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The Tribune

MINNIS: BAN FAST FOOD ON

FA MILY ISLANDS

Unhealthy habits leading to obesity crisis in the country, says former PM

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Min-

ister Dr Hubert Minnis has proposed introducing legislation to prevent international fast food franchises from operating in the Family Islands, citing the growing health crisis linked to poor dietary habits.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter

Dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A 35-YEAR-OLD

Abaco man accused of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl became visibly emotional on Thursday

Speaking during yesterday’s House of Assembly debate on a suite of healthcare reform bills, Dr Minnis noted that unhealthy eating habits are contributing to rising rates of obesity, especially among young Bahamians.

“We have an obesity crisis, and this crisis is increasingly affecting especially our young people,”

after a Supreme Court jury found him not guilty. Moments after the verdicts were read, Jeffrey Grant, tears in his eyes, dropped to his knees in the courtroom, raised his hands toward the ceiling, and, ACQUITTED - SEE PAGE SE V E N

he said. “We eat too many reﬁned carbohydrates, high-fat foods, and processed foods.”

“We do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, and the prevalence of fast food restaurants in our major population centres is worsening the problem, and maybe its time, we need to

OBESITY - SEE PAGE F I V E

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE government has signed a $52.6m contract for the redevelopment of the road network in Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis’ San Salvador constituency - along with the expansion of its marina.

The contract, signed yesterday with GDA Paving and Construction, includes the paving of 40 miles of road, including key routes to the capital, Cockburn Town, the installation of pedestrian sidewalks, and the repair of damaged seawalls.

The marina upgrade will address chronic issues that have restricted commercial and transport activity for years. According to GDA ofﬁcials, the governmentowned marina is currently too shallow to accommodate vessels outside of

MINISTER of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting, flanked by Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis and GDA Paving & Construction spokesperson Charles Sealy II, speaks during the San Salvador roadworks & marina redevelopment contract signing between the Ministry of Works and GDA Paving & Construction at the Office of The Prime Minister yesterday.

high tide and has only two docking points. This has disrupted everything from cargo deliveries to stormrelated evacuations.

The upgrade will include

Staff

dredging the basin, widening the entrance, and installing cleats around the perimeter to accommodate

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor

THE Court of Appeal has struck down a $575,000 judgment issued by a retired Supreme Court justice nearly three years after she demitted ofﬁce, declaring the decision unconstitutional and legally void.

The unanimous ruling, delivered yesterday, concluded that Justice Indira Bowe-Darville had no authority to issue a ruling in August 2024, two years and eight months after she retired in December 2021. The case at the centre of the decision involved Dahene Nonord, a former immigration detainee, who

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaks with reporters outside the House of Assembly yesterday.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune

New wall at Go Slow Bend

IT has taken many months but construction of a new wall at Go Slow Bend has ﬁnally been completed - and people are not impressed.

For a long time, a wooden construction has been up at the location, known for its stunning view across Goodman’s Bay as well as being a scene of all-too-common crashes.

Readers of The Tribune asked repeatedly when the construction would be done and the ramshackle wooden construction would come down.

Now it has - only to be replaced by a wall that already looks to be crumbling, which appears to be uneven and which blocks off that remarkable view.

Several readers this week got in touch to ask if this really was the ﬁnal work after all those months - and who could possibly have approved it.

Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

‘Don’t judge Defence Force on the conduct of one or two men’

‘RBDF

not offered complimentary Starlink service in SpaceX deal’

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security

Minister Wayne Munroe says the government pays more than $1m annually for Starlink satellite internet services used across law enforcement and security agencies, contradicting a recent international news report suggesting the services may have been provided free of charge as part of an agreement to allow SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket boosters to land in the country. Mr Munroe said the Ministry of National Security manages Starlink

subscriptions for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, police, immigration, customs, and corrections. He said the latest renewal request showed a quarterly bill of around $200,000.

“All of the patrol crafts have Starlink,” he said. “We recently got four SAFE Boats, fast interceptor boats. They’re to be outfitted as well. They are also used, I understand, at the Academy as well.”

He said to his knowledge, the government was not offered complimentary Starlink access.

“As far as I am aware, if they provided it free, then we need to see why we are

paying another subscription,” he said. “Because we’re paying another subscription. And for everyone, I believe it totals over a million dollars.”

The only payment SpaceX made to The Bahamas, Mr Munroe said, was to reimburse logistical costs related to a Falcon rocket landing off the coast. The company needed a 30-metre vessel and support craft; he said the government calculated the manpower, fuel, and food costs and was compensated accordingly but did not reveal the amount. His comments follow Reuters’ scrutiny of the country’s arrangement with SpaceX.

Decomposing body of man found in car near a residence on Wilton Street

A MAN’S body was found in an advanced state of decomposition inside a vehicle near a residence on Wilton Street yesterday afternoon. Police say they were alerted by a caller shortly before 1.30pm. Ofﬁcers responding to the scene

found the body in a silver Toyota Avalon. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

“You judge

an organisation not by whether one or two people are delinquent, but how the organisation deals with matters and how it fails or succeeds in

safeguarding against them.”

By KEILE CAMPBELL Tribune Staff Reporter kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister

Wayne Munroe says the Royal Bahamas Defence Force should be judged not by the misconduct of one or two people, but by how the organisation responds and protects against future failures, a principle guiding the inquiry into alleged abuse at this summer’s Rangers camp in Eleuthera.

“You judge an organisation not by whether one or two people are delinquent,” Mr Munroe told reporters yesterday, “but how the organisation deals with matters and how it fails or succeeds in safeguarding against them.”

He said the Defence Force’s board of inquiry is not only investigating the conduct of a marine accused of abusing participants, but is also assessing whether command oversight and internal systems broke down.

“The purpose of that, over and above dealing with what the marine ofﬁcer has done, is to examine the systems that operate,” Mr Munroe said, “to work out how this was able to happen in the ﬁrst place, look at the people who had command authority at the event, and make changes so it could not happen again.”

The camp, held from June 30 to July 19, has prompted police and military investigations following reports of physical assaults, forced consumption of toilet water, and sexually inappropriate behaviour by a supervising ofﬁcer.

One parent said her son was “visibly shaken” on returning from the camp, describing his experience as “degrading” and ﬁlled with humiliating punishments. The accused marine was initially conﬁned to base for eight days, in accordance with Defence Force regulations.

Mr Munroe noted that military regulations allow for an initial eight-day confinement period during internal inquiries — longer than the five days permitted in civilian cases — and said this reflects the Defence Force’s distinct disciplinary structure.

Commodore Floyd Moxey, who assumed command earlier this year, has conﬁrmed the inquiry will examine broader leadership responsibility and whether structural changes are needed to protect minors under the programme’s care.

Ofﬁcials say they are reviewing the Rangers programme’s operational framework and have already engaged parents in a virtual meeting, pledging continued transparency.

