to deal with a budget and have to go on a PLP’s budget, which the FNM said that they’re doing. “I mean I find that amazing. I find that absolutely amazing. To say that they didn’t have sufficient time to craft their own budget, they only had a few weeks? That’s unacceptable. So what the Bahamian people really did, a vote for the FNM was indeed a vote for the PLP’s budget. That’s exactly what happened. And I find that amazing.”
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PAGE 4, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”
LEON E. H. DUPUCH,
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Trump chastises China as US weighs N Korea response WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump chastised China on Wednesday for doing too little to starve North Korea of funds and exert pressure over its nuclear pursuits, as his administration searched for new ways to confront Pyongyang after its unprecedented test of a missile capable of hitting the US. North Korea’s launch this week of an intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated a dangerous new reach for weapons it hopes to top with nuclear warheads one day. As the US demands global action to counter the threat, the Trump administration is finding that some of the most obvious tools to increase pressure on the North have already been tried and failed. Trump, since entering the White House, has placed a particular focus on pushing China — North Korea’s biggest trading partner — to use its influence and ramp up economic pressure. Trump expressed optimism after his first meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping that the two would work together effectively on the issue, but in recent days Trump has increasingly conceded the strategy has not produced fast results. “Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday, moments before departing for a trip to Poland. “So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try!” As he flew to Poland on Air Force One, Trump spoke by phone about the North Korean threat with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, emphasizing the need for countries to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions. The White House said Trump also discussed the need for nations to “stop hosting North Korean guest workers” — an issue Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also mentioned in his response a night earlier to the missile launch. Restricting guest workers is one way the US and other countries could try to reduce North Korea’s access to foreign currently. There are some 50,000-60,000 North Korean workers abroad, mostly in Russia and China, South Korea’s spy service has said, including at about 130 restaurants North Korea operates overseas. The workers’ mission involves earning money to bring into North Korea. Until this week’s launch, North Korea had demonstrated missiles of short and medium range — but not an intercontinental missile. A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said Wednesday that the missile was a type not previously seen by the US, although he would not provide details. He said the missile was fired from a mobile launcher at the Panghyon aircraft plant about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Pyongyang, a location not previously used for missile launches. “This was a very provocative action. It has our attention,” Davis said. He criticised North Korea for not following the international convention of providing advance notice of a missile launch so that commercial ships, airliners and satellites are not endangered. The prime danger from the US viewpoint is the prospect of North Korea
managing to put a nuclear warhead atop an ICBM. The latest US intelligence assessment is that the North probably does not yet have that capability. In his initial response to the launch on Monday evening, Trump urged China on Twitter to “put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!” But he also said it was “hard to believe” that South Korea and Japan, the two US treaty allies most at risk from North Korea, would “put up with this much longer”. North Korea conducts about 90 percent of its trade through China. In April, Chinese customs data said total two-way trade between China and North Korea increased 36.8 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period a year earlier. Raw data from the first quarter of this year, however, showed that total twoway trade between the sides increased by only a 7.4 percent in this first quarter. It was not immediately clear why the customs agency reported a higher growth rate. China has long resisted intensifying economic pressure on neighboring North Korea, in part out of fear of the instability that could mount on its doorstep, including the possibility of millions of North Koreans fleeing into China. China has also been concerned that a reunited, democratic Korea — dominated by South Korea — would put a US ally, and possibly US forces, on its border. US officials joined South Korea and Japan in requesting an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, scheduled Wednesday afternoon. And in a show of force directly responding to North Korea’s provocation, US and South Korean soldiers fired “deep strike” precision missiles into South Korean territorial waters on Tuesday, US military officials in Seoul said. The launch was not wholly unexpected. Daniel Coats, director of national intelligence, testified to Congress in May that the US anticipated an ICBM test before the end of this year. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a statement late Tuesday released as most Americans were celebrating the Fourth of July holiday, vowed “stronger measures” to hold the North accountable, and said: “Global action is required to stop a global threat”. He said any country helping North Korea militarily or economically, taking in its guest workers or falling short on Security Council resolutions “is aiding and abetting a dangerous regime”. Notably, Tillerson’s statement did not mention China. The Pentagon has spent tens of billions of dollars developing a missile defense system tailored to the North Korean ambition of attaining the eventual capability to attack the US with a nuclear-armed missile. On May 30 the Pentagon successfully shot down a mock warhead designed to replicate the North Korean threat. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana W. White said the US-South Korea missile exercise Tuesday was meant to show “our precision fire capability”.
