The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

OFFICIAL Opposition leader Michael Pintard has urged the Prime Minister to present the facts regarding what is alleged to have taken place between a Cabinet minister and police officer.

This comes after Killarney MP Dr Hubert Minnis on Wednesday called on Phillip “Brave” Davis to invite Transport and Housing Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis to resign the post while the matter is being investigated.

However, Mr Pintard said before this, the facts should be made clear.

“The investigation is going on but unconfirmed,” Mr Pintard said when he was asked if he was of the view that a resignation should come.

“Before we even get there, I’m not jumping ahead of the moment. I’m saying that the Prime Minister ought to speak about what the facts are. Once we hear definitively what the facts are, then we can go to the next level. But right now, it’s clear that there are contradictions among credible people.

“I don’t believe the Prime Minister believes that (former Commissioner) Paul Rolle is not a credible person – he is. He said that there’s an investigation. I don’t believe he doesn’t believe the police staff association is credible – they’re credible and they are concerned. I don’t believe he’s dismissing a police officer as having been aggrieved – he’s a credible person.

“So, you have a number of persons who I believe the Prime Minister has respect for who believes that there is something that has to be looked at and he ought to be able to look at the sequence of all statements made inclusive of his own and the Minister of National Security and bring clarity to do this for the public.”

Mrs Coleby-Davis has repeatedly denied claims that she assaulted a police officer with her vehicle at a Carnival event in May

However, in the days following the alleged incident, the Police Staff Association released a statement saying the officer involved retained an attorney as he had to seek medical attention for injuries and was then discharged.

Despite this, Mr Davis last week defended the minister. He also told the House that in the execution of his duties he made an inquiry to determine if there was any truth to what was claimed.

Mr Davis furthered: “The fact that nothing has happened tells me that nothing has happened.”

Asked of concerns that the investigation could potentially be clouded due to public commentary, Mr Pintard told reporters of his warning both Mr Davis and National Security Minister Wayne Munroe when it comes to credibility as well as addressing the matter.

On Wednesday, Mr Munroe told the House that he had seen video as well as witness statements on the incident. It led Dr Minnis to accuse him of potentially prejudicing whatever investigation is underway.

“I said yesterday in the House, the Prime Minister ought to be awfully careful to allow his credibility to be severely damaged because he is presiding over many weighty issues that are a matter of life or death for our citizens and when the public does not believe what you have to say they then tune out,” he said

Asked if the Prime Minister’s comments on the issue were a bit inappropriate, Mr Pintard replied: “Yeah. The Prime Minister should have either clarified it entirely or direct those to who have immediate responsibility for these matters to speak to it which would have been the Attorney General, the Minister of National Security.

“The Minister of National Security is fully aware that his public comments have not assisted in this matter and the question I raised again yesterday was for all of those ordinary Bahamians who no one speaks on their behalf. How do they feel when they hear powerful voices intervening on behalf of somebody who already have clout and power and authority, etc.

“So, when he injected himself into the conversation in one direction that does in fact influence others who are now investigating the situation, I mean there’s no way around it and so this is a very messy situation that the prime minister has to clear up.”