While not commenting directly on the case, Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin addressed the broader issue of child exploitation, praising the justice system’s increasingly ﬁrm response to such cases.

“There have been many convictions, and many now are in Fox Hill prison, and that is where they need to be,” she said.

Mr Munroe said ﬁndings from the Defence Force and police investigations will guide any future disciplinary actions and institutional reforms.

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe.

Photo: Dante Carrr/Tribune Staff

Bills tabled ‘put public health at the centre of our national policy’

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A SWEEPING package of health-related bills aimed at strengthening the nation’s healthcare system, expanding access, and modernising service delivery was debated in Parliament yesterday, drawing praise and criticism.

The legislative agenda, heralded by Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville as a “comprehensive reform package”, includes ﬁve key bills: the National Health Insurance Bill, 2025; the National Health Insurance (Speciﬁed Chronic Diseases) (Prescription Drug Fund) Bill, 2025; the Health Promotion and Wellness Bill, 2025; the Dental Professions Bill, 2025; and the Pharmacy (Amendment)

“If this bill is truly about ﬁnancial protection and equity, then cancer treatment must be included — clearly, explicitly, and boldly.”

Kwasi Thompson East Grand Bahama MP

Bill, 2025. At the heart of the new National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill is the introduction of the Standard Health Beneﬁt (SHB), a

baseline package of primary care services for the roughly 161,000 registered beneﬁciaries.

These beneﬁts cover maternal and pediatric services, diagnostics, cancer screening, health education, and wellness promotion.

“This bill addresses the shortcomings of the past and places public health at the centre of our national policy,” Dr Darville said, describing the legislation as pivotal to building a more equitable healthcare system.

However, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson criticised the legislation for not going far enough, particularly in addressing cancer, one of the country’s most pressing health threats. He slammed the absence of a comprehensive high-cost care programme in the NHI reforms.

“Cancer is a leading cause of catastrophic health expenditure in The Bahamas,” Mr Thompson said. “If this bill is truly about ﬁnancial protection and equity, then cancer treatment must be included — clearly, explicitly, and boldly.”

Mr Thompson also cautioned that expanding the NHI scheme without resolving ongoing administrative delays, such as late payments to participating doctors, could erode public trust and effectiveness.

“The government is already behind. It cannot afford to fall further,” he warned. “This issue must be ﬁxed, and it must be ﬁxed now.”

Turning to the Health Promotion and Wellness Bill, which proposes taxes on unhealthy products and tighter food regulations, Mr Thompson questioned its necessity, calling it “heavy on aspiration but light on enforcement.” He argued that existing laws already provide enough authority for wellness initiatives.

“There are no mandates, no penalties, and no bans. Where is the regulatory teeth to compel real change?” he asked, suggesting practical reforms such as removing soda-ﬁlled vending machines from public hospitals.

Despite the pushback, Dr

Darville defended the legislation as a progressive step in overhauling healthcare delivery. “We are not merely ﬁxing what’s broken — we are rebuilding the system so that it works for everyone,” he said.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis echoed this sentiment, calling the reforms a cornerstone of his administration’s vision to transform Bahamian society. “We are shifting healthcare from privilege to right, from reactive to preventative, from crisis-driven to wellness-focused,” he said. BUSINESS for more.

‘Much stricter environMent when schools reopen with iD carDs anD ca Mpus controls’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune News Editor rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PUBLIC schools across the country will enter a “much stricter environment” this September, with new rules requiring student ID cards, security escorts for visitors, and tighter campus controls, part of changes announced by Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin.

“We have brought a special focus to enhance security on campuses,” she said yesterday, noting that the government is responding to a pattern of violent or disruptive incidents. “Every year it’s evolving. The more foolishness we see, the more we have to really reﬁne what we’re doing.”

The new digital student ID system, currently in development with the Ministry of Finance, will verify and regulate access

to school campuses. “We’re working... for the production of these cards which will be digitally checked and veriﬁed to allow students access onto the campus,” Mrs Hanna-Martin said. Visitors, including parents, will be escorted to designated areas. “That parent will be escorted on the campus into the space where they seek to go, to ensure there’s no issue along the way,” she said. She also conﬁrmed that metal detectors are already in use, and that a former assistant superintendent of police is now leading a revamp of national school security. “We expect September to see a really... stronger security presence for anyone who enters that campus.”

The ID rollout will rely on the ministry’s Education Management Information System (EMIS), which already contains detailed

student records. The challenge now, Mr HannaMartin said, is ensuring the ID cards are produced in a secure, non-duplicable format. No price tag has yet been given for the project.

The minister also announced progress on special education support, with a new database tracking students with special needs and plans to hire aides where necessary. “We are seeking to put in place aides for those children that need assistance,” she said.

Testing and placement capacity have also expanded, with hundreds of students recently diagnosed and placed through the Marjorie Davis Institute, though Mrs Hanna-Martin acknowledged the waiting list is constantly replenished.

“We bring a special, singular focus to children with special needs,” she said.

Health Minister Dr Michael Darville (left) speaks during the presentation of a compenium of health bills in the House of Assembly yesterday. East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson (above) made

remarks on the bills.

Photos: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

MINISTER of Education and Technical and Vocational Training Glenys Hanna-Martin speaks to reporters outside the House of Assembly yesterday.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

IMMIGRAT ION COMMISSION REPORT

‘not handed to me yet,’ says davis

By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip

“Brave” Davis said yesterday he has not yet received the long-anticipated report from the Immigration Commission –– despite the government previously saying it was completed and ready for his review.

“They have not handed it on to me yet,” Mr Davis told The Tribune when asked for an update. “I know that they’re still working on it, but we have been addressing a lot of the issues that were plaguing that department.”

The commission was established in October 2023 following leaked documents that raised concerns about discretionary immigration approvals and alleged

Privilege committee recommends White and c art W right a P ologise over behaviour in the house of a ssembly

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter

THE House of Assembly’s Committee on Privilege has recommended that Opposition MPs Shanendon Cartwright and Adrian White apologise for misleading or inappropriate conduct during this year’s budget debate, warning that future acts of deception or disorder in Parliament should be met with formal condemnation. Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin, who chairs the committee, presented the findings yesterday nearly six weeks after both matters were referred on June 18. The committee met last Wednesday, with members

including Iram Lewis and Keith Bell.

The first case involved a dispute between South and Central Andros MP Leon Lundy and Mr Cartwright, the MP for St Barnabas, over Water and Sewerage Corporation billing practices.

During the budget debate, Mr Cartwright questioned Mr Lundy about “fee changes” at the corporation. Mr Lundy denied any fee increases, but Mr Cartwright disagreed and tabled documents he said supported his claims. Mrs Hanna-Martin said Mr Lundy later returned to the House to clarify his comments but Mr Cartwright responded by accusing him of misleading Parliament.

“He used more colourful language, which we will not refer to,” she said. “In so doing, the member for St Barnabas used words that the member for South and Central Andros found objectionable.”