Open up solar power EDITOR, The Tribune Re: Solar Electricity Request for Proposal (RFP) in today’s Tribune. WE have read this story more than once recently, where the Minister of Works speaks about issuing an RFP for providing solar energy for BPL. I am not a solar expert by any means but what we have heard for years now about “Net Metering” leads me to
believe that we do not need a SINGLE supplier of Solar Energy, which a Request For Proposal suggests, so why would we not simply regulate (in some small way ) as many Solar Energy providers as may be interested in doing so, including the people living in a one room house who want to buy a few solar panels for themselves? If you drive around the out islands and see the miles upon miles of electrical lines and poles, be-
tween settlements, you can quickly see the benefit of each settlement generating its own power. Now that is a very simplistic view, but bigger is not necessarily better with this technology, and we know from experience how monopolies, particularly State owned Monopolies can go so awfully wrong. BRUCE G. RAINE Nassau, July 5, 2017
Cancel not privatise the carnival EDITOR, The Tribune. SOME time ago I drafted a letter to the editor to commend Bahamian musician and producer Fred Ferguson for withdrawing his support from carnival, but in the business of life, I did not finalise and send it. Recently, I saw Mr Ferguson at a funeral and was reminded of my unfinished task, hence this letter to you. Mr Ferguson said that after listening to the music produced for last year’s carnival, he decided he could not support it. I commend him for his courageous and principled decision, and I’m elated by it. But more than being elated by his decision, I’m encouraged by Mr Ferguson’s reason for withdrawing his support from carnival. He said carnival does not support anything that we are as Bahamians. However, despite Mr Ferguson’s brutally honest statement that carnival does not support anything Bahamian (a view that is widespread among Bahamians), the official carnival website is trying to sell a different story by describing carnival as “a destination event for Bahamians and visitors to immerse themselves in the music and culture of The Bahamas”. That statement, coupled with the reality of what carnival is, can be an iconic case study in false advertising and misrepresentation. Is it truly Bahamian for
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net groups of women with barely covered breasts to erotically wine, gyrate, and bang their g-stringed bottoms and their scantily covered genitals on the bodies of characterless men, virtually having sex in the streets? Is it truly Bahamian to demonstrate no regard for the young and no respect for the old in outrageous pornographic behaviour in public? No, carnival is not Bahamian. It is a foreign festival that celebrates public indecency and debauchery, and the organizers and participants don’t even attempt to represent anything Bahamian. I have heard some of the carnival songs written by Bahamian artists, and I grieve at the vulgar lyrics and depraved ideas that are common in the songs, almost all of which are sung with a poorly imitated Trinidadian accent. How can that possibly be Bahamian? There is no denying that carnival and what it promotes and produces are like jet fuel to speed us along the road of national disgrace and moral and social degradation. That road is marked by increased public sexual indecency, crime and lawlessness, more broken families, more children born outside of marriage, more violence against women, increased sexual abuse,
a failing educational system, lower productivity, and increased laziness, etc., as more and more people embrace the “live and wine” and “worst behaviour” culture of carnival. And all this takes place in a context of cultural confusion, where many of our people are increasingly ashamed to be Bahamian and demonstrate it by writing and singing vulgar songs influenced by another culture. Is this the kind of Bahamas we want to build? Right thinking Bahamians would say no. While I commend the FNM government for its decision not to fund carnival, I urge them not to privatize it. Privatising carnival is not a real solution because the issue is bigger than protecting public finances; there is also a need to protect public morality and public decency, especially for the sake of our children. Carnival needs to be cancelled altogether, especially the pornographic road parade. Again, in the words of Fred Ferguson, carnival does not support anything we are as Bahamians. And the words of Fred Ferguson represent the view of an overwhelming majority of Bahamians, so I pray that the FNM government, unlike the PLP government, would listen. Towards this end, I and others are praying. PASTOR MOSS Nassau, July 4, 2017.
CEDRIC
Wake up, Mr Christie EDITOR, The Tribune. PLEASE allow me to address a brief letter to Mr Christie in response to your interview with him: Dear Hon Perry Gladstone Christie, Apparently, you have not yet fully awakened from your post-election stupor. • You left $300 to $400m of unpaid bills (perhaps more)
• You collected in excess of $1 billion dollars in VAT, over and above normal revenue • You increased the national debt by over a billion dollars • You oversaw a 0% economic growth rate for the country over the last five years • You bloated the civil service • You took our country
through four international credit agency downgrades • You mention “leading the government”? You sir, have always “lead” from behind” I could go on and on. Please wake up and go quietly into retirement and let history judge your performance. DAVID LUNN Nassau, July, 2017.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 5
Refugees challenge detention after being held for over two years
THE DETENTION centre at Carmichael Road. By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net FOUR refugees at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre are questioning the lawfulness of their detention after being held without charge for more than two years. One of the men has been in detention since 2013. In separate cases, an Eritrean man and three Cuban men claim that they were never questioned by immigration officers during processing, and are in the process of resettlement with assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees.
UNHCR certificates for each man lists The Bahamas as the country of asylum and states: “As a refugee, he should be protected from forcible return to a country where he would face persecution. Any assistance accorded to the above-named individual would be greatly appreciated.” In separate affidavits, the men state that they have not been charged with any offences in their respective home country, or since their arrival to the country, and have not been brought before any court since their detention. The affidavits submitted by the refugees also state that UNHCR’s local rep-
resentative Denish MossBalboni will assist with accommodations through the Red Cross if the men are released pending their resettlement to a third country. Eritrea is a northeast African country that has been accused of widespread human rights violations stemming from its one-party state and limited freedoms of speech, press, assembly and association. Diarra Lue Tawaldi, a 25-year-old Eritrean, entered the country on January 1, 2013 and has been in detention since his arrival, according to his affidavit. Mr Tawaldi was registered as a refugee by UNHCR on May 13, 2016.
Yosvany Gonzalez Plunkett, a 40-year-old Cuban, came to The Bahamas on a work permit in 2010. He taught as a physics teacher at Abaco Central High from 2010 until his work permit expired in 2012, according to his affidavit. Mr Plunkett said he remained in the Bahamas and was arrested in Bimini on June 22, 2015. He further stated that he was recognised as a refugee by UNHCR while in detention; however, his UNHCR certificate states that he was registered on June 19, 2013. Cubans Yoiselandy Alfonso Martinez, 22, and Angel Luis Llorente Carrion, 23, left Cuba by boat
on June 6, 2015, and were arrested on June 23, 2015, by the United States Coast Guard. Both men were sent to Grand Bahama and then detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre on June 24, 2015. Mr Martinez and Mr Carrion were registered as refugees by UNHCR on May 13, 2016. The applications for habeas corpus writs were filed in the Supreme Court against the attorney general, minister of immigration, director of immigration and officer-in-charge of the holding facility on June 13. The men are represented by Martin Lundy, of Callenders & Co.
PAGE 6, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
‘Leave Baha Mar deal alone’
from page one
he’s dead wrong.” Mr Ingraham’s reaction to Mr Izmirlian’s statements was more emphatic than the Minnis administration’s reaction. Both Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Attorney General Carl Bethel have said the government won’t interfere with Baha Mar’s sale. However Dr Minnis appeared defensive when questioned about the controversy last week.