After Mr Lundy raised a complaint with the House Speaker and requested a withdrawal of the remarks, Mr Cartwright refused. The exchange escalated, with other MPs joining in and ignoring calls for order from the chair. The deputy speaker eventually referred the matter to the Privilege Committee, which concluded that Mr Cartwright’s claims were “unsupported” and “unwarranted”.

Mrs Hanna-Martin said

Minnis: We are addicted to eating foods that make us sick

OBESITY from page one

look at the possibility of enacting a law to ensure that no international fast food franchises are introduced, especially into our Family Islands.”

Dr Minnis pointed to the high concentration of fast food outlets in urban centres as a signiﬁcant factor driving poor nutrition.

“Nassau is contaminated already,” he said.

“Grand Bahama already

contaminated. But let us preserve the Family Islands, and let us take care of ourselves. If you want to bring in foods, use our own restaurants, keep the McDonald’s and Burger King that got us looking fat out.”

He expressed concern over the frequency of fast food consumption, noting that some residents eat such meals two to three times per day. He described conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure,

and obesity as having become a “norm” in Bahamian society. “We are an increasingly unwell people. We are addicted to eating foods that make us sick,” he said.

Dr Minnis also noted a long-standing practice where Family Island residents visiting New Providence often purchase fast food in bulk to take home, a habit that underscores the powerful hold these products have on Bahamian eating culture.

political interference by then-Minister Keith Bell.

The controversy triggered widespread public criticism and called into question the transparency and integrity of immigration practices.

The Davis administration pledged that the commission would play a key role in overhauling immigration policy, reviewing the department’s operations, and restoring public trust.

Since its launch, however, the government has provided little detail about the commission’s internal work. In June, press secretary Keishla Adderley told reporters the commission had completed a “comprehensive review” of immigration operations in both New Providence and the Family Islands and that its ﬁndings would

the committee advised Mr Cartwright to “take the high road” and apologise for accusing Mr Lundy of deliberately misleading the House.

The second matter concerned Mr White, the MP for St Anne’s, who displayed a large poster during his budget contribution. The poster showed a small image of a vehicle parked in a disabled spot, alongside a larger image of Minister

soon be submitted to the prime minister, followed by public consultations. But asked yesterday about the report’s current status, Mr Davis offered no timeline. “We will work to see how soon we can get it,” he said. He added that, in the meantime, his administration has taken steps to improve staff morale and performance within the Department of Immigration, including promotions and succession planning. “For many years, a number of persons had not been promoted or otherwise compensated for what they believed they were doing,” he said. “And in addition, we have set in place a succession planning to ensure that there’s upward mobility for those immigration ofﬁcers that show promise.”

Myles Laroda. Mrs Hanna-Martin said the presentation implied that Mr Laroda was the one who parked illegally, which the committee found “a deliberate attempt to bring the minister’s reputation into odium and contempt.”

In fact, the parked car belonged to Marathon MP Lisa Rahming. “The committee has no doubt that the member for St Anne’s was deliberate in his action,” Mrs Hanna Martin said yesterday. “The committee is of the view that the member for St Anne’s should apologise to the

Member of Parliament for Pinewood and indeed, to this House for his acts of deception.”

She also urged Parliament to take such matters seriously, recommending that future acts of deliberate deception toward the House or the public be met with formal resolutions of condemnation. Neither Mr Cartwright nor Mr White were present during the presentation of the report. However, East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson requested that they be given time to review the committee’s findings.

PRIME Minister Philip Davis speaks in the House of Assembly yesterday.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

KILLARNEY MP and Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaks in the House of Assembly yesterday.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

The Tribune Limited

NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI

“Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914

PICTURE OF THE DAY

LEON E. H. DUPUCH

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Publisher/Editor 1919-1972

Contributing Editor 1972-1991

RT HON EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON, C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B.

Publisher/Editor 1972-

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Removing choice not a great option

WE hope if you live on a Family Island that you are not longing for a bucket of KFC – because Dr Hubert Minnis would rather you not get one.

In the House of Assembly yesterday, the former Prime Minister offered what is probably an unpopular solution to the country’s obesity crisis – stop Family Islands from getting any fast food franchises.

“We have an obesity crisis,” he told the House, going on to say what we all already know, that we eat too many refined carbohydrates, high-fat foods and processed foods.

For Family Islanders, his answer is to take away the option. No international fast food outlets (regardless of the fact that most have healthier options on the menu too).

It is of course not the first time that proposals have been made to change the way we behave when it comes to food.

Under the Minnis administration, then Health Minister Dr Duane Sands talked up the possibility of a sin tax on items such as alcohol, tobacco, lard and high-fructose corn syrup products.

He said that items “which have contributed in a mighty way to the illnesses and injuries of Bahamians, they should not get a free pass”.

For him, it was simple – the tax would pay for National Health Insurance. If you follow an unhealthy lifestyle, the tax on that will go towards the services that treat the outcome.

Out went the Minnis administration, in came the Davis administration – and current Health Minister Dr Michael Darville mooted the prospect of a sin tax too.

He talked about charging people more for items such as sugary beverages to encourage a healthier lifestyle. He noted how about 85 percent of the population does not meet the minimum daily intake for fruit and vegetables, while the figures for

obesity also lead to more cases of hypertension, diabetes and other problems.

Rather than getting people to repent of their sins, both governments considered putting a tax on them.

Dr Minnis, though, seems fonder of abstinence.

Minnis, the menace to fast food businesses, would simply deny the option entirely. Truly, though, what we need is for people to make better choices, not to be denied choices entirely.

Dr Minnis warned: “Nassau is contaminated already. Grand Bahama already contaminated. But let us preserve the Family Islands, and let us take care of ourselves. If you want to bring in foods, use our own restaurants, keep the McDonald’s and Burger King that got us looking fat out.”

Are we really going to convince ourselves that if those outlets were not in the Family Islands, everyone there would be eating healthily? There are plenty of non-franchise businesses serving up unhealthy plates of food. It should be noted too that cost is a factor. People eat fast food often because it is cheap and quick compared to other restaurants. Eating healthily, sadly, is a luxury. Simply dismissing it as an option leads to the question of what people can eat as an affordable alternative. Let them eat johnny cake?

So while the goal of healthy eating is admirable, the method is ridiculous. People in the Family Islands deserve to be treated no differently from elsewhere, and be given the same options, for good or for ill.

Dr Minnis’ suggestion is a blunt instrument to solve a problem that needs a more elegant situation – much as he used at times during COVID-19 when he was criticised for not understanding the needs of the people. In that regard, little, it seems, has changed.

Te media invasion continues

EDITOR, The Tribune.

WE live in a world that every day resembles more and more some Big Brother SciFi ﬂick.

The alternate or parallel depictions of truth have all of us spinning in admire of confusion and it is difficult to discern what is real and what is fake. Depending on what side of the political divide one sits, filtering fact versus fiction has become a daily chore. No longer is a truth absolute and a lie clear. Case in point, the recent denial by the spokesman for the OPM with respect to the intent by the PLP to destabilise the fourth estate. Hmmmmm. The chairman of the PLP is a seasoned journalist and propagandist and while it may not have been a plot at the inception of this administration coming to power, there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind, that at the very minimum, the PLP came to

recognise that it was a solid strategy to pursue.

One of its first appointments was Clint Watson as the press secretary. Not an unusual move and indeed the first Bahamian press secretary Anthony “Ace” Newbold was the President of the Bahamas Press Association. This is not an oddity in western democracies. What is odd is the flurry of appointments that ensued, especially in the diplomatic sphere, which of course is headed by the party’s chairman.

The manna from the heavens was the death of Ivan Johnson and the absence of focus on any scandal involving corruption. I think all Bahamians can agree that the past few years have been BORING, due to the void the Punch has created in the local news scene.

The intertwining of the media and politics is now as clear as day. Two PLP prospects are owners of

Have a cool, fun, interesting, amazing photo? Have it featured here in The Tribune’s picture of the day! Email your high quality image to pictureoftheday@tribunemedia.net

Every child is entitled to safety

EDITOR, The Tribune. I AM outraged by the deeply disturbing reports of abuse against children at a summer camp allegedly operated by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers. These are not mere allegations of misconduct, they represent a profound betrayal of trust, a desecration of innocence, and a grave failure of duty.

Every Bahamian child is entitled to safety, not as a privilege, but as a right. Our Constitution affirms it, international law demands it, and our collective humanity must insist upon it.

position to inflict harm. They work for the people and are paid by the public purse and I can assure you, our tax dollars were never meant to be used to harm our youngsters.

media houses outright, with substantial public private ventures in play. Whether they run or not, their allegiance is unveiled. A third is owned, at least in part, by arguably the biggest power broker in the country where deals both public and private are virtually being processed at light speed. ZNS, well it’s ZNS.

Our News may be the only news house with no direct connection to the government, oh except the government has a board position by virtue of its shareholdings.

So when the director of communications for the Office Prime Minister denies that the media has been raided by the PLP, he may be appealing more to the filtered perspectives of partisan politics and while at first not deliberate, the invasion continues.

MEDIA MONITOR Nassau, July 30, 2025.

There is absolutely no justification, institutional, or otherwise, for the kind of alleged abuse that has been described. It was sickening to read so imagine the youngsters who may have experienced or witnessed such acts. The spaces in which our children gather must be sacred. They must be places of safety, mentorship, and care, free from fear and humiliation. If these allegations are substantiated, those involved must be executed to the fullest extent of the law, with no exceptions.

As part of its ongoing investigation, I urge the Royal Bahamas Police Force to pursue the truth with urgency, impartiality, and transparency. Silence cannot be our refuge, and delay must not become our defense.

This cannot and must not be about protecting the reputations of people or institutions. It must be about protecting our children, and where abuse occurs within structured programmes or state-affiliated entities, penalties must reflect the seriousness of that betrayal. In fact, elevated consequences must apply when those in uniform or public service exploit their

The Bahamas is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms every child’s right to be protected from “all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse.” We are bound, morally and legally, to uphold this standard not just in law, but in life. I have said it before and I say it again, we must strengthen our national child protection framework.

It may be time for all individuals working directly with children to undergo mandatory child protection training before assuming such responsibilities. Whether they serve in youth programmes, summer camps, extracurricular activities, schools, or uniformed branches, those entrusted with our children ought to be properly screened, equipped, and held to the highest standard.

In general, all members of the public should use the 24/7 Child Protection Hotline. If you know or suspect a child is being abused, dial 711. Help is available. Reporting abuse is an act of national service. It is better for you to be wrong and report than to be right and ignore.

To the young people who went to Eleuthera with big dreams, filled with anticipation and optimism of forming friendships, learning new skills, and ultimately defending our sovereignty, but were allegedly harmed; to you and your families: there is no excuse for what happened. You deserve better. I see you. I hear you. I stand with you. We failed you. Your pain matters. Your protection matters. You are not alone. Thank you for speaking up. I pray your courage inspires others to tell their stories.

This is a moment of reckoning. We must transform our systems, renew our vigilance, and build a culture in which children are not only nurtured, but fiercely protected.

The true strength of a nation lies in how it treats its most vulnerable – children, women, persons with disabilities. Let this be the moment The Bahamas decides to rise because no matter how complicated the world gets, children should grow up unharmed, secure and healthy, and develop to the maximum extent of their potential.

SENATOR MAXINE SEYMOUR

Shadow Minister for Social Services, Information and Broadcasting July 30, 2025.

This can evolve into a national registry and vetting system for all youth workers, featuring background checks and psychological evaluations, developed to ensure accountability before harm occurs, not just after. All individuals should be specifically crossed checked with the sex offender registry. Even as we look to the future, I want to remind those who work with children in a professional capacity of mandatory reporting protocols outlined in the existing Child Protection Act. Anyone in a position of trust who witnesses or suspects abuse must report it. Knowing and staying silent is unacceptable and contravenes the law.

THE OLDEST light station in The Bahamas at the western entrance of Nassau harbour. Photo: Rick Josey

Judge: Teen’s evidence must be credible to convict the man

facing the jury, shouted: “Father, only you! Father, you Lord Jesus!”

Justice Petra HannaAdderley told Grant that he is acquitted of the charges and free to leave. He rose to his feet, shouted “Glory, glory!” and walked out of the courtroom, embracing a woman who had been attending the trial.

The jury returned with its verdicts at approximately 2.48 p.m., following two hours of deliberation. On the charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, the jury found Grant not guilty by a vote of 8–1, and not guilty by a 6–3 vote on the charge of possession of child pornography.

When asked how he felt after being acquitted of the charges, Mr. Grant told The Tribune : “God is good. I didn’t do it, you understand? I really didn’t.”

Mr Grant, who had travelled to Grand Bahama for the trial, said he now just wants to return home and get back to his life.

During the trial, he exercised his right to remain silent and did not call any witnesses in his defence.

The prosecution alleged that Grant had unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl on three separate occasions and that he had nude photos of her. The incidents were alleged to have occurred between April 2022 and July 2022, in Abaco.

In her summation on Wednesday, Justice Adderley cautioned the jury that it is dangerous to convict based solely on the virtual complainant’s testimony unless it is corroborated. However, she noted that not all evidence requires corroboration.

The judge reminded the jury that sexual acts typically occur in private settings, away from public view. In this case, the complainant had taken videos and photographs in her home and sent them to the accused. These alleged acts took place in her bedroom when no one else was present.

“If you are sure the child is telling the truth, you may convict the

accused,” she told jurors. “But if you don’t believe she is telling the truth, then you must acquit. Her evidence must be credible.”