While in opposition, Dr Minnis pledged to execute a “real sale” of Baha Mar “to a qualified and respectable purchaser who believes in Bahamians; a purchaser who will utilise only Bahamian labour to complete the resort, and will put Bahamians back to work with real jobs as quickly as possible.” Two weeks ago, nonetheless, Mr Bethel said there was nothing in the recently unsealed Baha Mar agreements that would make the government renegotiate the
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deal. Mr Ingraham yesterday reiterated his view that the Christie administration erred in putting Baha Mar in liquidation in local courts rather than let Mr Izmirlian pursue his Chapter 11 avenue for settling his dispute with Baha Mar’s contractor, China Construction America (CCA) in the United States. Mr Ingraham said he does not know if Mr Izmirlian can receive any remedies for the millions he invested in Baha Mar. “I think the government was dead wrong when it put Baha Mar in liquidation,” he said. “It should never have gotten involved with that aspect of the dispute. That would’ve left Mr Izmirlian and the Chinese to fight their battle out in court or through arbitration. “Once the government
put Baha Mar in liquidation, it removed from Sarkis Izmirlian and his father and those, any rights they had to contest what had happened. “That was a very wrongful decision on the part of the government. I told that to the prime minister in writing and personally, that that should have never happened. “Whether or not the present government is able to right that wrong without interfering with what I say is a fundamental need that is for Baha Mar to be concluded and opened and operated, I don’t know; but that’s a challenge that they have, to cause redress for Sarkis’ grievance and at the same time be focused on what the public interest is and that is to complete Baha Mar, hire the thousands of people and let’s get on with it.”
FORMER Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham speaking at the Rotary Southeast Nassau meeting yesterday, where he was also inducted as an honorary member. Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
FNM ‘MUST BE HUMBLE’ TO WIN RE-ELECTION from page one huge majority. Political parties, when they win elections, especially with huge
margins, tend to get giddy, it goes to their head. They are unable to satisfy the aspirations of many of their members where everybody wants to be a big shot, eve-
rybody thinks he won the election because of himself and the truth is they didn’t win because of themselves. They won because of the party and because the government got voted out, not because the individual was such a good candidate that people say, ‘I love him I’ll vote for him.’” Mr Ingraham said large majorities are more of a burden than a blessing. “It is difficult to manage huge majorities and if political parties had a choice to make they wouldn’t want a huge majority,” he said. “I think one of the contributing factors to the FNM’s loss in 2002 was it had won a huge majority in 1997. It ended that with arguments as to who will become the next prime minister; it wasn’t a question about whether you (are going to) lose the next election . . . so (there was) a big fight over (leadership) and fights over other things and by that time the public said, ‘well, the hell with all of y’all.’ “If I had one word to say to the FNM as a new administration, is they have to be on their guard to ensure that the public accepts that they are going to remain humble, they are going to seek to do the things they said they would do or as many of the things they can do, and be focused and not to seek to provide a job for everyone who got elected.” Mr Ingraham referred an
D e t e r m I n a t i O N
article published in The Nassau Guardian on Wednesday, which noted more than half of those who voted for the FNM on May 10 did so not because of the party’s message, but because voters were fed up with the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The information came from a poll produced by the firm Public Domain. “That’s a usual event,” Mr Ingraham said. “The only time in the last 25 yeas in my view that the people voted for a government was in 1997. In 1992 when we won the election for the first time they voted against the PLP. In 2002, they voted against the FNM. In 2007, they voted against the PLP. In 2012, they voted against the FNM and specifically against Hubert Ingraham I suppose and in 2017 they voted against the PLP. “Populations after they’ve voted are sometimes very happy with what they decided and sometimes they have remorse immediately. I think the fact that I’m accepted by the society a lot means they had a lot of remorse for firing me.” The FNM won 35 out of 39 seats in the House of Assembly in May. Mr Ingraham led the FNM into four elections before retiring as party leader and North Abaco MP after the FNM’s defeat in 2012. He served as prime minister from 1992-2002 and 2007-2012.
Determination Don’t delay, keep pressing forward. Earnestly work hard for your future. Time is vitally important. Don’t waste it. Every day will bring you closer to your goals. Remember to stay strong and stand up against all obstacles. Money is essential, so spend it wisely. Initially, you must determine what your goals are. Never, never quit. Don’t give up. Always keep focused and think positively. Talk less, and do more. Innovation is the key – expand and explore new ideas. Open the door of opportunity by taking advantage of it when it comes your way. Nothing is impossible for you to achieve, believe in yourself, and don’t give up!
Happy Independence Day
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 7
Death of man in collision with RBDF vessel is referred to Coroner’s Court By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE case of a man killed in a Royal Bahamas Defence Force boating accident has been referred to the Coroner’s Court, Assistant Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said yesterday. Christopher Turnquest,
25, was in the harbour in a 13-foot skiff east of Potter’s Cay Dock around 8pm on October 2, 2016, when his vessel was struck by a RBDF patrol vessel. He was on the skiff with his cousin, who jumped from the vessel moments before the collision and survived the crash. Turnquest’s body, however, was found sometime
after the crash and it was discovered that he had drowned because of the collision. ACP Fernander said last year that police were canvassing and seeking witnesses to the accident. “At the end of the day, if we don’t come up with any witnesses to suggest anything, the matter will be referred to the Coroner’s
Court,” he said at the time. He confirmed yesterday that the matter has since been referred to the coroner. “At the end of the day we do not want the family to think that the police are taking sides, we are not,” he said. “We will give them closure.” The Coroner’s Court faces a significant and longstand-
ing backlog of cases, meaning it could take years before this matter is considered. Turnquest’s family had expressed grief last year that it heard little from police about the investigation into his death. “Someone needs to be held accountable,” Ryan Turnquest, the older brother of the deceased, said. He questioned why there
had been no arrests in the matter and he expressed belief that the collision happened because the RBDF vessel was allegedly speeding in the harbour. Turnquest’s family created a Facebook page, called “Justice for Chris”, to honour him. The page is frequently updated and is followed by 963 people.