During the trial, the virtual complainant testified that she had sex with the accused, sent messages, videos and nude photographs of herself to him via WhatsApp to his cellular phone. She claimed that the defendant also exchanged nude photos of himself with her. She did not tell her parents because she was afraid.

Pleased with the outcome of the trial, Brian Hanna said his client had consistently maintained his innocence.

“He always indicated that he was not guilty of the charges and tried to explain that to the police on several occasions, but they wouldn’t listen,” he said. “He attempted to provide them with evidence to refute what the complainant was saying, but no effort was made to assist him in his defence. I believe they rushed to charge him and bring the matter before the court without conducting a proper investigation.”

a ppeal Court overturns sentenCe of man aCCused of shooting at poliCe

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

THE Court of Appeal

has overturned the 13-year prison sentence of a man convicted of firing at police officers during a high-speed chase in 2017, ordering a retrial.

Jeremy Williams, 52, successfully appealed his conviction for possession of an unlicenced firearm and five counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Justices Milton Evans, Gregory Smith, and Bernard Turner presided over the case.

His appeal on a separate damage charge was dismissed.

Williams, along with co-accused Edwidge John and Danny Duvalier, allegedly opened fire on police officers during a chase that ended when their vehicle crashed into a wall in Pride Estates on April 25, 2017.

He is accused of shooting at Sergeant 583 Williams, Police Constable 3726 Rolle, Constable 3893 Miller, Constable 3748 McFall, and Constable 3534 Solomon.

Following the crash, Williams and Duvalier — the front passenger and driver, respectively — fled on foot, while John remained in the backseat. Police shot both men; Duvalier later died from his injuries.

A 9mm pistol was allegedly found in Williams’ possession. Both the wall and police vehicles were damaged during the incident.

Williams was found guilty by a jury in Justice Jeanine Weech-Gomez’s court on May 6, 2023.

Although he was also charged with attempted murder, he was acquitted. He was sentenced on October 27, 2023, to 13 years for the firearm charges and two years for the damage charge, to be served concurrently.

Williams appealed on two grounds: that the trial judge erred by not admitting his police interview in which he denied trying to injure officers, and that the Crown failed to prove he had custody, control, and knowledge of the weapon.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the first ground, finding that Sgt Brown’s testimony sufficiently covered the content of the police interview. His appeal on the damage charge was also dismissed, as the court found the damage occurred during the incident.

However, the justices ruled that the trial judge failed to properly instruct the jury on the legal meaning of “concerned together”, making the verdict unsafe.

They noted that while Williams admitted to being in the vehicle where the gun was found, the key question was whether he knew of its presence and what his relationship to the weapon was.

A retrial was ordered, with the court directing that the trial judge offer clearer guidance to the jury on this point. Bradford McKenzie represented the prosecution.

Court deClared a retired judge’s $575k judgment ‘unConstitutional’

had been awarded damages for constitutional violations and misfeasance in public office following a legal challenge against several government officials, including the Prime Minister and the Minister of Immigration. In its ruling, the appellate panel emphasised that Article 96 of the Constitution clearly outlines the retirement framework for Supreme Court justices. Judges may serve until age 65 and, under special circumstances, may be extended to 67. Article 96(2) allows a temporary extension to complete pending matters, but only for a defined period and only while still officially holding office. Mrs Bowe-Darville’s extension ended on December 3, 2021, long before she delivered the judgment. Justice Crane-Scott, writing for the majority, firmly rejected the argument that Article 96(3), which validates acts by a judge who has reached retirement age, could be interpreted as a blanket protection for post-retirement rulings. “Such a strained or extended interpretation would

make a complete mockery of the specific tenure regime,” she wrote.

The court also dismissed the application of the “de facto officer doctrine”, a legal principle that can sometimes legitimise acts performed under the guise of authority. Justice Winder noted that Mrs Bowe-Darville had not only vacated the office but was receiving retirement benefits and had ceased to act under any judicial mandate.

The court’s decision to void the judgment and remit the matter for a fresh hearing before a current Supreme Court justice comes amid broader concerns about delays and inefficiencies in the Bahamian judiciary, issues recently highlighted by former Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.

In a public letter earlier this year, Mr Ingraham condemned the judiciary for chronic delays, accusing some judges of taking years to deliver rulings and even retiring without issuing written judgments.

“There are known cases where judges take more than three years to deliver their judgments. Indeed, some have retired without giving a written reasoned judgment for oral decisions they have made.

This is simply inexcusable,” he wrote. His comments followed observations from Justice Dale Fitzpatrick, a Canadian judge appointed to the Supreme Court, who warned that prolonged delays were threatening to “crush this system”. Mr Ingraham echoed the alarm, arguing that “justice delayed is justice denied,” and calling for improved case management and punctuality from the bench.

In the Nonord case, listed as Nonard in the ruling, the Court of Appeal made clear that any attempt to circumvent constitutional provisions, even to finalise a longoverdue ruling, cannot be tolerated. Justice CraneScott emphasised the importance of upholding constitutional integrity:

“Public confidence in the administration of justice will be maintained not by invoking the de facto officer doctrine to save obviously unconstitutional judgments, but by adherence to the mopping-up regime set out in Article 96(2).”

The court ordered both parties to submit written arguments on legal costs by August 29. No oral hearing will be held on the issue.

Many thousands of young Bahamians lives being destroyed

IN the inner-city areas and environs of New Providence, the density of social decay is staggering and overwhelming. Tens of thousands of young Bahamians, mostly teen and young adult men, are bored, idle, hopeless, largely uneducated, poorly socialised, and chronically unemployed.

These same youth are men and women with enormous potential, talent, dreams, and longings for meaning and purpose. Which makes the tragedy of their potential and actual loss glaring and depressing.

Walk through certain areas and carefully observe the widespread urban decay, crumbling infrastructure and garbage strewn streets. Much of the built environment and social conditions resemble a hellscape mirroring the internal lives of many.

Every day, thousands of young men walk around idle, locked into patterns of behaviour with little opportunity to break certain cycles of despair.

Human beings are creatures of habit. Boredom must be appeased. Idle energy requires release. Hopelessness often expresses itself in destructive patterns, many of which are difﬁcult to arrest.

Disorder is rampant in

the daily grind of social decay in inner city neighbourhoods along with habits regularly reinforced, often in criminal behaviour, drug and alcohol abuse, random sex, and various patterns of violence and abusive behaviour. Cycles of abuse continue from one generation to the next. The incidence of homelessness and mental illness has increased in New Providence, some of which can easily be seen throughout the island’s congested streets. The boredom, idleness and despair are reinforced by gang behaviour, which many of those who participate in a gangland culture

view as normal. Equally, many of us have come to accept this long-standing and grave social and economic state – which continues to metastasize –as normal and acceptable.

Aiding, abetting, fuelling, and taking advantage of hopelessness and addiction are gaming establishments, drug houses, and liquor stores, which are typically in close proximity to each other and to those in need of a quick hit. They drain neighbourhoods of youth, vitality, and resources.

Many gamble to pass the time and to desperately see if they can ﬁnd some luck. The gambling houses stand in mockery to the struggles and desperation of those who need opportunity, not island luck.

The numbers bosses, whose business models earns scores of millions from the addictions of the poor and others, and who use charitable giving as a marketing ploy, are often celebrated and recognised in the media. This is twisted. Why are we celebrating those who give scant little back to the people they are preying upon?

Barbados Today recently reported: “A literacy specialist has called for urgent, island-wide reforms to Barbados’ education and social services

“Human beings are creatures of habit. Boredom must be appeased. Idle energy requires release. Hopelessness often expresses itself in destructive patterns, many of which are difﬁcult to arrest.”

after a government study revealed that more than 95 percent of violent offenders are reading at the level of a three-yearold, exposing a stark link between illiteracy and crime.

“Literacy specialist Shawntelle Morgan told Barbados Today she was “deeply concerned” by the ﬁndings, which were disclosed by the director of the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit…”

Morgan noted: “I was deeply concerned, not just because it was offenders, but violent offenders. I think that it really underscores the profound relationship between literacy and social outcomes…

“We see now that literacy is not just a foundational skill for academic success, but things like self-advocacy, problem-solving, and most importantly, navigating societal structures.

“Individuals with severe literacy deﬁciencies are often marginalised, disengaged, and vulnerable to social risk, including criminal behaviour.” What are the literacy numbers in The Bahamas among violent offenders?

Many thousands of young Bahamians lack the educational, social, job, and life skills necessary to break the cycle and web of hopelessness in which they are ensnared. They need the help of families, communities, churches, and government to help release them from the traps in which they ﬁnd themselves.

The statistics on unemployment do not adequately reveal the number of youth who have stopped looking for work, including after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our streets are teeming with tens of thousands of unemployed youth. This is a social, economic and moral challenge. It is the persistent challenge of inequality.

Both major parties have spoken of inequality over the decades since majority rule and independence, including social and economic inequality. Much has been done in a number of areas to address such inequality. Still, there were missed opportunities by certain administrations to do more to address urban squalor, decay, and poor infrastructure.

In 2023, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis gave an address at the Lyford Cay Club, where he spoke at length on inequality. He noted a number of important things. Unfortunately, thus far, his remarks have not been matched by a bold and progressive policy agenda, especially as regards young Bahamians.

This includes those aged 18-30 who believe that both major parties are lacking in empathy and a vision to improve their lives. Many of these young people fret that the parties pay lip service to improving their lives and circumstances.

For its part, the Free National Movement must lay out its own ambitious agenda of genuine hope and opportunity to help the tens of thousands of young people being lost.

The stark and explosive inequality coursing through the urban areas of New Providence, which are experiencing woeful neglect, require a new and imaginative commitment to addressing income inequality and social development ﬁfty plus years after independence.

Unlocking destructive habits among at-risk and lost youth requires the creation and reinforcement of new habits and landscapes of hope. Three keys areas for developing lifegiving habits are education, including preschool; economic and job prospects; and sustained social intervention.

With work and income critical in addressing the

social morass in New Providence, structural reforms are needed in tourism and other industries to signiﬁcantly boost economic growth and provide better jobs.

In addition to structural changes in the economy, we need a broad and sustained social transformation agenda. This will require deploying the resources needed for universal preschool, more targeted skills and job programs, novel youth development initiatives, mental health and drug abuse programmes, and more creative and largescale urban renewal strategies.

If either or both the PLP and FNM are truly serious about inequality generally, and in particular, the needs of young people crying out for hope, the country needs see policies and action plans, not talk and ﬂowery speeches.

To this end, can Philip Davis and/or Opposition leader Michael Pintard ﬁnd the willpower to tax the gaming houses at a higher level and to create a national lottery alongside the existing private lotteries? The latter will require a broad restructuring of gaming with enhanced regulations and restrictions.

We need to utilise more of the many millions ﬂowing into gaming houses for the beneﬁt of the majority of Bahamians, including those regularly standing outside gaming and liquor establishments, aimless and without greater purpose.

If we aim to be a more just, fairer, and more decent society, committed to core Christian values, the country needs to deploy the resources and energy to love and to rescue the thousands of young Bahamians whose lives it is in our power to transform. We ignore this mission at our moral and social peril.

Dems need electoral wins to slow Trump

SOMEONE was asking earlier this week why the US House of Representatives doesn’t impeach president Donald Trump again.

“Look at the obvious corruption!” she exclaimed. He’s accepting an entire airplane from a foreign country. He’s spending millions of dollars to go over to Scotland for a game of golf and to promote business at a golf course he owns. He’s promoting crypto-currency schemes whose major outcomes appear to profit his own family.

“When is this going to stop? Why doesn’t the legislature impeach him?”

The answer to that not unreasonable question is, of course, that the Republican Party of Donald Trump enjoys slim but decisive margins in both the US House and the US Senate. And until next November’s elections, this isn’t going to change.

Furthermore, because of those looming elections, any Republican running for reelection lives in fear of defying Trump because of the real threat that he will promote a primary challenger who would either bankrupt the incumbent’s campaign or weaken the incumbent against a Democratic challenger in the November 2026 general election – or both.

What about the November 2026 elections? We’ll deal with House later.

In the Senate, the consequences of the late 18th Century deals brokered by the framers of the American constitution retain vivid and current.

In order to get smaller states like Delaware and Rhode Island to support the idea of a confederation that eventually grew into the transcontinental colossus that the US is today, constitutional framers had to figure out a way to persuade the smaller states that they wouldn’t become vassals of titans like New York in the new arrangement. That idea also informed the great American expansion across the North American continent in the 19th Century.

Thus, every state gets two senators in the American legislative upper house – even places like Wyoming and Idaho that boast lower population than many of the larger American cities including the federal capital Washington DC that remains without voting representation in either American legislative chamber.

While biennial US House elections generally track the national mood on key economic and

STATESIDE

social issues, often to the disadvantage of the party then occupying the White House, the US Senate is another story. And the math there for decades has generally favoured the GOP.

This is because most of the time, Democrats defending Senate seats in Republican-leaning states outnumber Republicans defending Senate seats in Democratic-leaning states. Such is the case next year, and the prognosis is for the Republicans to retain and possibly even expand their control in the Senate.

Today, Republicans control the Senate by 53–47, with the Democratic total including “independent” senators from Vermont and Maine who almost always oppose the president’s policies and nominees.

Let’s take a closer look at this. Four Democratic incumbents are retiring next year, in Michigan, Illinois, New Hampshire and Minnesota. It would be a surprise if the Dems lost any of these seats, although Trump and the GOP will probably invest heavily in contesting them, and New Hampshire in particular often becomes a close race at the finish line. Michigan has the potential to be competitive, but the

Democratic Party will really fight hard here at the heart of the American labour movement.

In another nine states, Democratic incumbents are running for reelection. These states are Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Georgia.