POLICE WARNING AFTER DRAMATIC PI BRIDGE GUN BATTLE
from page one
“The officers, who are well trained, returned fire resulting in one of the males being shot. The two suspects were arrested and a handgun was recovered from the vehicle.” The injured suspect is listed in serious, but stable condition in hospital and is under heavy police guard. Senior ACP Dean said the incident proves that officers are doing all they can to rid the country of “those who wish to harm innocent persons”. “The arrest was significant and it shows that our officers are out there and they are working,” he said. “I am proud to be a member of this organisation and I do not know a police force that is better than this one. This speaks volumes to the work that our officers have been doing and I want to tell the criminals – do not challenge the police, we are trained. If you challenge us, it will not end well for you.” Senior ACP Dean said the RBPF will continue to target repeat offenders and bring them to justice, no matter how many times they are released from the Department of Correctional Services. His comments came after a man who was released
on bail for a firearm charge and who beat a murder charge earlier this year was shot and killed on Monday night in front of his home. The murder came three days after another man out on bail was shot and killed near Meadow Street. “We will continue to target prolific offenders,” Senior ACP Dean said. “We have been saying this for a very long time. These persons who are involved in crime, whether they be the criminal or the victim, these are persons that have been released on bail. “(The recent killings are) two absolute examples of what we have been saying, someone who was on bail for murder, someone who is on bail for firearms and just got off a murder case were killed. We have issues with these persons either committing crimes again or becoming victims of violent crimes. I can tell you that is our core focus, we will continue to arrest them and we will continue to do our job. We are not castigating the judiciary. We are doing our job. We will arrest these prolific offenders.” The man who was killed shortly before midnight on Monday has been identified as Dereck Neilly, 25, who was shot multiple times hours after he received bail
THE WRECKAGE of the car involved in the high-speed chase that ended in a shootout with police. for a gun possession charge. of the murder of Latore Ferguson was out on bail According to police, Mackey, the press aide of for murder, according to Neilly was standing near former Prime Minister Per- police. his home off Market Street ry Christie. Last week, Commiswhen a man armed with a However, in February, sioner of Police Ellison handgun approached and the Office of the Attorney Greenslade said the counshot him multiple times be- General directed that pro- try was “recycling” prolific fore fleeing the area on foot. ceedings against both men offenders due to less than He was pronounced dead end after a witness recanted firm punishments. on the scene. Police have no his initial statement. Commissioner motive for the crime and no Last Friday, 33-year-old Greenslade said that no suspects in custody. Valentino Ferguson was number of arrests and agNeilly, along with anoth- shot and killed on Wulff gressive police tactics er man, was also accused Road. could limit crime if “the
people who are coming into the system, that is the bad people who are committing crimes, very serious crimes in this country, are not dealt with in a very firm way”. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328TIPS.
PAGE 8, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
THE ROYAL Bahamas Police Force conducted a walkabout in Fox Hill following a number of recent shootings in the area.
Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
Fox Hill walkabout ‘the first of many’ to target crime hotspots By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net IN response to an increase in shootings in the Fox Hill area, Royal Bahamas Police Force officers conducted a walk-a-bout in the community yesterday morning, gathering information and giving residents safety tips. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean said the walkabout was “the first of many” officers plan to conduct in the
area known to police as a crime hotspot. “This is just a small part of what we have been doing in this area, we have been running operations in this area simultaneously,” Senior ACP Dean said. “I can tell you just over the past two weeks, we launched a major operation in this area, where we recovered a large number of firearms. We continue to arrest prolific offenders in this area. We have some people that we are targeting and I can tell you in
short order if they have not been visited by us as yet, they will soon be in custody. We do not do these walk-a-bouts for publicity, we do this for a personal touch. People want to talk to the chief of police in the area, they want to see us, they want us to walk about, this is one of our most effective tools in this area. This is not a public relations exercise.” Chief Superintendent of Police Maxine Rolle, officer-in-charge of the Eastern Division, said Wednesday’s
walkabout was the first she has conducted since her appointment three weeks ago. She plans to canvass the area “at least twice a month”. “Recently we have been having a spate of shootings in this area and so we decided to get all our resources together and come out here to reassure the good citizens that the police are here to assist them in whatever they need and we will be here as long as we have to doing our walkabouts and
executing our search warrants and arresting the bad persons in this area,” Chief Supt Rolle said. “Crime has been trending down recently but we have seen it start to rise again with these shootings. The people in this community have been very helpful and I would like to say thank you to them for helping us.” Rachel Beneby, a 30-year resident of Fox Hill, said she missed “the old days” when Fox Hill was safe “and the boys had respect”. “It used to be so calm
around here, so safe. In the good old days, there wasn’t much crime around here,” she said. “The young men were decent and respectable. They were not wild and killing each other but these young men they don’t have respect for anyone and they do not care what they do and who they do it to. The crime through here is bad, but I blame the parents who raised these children and bring them into the world and don’t teach them right from wrong.”
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THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 9
MEMBERS of the Royal Bahamas Police Force speaking to residents during a walkabout in Fox Hill and, below right, Senior ACP Stephen Dean speaking to the media.
Photos: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
PAGE 10, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
CLEOPHAS ADDERLEY, above and below, pictured at last month’s Bahamian Icon Awards where he received a lifetime achievement award.
Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Tributes as youth music director Cleophas Adderley dies, aged 62 from page one He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bahamian Icon Awards on June 17 for his contributions to nation building through youth development. In a statement issued yesterday, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard expressed his condolences to Mr Adderley’s family. He noted that it was a pleasure to have worked with Mr Adderley while employed as a consultant at the ministry years ago. Mr Pintard described Mr Adderley as a “distinguished” and “charismatic” scholar. “He was a unique and iconic cultural character
who dedicated his life to music and to the people of The Bahamas. “His life experience led him to be involved in many facets of the community where he touched the lives of thousands through music,” Mr Pintard noted. Mr Adderley was acclaimed for his work with the BNYC, which he started in 1983. He trained hundreds of young people in the art of singing and performing and dedicated his life to music. The BNYC won numerous competitions and participated in many international festivals and iconic events. The choir performed in the presence of some noteworthy figures including actor Sir Sidney Poitier, Queen Elizabeth
II, and the late Dr Nelson Mandela. He wrote the first Bahamian grand opera “Our Boys,” which was the first opera to have been written and performed in the English-speaking Caribbean. Mr Adderley is the last son and eighth of nine children born to the late Cleophas E Adderley, former member of Parliament, and Helen Bailey Adderley, a seamstress, pianist and organist and daughter of the late R M Bailey. He also served as the director of the senior choir at Holy Trinity Church, where he served for many years. He is survived by his wife, Françoise Brooks Adderley, and two children.
PAGE 12, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
Prison officer charged over drug possession
BRANDANO MILLER, 25, of Pastel Gardens, Marshall Road, who is charged with possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff A CORRECTIONAL officer was remanded to prison yesterday after he was arraigned in Magistrate’s Court on drug-related charges. Brandario Miller, 25, of Pastel Gardens appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes facing two counts of possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply concerning an incident on Monday, July 3. According to initial police reports, around 10pm Drug Enforcement Unit officers acted on a tip and conducted a search of a law enforcement officer who had just arrived for duty at the Department of Correctional Services. The search resulted in the alleged discovery of a quantity of marijuana in his possession. The officer was taken into custody. DEU officers then conducted a search of the officer’s home in Pastel Gar-
dens, where they allegedly found an additional quantity of marijuana, police initially reported. It is alleged that on two occasions, Miller was found in possession of a quantity of dangerous drugs, Indian hemp, with intent to supply to another. Miller pleaded not guilty to both counts. “In light of the not guilty plea, the matter will proceed to trial,” the deputy chief magistrate said in court. Miller is scheduled to return to court on October 20. Given the nature of the allegations, he was denied bail and remanded to the Department of Correctional Services to await trial. However, he has the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail. He has retained attorney Sonia Timothy to represent him.
MAN, 57, ACCUSED OF RAPING GIRL, AGED TEN
A MAN accused of raping a girl 40 years his junior will stand trial in Supreme Court next year. Reginald Sweeting, 57, appeared before Senior Justice Stephen Isaacs on Wednesday morning for a fixture hearing concerning the unlawful sexual intercourse charge he faces for the alleged January 21, 2010, incident. The complainant was ten at the time.
Sweeting’s trial did not start last month as scheduled. A new date was fixed for March 27, 2018 and a status hearing for the case was fixed for February 6, 2018. Sweeting has denied the charge and has retained attorney David Cash to represent him. Abagail Farrington appeared for the Crown in yesterday’s fixture hearing.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 13
Muzik Festival requests for meeting with Wilchcombe ‘were ignored’
The SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR, above, performing at the Caribbean Muzik Festival. By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net LEGAL counsel for principals of the Caribbean Muzik Festival denied reports the government was looking to reclaim money invested in the failed 2015 event, suggesting that government failed to live up to many of its contractual obligations. In a statement, L Obafemi “Obi” Pindling claimed his clients repeatedly sought to have meetings with former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe to discuss issues, inclusive of the ministry’s alleged failures to meet obligations relative to hosting, production and promotion of the event, but those requests were ignored. Mr Pindling suggested new Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar review the ministry’s file and then meet with his clients at his earliest convenience to discuss a resolution of outstanding issues, noting that his predecessor Mr Wilchcombe had failed to do so. “My clients can only assume that in making the statements attributed to him in The Tribune article, the honourable min-
ister had not yet had the time to personally review his ministry’s file on the matter,” the statement read. “Had he done so, the minister would have seen beyond the shadow of any doubt, that it is replete with correspondence from myself, on behalf of my clients, outlining in some detail, the issues which resulted in the postponement of the October 2015 festival. “These issues,” the statement continued, “include without limitation, the failure by his ministry to fulfil many of its contractual obligations as contained in the ‘host country agreement’ with my clients, relative to the hosting, production and promotion of the CMF in October 2015 and beyond.” It continued: “Additionally, Minister D’Aguilar would also have seen the multiple requests by my clients seeking audience with the former minister to discuss these issues, the large majority of which, for some reason, were ignored and never responded to.” The Caribbean Muzik Festival was billed as a part of the Christie administration’s efforts to fill the
Bahamian calendar with musical and sporting events that would promote culture, encourage commerce and put a spotlight on the country’s tourism products yearround. The festival was produced and promoted by a company called Caribbean Republic Inc with the Ministry of Tourism serving as the event’s biggest sponsor with an investment of $650,000. Scheduled for October 28 to 31, 2015, the fourday festival was postponed after two nights of activity. The debacle spurred a war of words between Mr Wilchcombe and former Attorney General Alfred Sears, both of whom ran as candidates for the PLP during the last election. Mr Sears was a director of Caribbean Music Festival (2000) Limited, however he quit this post in December 2015. On Monday, Mr D’Aguilar told The Tribune the government is seeking to secure legal counsel over the matter in an effort to recoup the funds invested.
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PAGE 14, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
All options considered after RBC pull-out from Bimini By NICO SCAVELLA Tribune Staff Reporter nscavella@tribunemedia.net
DEPUTY Prime Minister Peter Turnquest.