Here’s a guess that you’ve already picked out the one state in that bunch where the Democrats are vulnerable – Georgia. The incumbent here is kind of an accidental senator, Jon Ossoff, whose election six years ago resulted from an astounding and virtually unprecedented combination of events that are unlikely to be repeated next year.

Trump single-handedly intervened to promote personal favourite candidates and messed up both 2020 Senate races in Georgia for the Republicans, giving the Democrats a slim Senate edge for the first two years of the Joe Biden administration. The president is unlikely to repeat that mistake next year.

Still, while leftleaning Atlanta is the capital, biggest city and most influential political area in the state, Georgia is still a Southern state, and since Richard Nixon

led the Republican takeover of the political south after the transformative civil rights legislation enacted under Democrat Lyndon Johnson 60 years ago, the South has been a GOP stronghold.

So it would be unwise to project a Democratic victory there, despite very popular incumbent Republican governor Brian Kemp’s decision not to enter the Senate race against Ossoff.

So far, of the 13 Senate Democratic seats on next year’s ballot, 12 look reasonably safe with Georgia uncertain.

Bearing in mind that because former senator and current vice president JD Vance can cast the decisive vote in a tied Senate, the Democrats need to gain at least four seats in N ovember 2026 to regain control of the upper house, in addition to hanging on to O ssoff’s seat in Georgia.

That’s not very likely to happen. Here’s why.

We mentioned that four Democratic senators are retiring. Three Republicans are joining them, in Alabama, Kentucky and N orth Carolina. Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville has represented Alabama with no distinction and indeed some embarrassment, and his main

PRESIDENT Donald Trump speaks at an event for the signing of the GENIUS Act, a bill that regulates stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency, in the East Room of the White House, on July 18, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP

qualification has been unfailing allegiance to Trump. But Trump often cites Alabama as his favourite state. He may be more popular there than anywhere else.

Venerable M itch M cConnell is finally retiring from his Kentucky seat, and pundits are hopefully urging popular Democratic governor Andy Beshear to run. But despite the prospect of a bruising G O P primary fight likely to be decided by Trump’s endorsement, Beshear says he won’t run; he hopes for the Dem nomination for president in 2028. O nly in N orth Carolina among this group do the Democrats have a chance to gain a seat. There, former governor Roy Cooper has said he will run. Tall, elegant and well-spoken, the centrist moderate Cooper would present a real challenge to any G O P opponent and he might well win.

So far, that’s a projected potential gain of only one seat for the Dems. How about states where GOP incumbents running for reelection?

Here’s the list: Alaska, M ontana, Idaho and Wyoming; South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas and N ebraska; O klahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana; M ississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida; O hio,

West Virginia and M aine. M ost prognosticators frown on any chance of a significant Democratic pickup among these states, but the chances are not negligible, and there’s no telling what the US economy might look like a year from now. If Trump’s tariffs and general unpredictability unsettle the American economy to a degree that even his loyal voters feel the pain, all bets might be off. But for now, the best Democratic prospects might be in M aine, where redoubtable Susan Collins has persevered and won twice before in elections where the Republicans generally fared poorly. Still, if the Dems can nominate and unite behind someone with good credibility, an upset is possible here.

In O hio, very popular maverick and labour hero Sherrod Brown lost his Senate seat last year to an auto dealer favoured by Trump in an election that was a well-deserved national repudiation of the feckless Democrats. If Brown decides he’s up for another run for office, this might be a potential gain for the Dems.

There will be speculation about numerous other Republican incumbent races, likely in Kansas, Iowa, N ebraska, Texas and possibly others. In many cases, this will be driven mostly by a media collective desperate for viewers on television and on line. Pundits will blather on about disappointed Trump voters in the farm belt in the M idwest. A potentially divisive Texas G O P primary election will inspire fantasy prognostications about a Democratic return to power in the Lone Star state. If the Dems decide to back a popular independent in N ebraska, can the incumbent be unseated? Will South Carolina voters finally tire of the turnabouts of mercurial senator Lindsay Graham?

There will be breathless speculation about whether the black majority among M ississippi voters will finally produce results at the ballot box. Will Trump’s willful disregard of the need to protect the environment turn off too many voters in tourism-reliant Alaska?

It will all make for good theatre. But barring some kind of economic calamity which Trump will work hard to avoid, the G O P is going to retain control of the Senate next year.

with Charlie Harper

‘Most significant infrastructure upgrade for island in decades’

larger vessels and improve overall access. While ofﬁcials could not yet project expected revenue, they emphasised the marina’s potential to support tourism, marine logistics, and local commerce.

The project is expected to create 40 to 60 jobs, with 96 percent of the labour force expected to be Bahamian. Construction is set to begin in the coming weeks and is scheduled to last 18 months.

Minister of Works Clay Sweeting said the development marks the most signiﬁcant infrastructure upgrade for San Salvador in decades. He said improvements to the Cockburn Town dock, used for mail boats and cargo deliveries, will increase reliability and efﬁciency for businesses and residents alike.

“These upgrades mean that residents will have more reliable mail boat service,” Mr Sweeting said. “Businesses will beneﬁt from improved logistics, and tourism operators will have a more efﬁcient location to leave and gather from.”

Prime Minister Davis, who is also the island’s MP, said the project fulﬁls long-standing promises to the community.

“San Salvador has had to endure crumbling, sandsealed roads and a marina too shallow for consistent service — but that’s about to change,” Mr Davis said. “Let me just say, San Salvador, you have been very patient with me, and I am grateful — but now, your time is now.”

Rennard Storr, chief

councillor for San Salvador, called the signing “a blessing” and said it will lay the groundwork for future investment and development.

BUSINESS for more.

MAN CHARGED FOR FATAL SHOOTING OF ACCOMPLICE

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 24-YEAR-OLD man accused of fatally shooting his accomplice during a failed 2023 attempted murder was denied bail yesterday by Justice Franklyn Williams.

Denero Whyms is charged with the murder of Katraz Coakley, who was allegedly shot and killed by Whyms while the two were ﬂeeing a gunﬁght on Lightbourne Street around 3pm on September 10, 2023.

According to prosecutors, Whyms and Coakley were both armed and pursuing two males when a shootout occurred. Coakley, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene.

At the time of his death, Coakley was on bail for a 2018 murder charge in the death of Roland Williams. He had recently completed a one-year prison sentence for violating the conditions of that bail.

Whyms, previously denied bail, is scheduled to stand trial on October 26, 2026.

During yesterday’s proceedings, prosecutor Janet

Munnings opposed the bail application, arguing that Whyms had been pursuing Dion Scavella and another man on the day of the shooting. She added that Mr Scavella confronted Whyms at the Central Detective Unit the following day — an indication of an ongoing conﬂict between the two.

Ms Munnings also told the court there are substantial grounds to believe Whyms is afﬁliated with a local gang. She cited data showing that between January 14 and December 17, 2022, 22 individuals on bail for murder were themselves killed.