THE Minnis administration is “considering all options” to replace banking services on Bimini when the island’s only bank branch closes its operations next month, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest has confirmed. Mr Turnquest, also the minister of finance, confirmed as much to The
Tribune yesterday, days after Bimini businesses were said to be “up in arms” over Royal Bank of Canada’s (RBC) decision to cease operations on the island come August 2. His confirmation also comes after some Bimini businesses have called on the government to step in and resolve the matter, with at least one suggesting that a Bank of The Bahamas branch could serve as a viable replacement for the island. Pakesia Parker Edgecombe, MP for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, recently said she would “stop at nothing” in her attempts to urge the government to “attract a viable and suitable” replacement for RBC. When contacted by The Tribune yesterday and asked if the government
was considering placing a BOB branch on Bimini, Mr Turnquest said: “We are considering all options.” According to a public notice, RBC advised clients that the bank would be merging its Bimini branch with the RBC Freeport branch on Grand Bahama, effective August 2. The Bimini branch will close at 3pm, and ATM services will also cease, leaving businesses, residents, and visitors with no access to banking services on the island. The bank informed clients that its branch network is evolving. Mrs Edgecombe has said the bank’s decision is “devastating” to the island at this time, and that every effort is being made to have RBC reconsider its position. “I remain focused on and
A SIGN announcing the closure of the Bimini branch of RBC.
committed to improving the quality of life for Biminites and all Bahamians,” she said recently. “I will continue to update residents on this pressing matter.” Earlier this year, RBC unveiled plans to close its locations in Bimini, Spanish Wells in North Eleuthera, the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA) and Treasure Cay in Abaco. At the time, RBC told Tribune Business that all four branches would be consolidated with remaining locations. According to RBC, the Treasure Cay branch would be merged with Marsh Harbour, LPIA would be consolidated with RBC’s Cable Beach operation, while the Bimini and Spanish Wells locations would be merged with Freeport and Harbour Island, respectively.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 15
Readers respond over $234m deficit increase ahead of vote READERS on tribune242.com have been giving their views about the stories making the news this week. After Central Bank data revealed that $234m was added to the Government’s fiscal deficit during the May 10 general election quarter, Realfreethinker asked: “How does one go from a $10m surplus at end of third quarter to $234m deficit three months later? This is nuts. Perry those really did a number on us. We are really up the creek.” ThisIsOurs responded with this: “Don’t think they’re saying everything was good up to 3rd quarter since the report says ‘the half-year deficit was pegged at $275m’. Seems they did ‘ok’ in the 3rd quarter so the deficit went down by $5m, but I could be wrong. Also you’d really have to know something
about their cash flow pattern – for example, have you ever built a house? At certain intervals you spend more of the money, depends on the operation.” SP had this to say: “There is no way back for the PLP brand. The electorate at large will never trust ‘PLP’ ever again.” Sheeprunner12 wanted action from the current administration: “Sooooooooo, are we going to condone this fiscal wastage forever?? Ever since 2002, there has been these large deficits requiring incoming governments to borrow excessive amounts to clean up outstanding bills. This
Minnis government must put in place mechanisms and a culture of fiscal responsibility and accountability so that this practice is minimal or eliminated altogether. It is unethical and immoral to fiscally handcuff an incoming government.” Seaman said: “I say give Minnis them one year to get things sorted out . . . then, if no case is before the court dock let’s vote them out as well. I say that as a huge FNM supporter. They were voted in to give us justice and justice is what we want.” Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said Bahamian vendors allegedly owed thousands of dollars over the failed Fyre Festival will likely get “nothing” as unsecured creditors, prompting DaGoobs to say: “Modern business practices require that people like those behind the
MAN DEAD AFTER THREE-CAR COLLISION By SANCHESKA DORSETT Tribune Staff Reporter sdorsett@tribunemedia.net ONE man is dead after he was thrown through the windshield of a vehicle in which he was a passenger during a three-car collision Tuesday afternoon. It happened shortly after noon on New Providence Highway, south of Saunders Beach. Police said the incident involved a white Kia vehicle driven by a man with a male passenger, and a 2001 freight liner flatbed truck, also driven by a man. During the collision, the male passenger was ejected from the Kia vehicle into the street, police said. The driver of the Kia and his passenger were taken to
hospital, where the passenger later died. Assistant Superintendent Craig Stubbs, Officer in Charge of the Traffic Division, said the passenger was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver remains in stable condition. The driver of the flatbed was not injured, police said. Investigations are continuing. • Police arrested two men Wednesday morning who led them on a high speed chase in a stolen car. Shortly after 11am, Southwestern Division officers were on routine patrol when they spotted two men on Fire Trail Road driving a Nissan Note vehicle. The vehicle had been taken during an armed robbery on West Bay Street, near Sandy Port, around 11pm
Tuesday. The officers signalled for the car to stop, but the men refused and sped off at top speed. The officers gave chase. The suspects stopped the car in Pride Estates, where they abandoned it and fled on foot. Following a short chase, the officers caught the two suspects and took them into custody. Police also said two women were arrested Tuesday after they were allegedly found with nearly 200 small packages of marijuana. Officers from the Selective Enforcement Team arrested the women after 10pm when they executed a search warrant at a home in Hospital Lane. At the home, police found 194 small packages of marijuana. Investigations continue.
Fyre Festival put their money where their mouth is and secure performance or other bonds so that no one is left holding an empty bag if the promoter, contractor or whoever is unable to fulfil their end of the bargain. Obviously Tourism, or whoever did not do their due diligence,
simply took the Fyre Festival guys at their word without fully analysing the actual prospects of the event.” And as the row over the Baha Mar resort’s completion date rolls in, Sickened said: “A $4 billion dollar hotel project in the Bahamas doesn’t make sense! I
wish, I wish, I wish this hotel opens soon and becomes relevant to our economy. But, for the life of me, I can’t see how this project can be sustained over a year or two.” • Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.
PAGE 16, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
PETER NYGARD
Minister still pursuing case in murder-for-hire lawsuit complaint By AVA TURNQUEST Tribune Chief Reporter aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
MINISTER of Environment Romauld Ferreira.
THE explosive murderfor-hire and harassment lawsuit waged against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard and lawyer Keod Smith by Minister of Environment Romauld Ferreira, several Save The Bays di-
rectors and a local pastor was adjourned Tuesday. Acting Justice Donna Newton is expected to deliver her written judgment on the plaintiff’s application for a default judgment and two applications from defendants: one for an extension to submit their defence and another calling for case dismissal on the grounds that it was scandalous, vexatious and an abuse of the court process. On Tuesday, plaintiff Save The Bays Legal Director Fred Smith, QC, said there was no expected timeline on when the judgment would be given, adding that it could take up to three months. The lawsuit, filed last year on March 9, alleges that Mr Nygard engaged in a murder-for-hire scheme with criminals Livingston “Toggie” Bullard and Wisler “Bobo” Davilma, and paid them to stage several hate rallies and commit such criminal acts as arson and harassment. The murder-for-hire scheme was allegedly directed at Mr Fred Smith and another Save The Bays director, Lyford Cay billionaire Louis Bacon - who is also Mr Nygard’s neighbour. The other directors, inclusive of Mr Ferreira, and local pastor C B Moss allegedly received death threats and other forms of harassment such as arson and slashed car tyres. Mr Ferreira, the MP for Marathon, previously served as a director for Save The Bays but stepped down from the post before the
general election. He also removed himself as legal counsel for Save The Bays (Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay) in its ongoing judicial review proceedings. The environmental group has four sets of judicial review proceedings in relation to alleged unauthorised construction and Crown land reclamation activities of Mr Nygard at Nygard Cay, and the failure of the PLP government to take appropriate action, including the prime minister, deputy prime minister, the Town Planning Committee, the director of physical planning and others. It was questioned whether Mr Ferreira would also remove himself as a plaintiff in the private harassment case due to his present parliamentary post, and subsequent appointment as a Cabinet minister in the new government. Mr Ferreira was also part of a petition filed last year by the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which requested that the Bahamas government adopt precautionary measures to prevent irreparable harm to their lives. Mr Fred Smith said Tuesday: “I can confirm that Mr Romauld Ferreira was counsel for the Coalition in all judicial reviews and he’s no longer acting as counsel in any of those cases. But he, in his personal capacity, in his personal case against Mr Nygard, he remains as a plaintiff.”
To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 17
The dangers of addiction to gambling
“GAMBLING: The sure way to get nothing for something,” Wilson Mizner. IN the wake of widespread acceptance of legal gambling in The Bahamas many of you may be surprised that it is also viewed as a potential addiction by psychiatrists. The symptoms of the addiction are similar to other addictions with secretiveness, difficulties in stopping, family concerns and gambling when you cannot afford to; these can then lead to depression and even suicide. Gambling has been around for a very long time with most modern casino games originating in Europe and China. My own experiences growing up in an Irish family with cousins who owned and trained racehorses was the enjoyment of visits to the races watching both horses and Greyhounds fly around the track. I was fascinated by probability theory and worked on variants of the Martingale which is a sequence of random variables. I was interested in roulette with the even chance of red or black falling required an exponential growth of bets which without unlimited funds would eventually make me bankrupt. The odds were further skewed by the zero which changed the fifty/ fifty chance the statistical basis for the Martingale. I then realised when I visited a casino and saw zero, double zero and triple zero on the roulette wheel, the real odds were never fair to the punter. I learnt the bank always wins so decided gambling was not for me. Even at medical school in Dublin gambling seemed
fun, one fellow student purchased some mice from the pet store and small bets were placed to see which mouse crossed a finish line first on a table in the bar that we frequented. It all came to an amusing end when an enterprising student captured a wild mouse and entered him in the race, the mouse did not race, he leapt in the air and shot around the bar vanishing under tables and upsetting all the customers, the landlord was not amused and that ended that form of gambling! It was around that time that I became aware of the dark side of gambling when I would see people hanging around the betting shops, looking anxious, agitated and broke; there was clearly no hope of their wages going home to feed their families. Gambling in The Bahamas has had an interesting history beginning with small gambling clubs catering to high end visitors; this practice culminated in the 1967 Commission of Inquiry into gambling. It is an interesting read with the ubiquitous “consultants” and letters from the Christian Council and the Catholic bishop warning of the potential moral abyss that opening up gambling could create. The resulting recommendations created a compromise which legitimised gambling but did not allow Bahamian citizens or residents to gamble. There
was also a ban on Bahamians working as croupiers in the casinos, these were well paid jobs and created a scenario that eventually led to bad feelings all around. The illegal gambling in the form of “numbers” continued to thrive making the law seem somewhat irrelevant. The recent gambling referendum created a similar impasse; the churches again warned of the moral abyss and in fact won the “no” vote. This time there was to be no compromise and gambling is booming. There has been little talk of the inevitable casualties of gambling addiction and whilst many therapists have experience in treating other addictions there is a paucity of treatment options for this specific addiction. It would have been nice if recognition of the importance of mental health had led to the formation of a unit that could have researched the size of this growing problem and provided treatment. I suppose it was just like the “magical thinking” of the gambling addict that made me think this could have been funded by the millions and millions of money created by this surge in gambling. • Dr Mike Neville is a forensic psychiatrist who has practised for more than 40 years in The Bahamas, working at Sandilands, the prison and in private practice. Comments and responses to mneville@ tribunemedia.net
PAGE 18, Thursday, July 6, 2017
THE TRIBUNE
Venezuela opposition lawmakers attacked by pro-Government militia CARACAS, VENEZUELA Associated Press MILITIAS wielding wooden sticks and metal bars and supporting the Government stormed congress on Wednesday and attacked opposition lawmakers during a special session coinciding with Venezuela’s independence day. Four lawmakers were injured and blood was splattered on the neoclassical legislature’s white walls. One of them, Americo de Grazia, had to be taken in a stretcher to an ambulance suffering from convulsions, said a fellow congressman. “This doesn’t hurt as much as watching how every day how we lose a little bit more of our country,” Armando Arias said from inside an ambulance as he was being treated for head wounds that spilled blood across his clothes. The attack, in plain view