She argued that, if released, Whyms may either seek retaliation or become a target for it. Justice Williams acknowledged the ongoing issue of retaliatory killings in the country, noting that Whyms posed a risk both to witnesses and to public safety and was also at personal risk if released.

Finding no conditions that could adequately mitigate those risks, Justice Williams denied the bail request.

Attorney Alex Dorsett represents Whyms.

ORDERED TO DO COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR ASSAULTING M AN WITH CUTLASS

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

AN 18-YEAR-OLD was ordered to complete community service after admitting to assaulting a man with a cutlass on Eneas Street last week.

Jayvarr Whyms appeared before Senior Magistrate Kendra KellyBurrows on a charge of assault with a dangerous instrument.

The court heard that Whyms assaulted Gary Francis Jr with a cutlass during a verbal altercation

around 12.45pm on July 25.

Whyms pleaded guilty to the charge and apologised for his actions. He was granted a conditional discharge and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Additionally, he must attend six months of anger management classes.

Failure to comply with either condition will result in a prison sentence. Whyms is scheduled to return to court on October 3 for a progress report. Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom served as the prosecutor.

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GDA Paving & Construction spokesperson Charles Sealy II, flanked by Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting and Prime Minister Philip Davis, speaks during the San Salvador roadworks & marina redevelopment contract signing between the Ministry of Works and GDA Paving & Construction at the Office of The Prime Minister yesterday.

Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

PUBLIC NOTICE

MINISTRY OF WORKS & FAMILY ISLAND AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF WORKS & FAMILY ISLAND AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL PLANNING

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL PLANNING

The public is hereby notified that an application for Preliminary Support of Approval (PSA/50/2025) on behalf of Cleare Realty Ltd. is presently being reviewed by the Department of Physical Planning for presentation to the Town Planning Committee.

The applicant is seeking to rezone Lot 2, of Tropical Gardens Extension Subdivision, from Single-family to Multi-family residential development The lot measures 12,763 sq. ft. and is currently vacant

PUBLIC NOTICE

A Public Hearing will be held on Thursday 7th August, 2025, at 6:00 p m in the Hearing Room of the Department of Physical Planning for all interested parties to discuss and address planning issues related to the proposed rezoning.

MINISTRY OF WORKS & FAMILY ISLAND AFFAIRS

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL PLANNING

Preliminary plans for the proposed development will be available for viewing at the office of the Department of Physical Planning, located in the Aventura Plaza on John F. Kennedy Drive, during working hours of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The applicant is seeking to rezone Lot 2, of Tropical Gardens Extension Subdivision, from Single-family to Multi-family residential development The lot measures 12,763 sq. ft. and is currently vacant

Interested persons and organizations are invited to review the information on file and provide written comments prior to the hearing. Comments should be directed to the Director of Physical Planning within tw enty-one (21) days of the date of this notice. Submissions can be made via P.O Box N -1611, Nassau Bahamas. Further inquiries can be made to the Director via Tel. (242) 3227550/1/1 OR (242) 328- 3202 or deptphysicalplanning@bahamas.gov.bs

The applicant is seeking to rezone Lot 2, of Tropical Gardens Extension Subdivision, from Single-family to Multi-family residential development The lot measures 12,763 sq. ft. and is currently vacant.

Signed

Charles B. Zonicle Director of Physical Planning

Signed Charles B. Zonicle Director of Physical Planning

@departmentofphysicalplanning

A Public Hearing will be held on Thursday 7 th August, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Hearing Room of the Department of Physical Planning for all interested parties to discuss and address planning issues related to the proposed rezoning.

@departmentofphysicalplanning

Physical Planning Bahamas

@deptphysicalplanningbahamas

Signed Charles B. Zonicle Director of Physical Planning

@departmentofphysicalplanning

Signed Charles B. Zonicle Director of Physical Planning

Govt launches new digital platform for public records

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE government has launched a new digital platform that will eventually make online filing mandatory for public records, a move that could disrupt how Bahamians access vital services unless they meet tax obligations and adjust to the new system.

The Civil Registry Operation System (CROS), announced yesterday during an industry briefing, enables documents such as deeds, affidavits, and mortgages to be filed and accessed exclusively online. Already in its soft-launch phase, CROS integrates with the Department of Inland Revenue (DIR), meaning only tax-compliant documents will be accepted.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said the system marks a “transformative advancement” that will streamline access to the Registrar General’s Department and reduce inefficiencies like long wait times and parking hassles.

The new system, currently open only to authorised agents, is expected to expand to the general public within two months, although no firm date was given for full access or mandatory use.

Mr Pinder emphasised the platform’s convenience: “So for you boaters who are off on your boat this summertime at the beach and your client calls and says, ‘Have you recorded my conveyance yet?’ you’ll be able to go on your phone while at the beach, record your conveyance, pay it back and be done with it.”

In its initial phase, CROS allows the submission of afﬁdavits of bachelorhood, spinsterhood, identity and birth corrections, as well as conveyances, mortgages, and satisfactions of mortgages. A robust search feature is available for newly ﬁled documents, with older “legacy” records to be digitised over time.

To support this effort, an artiﬁcial intelligence engine is being developed to scan, verify, and auto-populate historical records into the platform.

The system’s tax validation feature is designed to tighten compliance: only documents meeting revenue standards will be processed, and each submission must include a DIR QRcoded receipt for authenticity.

“All documents filed or certified through the Civil Registry via CROS will now include advanced security features such as QR codes and authentication codes,” Mr Pinder said, adding that this will significantly reduce the risk of document fraud.

The government also intends to integrate CROS with its upcoming land registry platform, creating a centralised, digital ecosystem for property transactions.

“What we would like to see is certainly the deeds and documents database that will be based in CROS be able to be read and integrated with the land registry system that we’re going to put in place,” Mr Pinder said.

While acknowledging that modernisation comes with challenges, Mr Pinder stressed the long-term beneﬁts of improved efﬁciency and data integrity. Virtual training and tutorials are available at cross.rrd.gov.bs, with more public education sessions to follow.

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$4,000 FINE FOR BREAK-IN AND DAMAGING woman’s home

By PAVEL BAILEY Tribune Staff Reporter pbailey@tribunemedia.net

A 66-YEAR-OLD man was ﬁned $4,000 after breaking into a woman’s home on Augusta Street last month. Pete Miller appeared before Senior Magistrate Anishka Isaacs on charges of housebreaking and damage. The court was told that at around 5am on July 18, Miller broke into the home of Elricka Major and damaged her front door, which was valued at $957. He pleaded guilty to both charges and accepted the facts presented by the prosecution. Miller was ﬁned $4,000 or face three months in prison for the housebreaking charge. He was also ordered to pay $400 for the damage or risk an additional three-month sentence.

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder speaks to the press during the Civil Registry Operation System (CROS) launch at British Colonial Hotel yesterday. Photo: Nikia Charlton