OPPOSITION lawmaker Armando Armas, centre front, and National Assembly workers run from pro-government militia members attacking opposition lawmakers and assembly employees in Caracas, Venezuela, yesterday. Photos: Fernando Llano/AP of national guardsmen as- security forces and protest- tion-controlled legislature signed to protect the legis- ers who accuse the govern- and rewriting the constitulature, comes amid three ment of trying to establish a tion to avoid fair elections. months of often-violent dictatorship by jailing foes, Tensions were already confrontations between pushing aside the opposi- high after Vice President
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE
BAHAMAS
Tareck El Aissami made an unannounced morning visit to the National Assembly, accompanied by top government and military officials, for an event celebrating independence day. The short appearance at the congress by top officials who have repeatedly dismissed the legislators as a band of US-backed conspirators was seen by many as a provocation. Standing next to a display case holding the founding charter, El Aissami said global powers are once again trying to subjugate Venezuela. “We still haven’t finished definitively breaking the chains of the empire,” he said, adding that President Nicolas Maduro’s plans to rewrite the constitution — a move the opposition sees as a power-grab — offers Venezuela the best chance to be truly independent. After he left, dozens of government supporters set up a picket outside the building, heckling lawmakers with menacing chants and eventually invading the legislature themselves. Despite the violence, lawmakers approved a plan by the opposition to hold a symbolic referendum on July 16 that would give voters the chance to reject Maduro’s plans to draft a new political charter. Later Maduro condemned the violence, but complained that the opposition doesn’t do enough to control “terrorist attacks” committed against security forces by anti-government protesters. “I will never be an accomplice to acts of violence,” said Maduro during a speech at a military parade. The clash followed Tuesday’s appearance of a 5-minute video posted by a former police inspector who allegedly stole a helicopter and fired on two government buildings last week. Oscar Perez, repeating a call for rebellion among the security forces, said that he was in Caracas after abandoning the helicopter along the Caribbean coast and was ready for the “second phase” of his campaign to free his homeland from what he called the corrupt rule of President Nicolas Maduro and his “assassin” allies.
Perez gave no other details but pledged to join youth who have been protesting on the streets the past three months against Maduro. “Stop talking. Get on the streets. Take action. Fight,” he said in the video, sitting before a Venezuelan flag and with what looks like an assault rifle by his side. He also denounced Maduro’s plan to rewrite the constitution. “If this constitutional assembly goes through, Venezuela will cease to exist because we’ll have given away the country to the Cubans,” he said. The bold though largely harmless June 27 attack shocked Venezuelans who had grown accustomed to almost-daily clashes since April between often-violent youth protesters and security forces that have left more than 90 people dead and hundreds injured. Perez apparently piloted the stolen police helicopter that sprayed 15 bullets toward the Interior Ministry and dropped at least two grenades over the supreme court building. While Maduro claimed Perez had stolen the helicopter on a US-backed mission to oust him from power, many in the opposition questioned whether the incident was a staged by the government to distract attention from the president’s increasingly authoritarian rule. Adding to the intrigue is Perez’s colorful past. In 2015, he produced and starred in a film called “Suspended Death,” and several photos show him in fatigues, scuba diving while toting an assault rifle, skydiving and standing in action poses with a German shepherd by his side. In his political debut, he read a manifesto in which he claimed to be part of a group of disgruntled members of Venezuela’s security forces determined to save the country’s democracy. Perez said in the video that the strike produced no casualties because he had taken care to avoid them. Neither of the buildings he attacked suffered damage. The helicopter he stole was found 24 hours later, abandoned in a verdant valley near the Caribbean coastline outside Caracas.
REDISCOVERED PHOTO CASTS NEW LIGHT ON EARHART DISAPPEARANCE NEW YORK Associated Press THE photo is haunting. Among a number of figures gathered on a dock, the fuzzy image seems to be that of a woman, her back to the camera, gazing at what may be her crippled aircraft loaded on a barge, and perhaps wondering what her future might hold. Is this Amelia Earhart, the world-famous aviator, witnessed after her mysterious disappearance while attempting the first roundthe-world flight 80 years ago this month? That is the theory put forth in “Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence,” a two-hour documentary airing Sunday at 9pm on the History channel. It uncovers records, including this newly revealed photograph that shows what may be a healthy Earhart along with her navigator Fred Noonan, after they were last heard from. The film also argues that after the pair crash-landed in the Japanese-held Marshall Islands, they were picked up by the Japanese military and that Earhart, perhaps presumed to be a US spy, was held prisoner. And there’s more: The United States government knew of her whereabouts and did nothing to rescue her, according to the film. The disappearance of Earhart and Noonan on July 2, 1937, in the Western Pacific Ocean has gained legendary status among the age’s unsolved mysteries.
AMELIA EARHART, pictured in 1937. By then she had already logged numerous aviation feats, including that of being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. She reigned as an international hero. And yet the US government closed the book on its investigation just two weeks after her disappearance. Its vaguely worded findings were inconclusive. Was there a cover-up? The film proposes there was. The documentary is hosted by former FBI Executive Assistant Director Shawn Henry, whose fascination with the case is equaled by former US Treasury Agent Les Kinney, who discovered the photo hidden and mislabeled in the US National Archives. In the documentary, that photo is subjected to facialrecognition and other forensic testing. It is judged authentic, and likely that of Earhart and Noonan.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 6, 2017, PAGE 19
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25
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INCL. VAT
LOCAL boy Kai with a solid Nassau grouper.
A 60LB+ yellowfin landed near Bimini a few days ago by Jason Spiewak.
ZEBRAS still biting near Harbour Island.
A NICE Yellowfin Tuna caught near Spanish Wells.
PIECES OF CHICKEN
(2 THIGHS, 2 RIBS, 2 LEGS & 2 WINGS)
Large sides biscuits 2 Litre Pepsi