The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander said the Royal Bahamas Police Force never searched Abaco resident Bishop Silbert Mills’ church and the pastor is “no subject of no investigation”.

The police chief said the pastor is assisting the Disaster Reconstruction Authority (DRA) with some recovery after doing an inventory of items.

The local religious leader went live on social media shortly after reports circulated that his church had been searched by authorities for Hurricane Dorian supplies owned by the DRA.

Taking viewers on a tour of his church, Bishop Mills showed different supplies he claimed he either bought or received from NGOs post-Dorian.

He also revealed that some housing items, particularly mattresses, were also placed in his church for storage for church members and for the DRA.

However, earlier this week, the pastor said an unexpected search of his church came after Commissioner Fernander visited him on Friday, allegedly inquiring about some kitchen cabinets.

However, Commissioner Fernander said he did not go to Abaco to do an investigation, but went there to visit his officers to see how they were doing.

He added: “I never went over there to do no investigation or to speak to Mr Mills. It so happened that the information came to me. I spoke (to) Mr Mills by phone and he said ‘man what you doing on my island’ - I said I’m (just visiting my officers) and I mentioned it to him at the same time.

“He’s assisting the DRA with some recovery after doing an inventory — the recovery of some of the items and he did just that in a decent, respectful (way)... He invited us – we never searched his church. He took us and showed us directly in the kitchen where he had the items.

“He was no subject of no investigation and I did not go to Abaco to do no investigation. I went there to visit my (officers) to see how they were doing and the welfare. So he’s no subject of no investigation. We never searched his church.

“He even took us on a tour of (the) church. Took us to his prayer room and all of that, and saying how God was so good to him with respect to how - he was able to get his church back up and running with the assistance of some good people in front from the US and all of that. So we had a good conversation. I pretty much went there to get an interview, he wanted an interview with me with respect to crime.”

The commissioner said “they didn’t seize” any items, but rather the opposite happened.

“They didn’t seize it – he gave it. He said yes they are the DRA items – . Yes, police after he said that they eventually took it out the following day. They are items from inventory that they are presently doing and that they are items that they just were accounting for and they just move it to store it someplace else,” Commissioner Fernander told The Tribune yesterday.

On Wednesday, State Minister for Disaster Preparedness Myles Laroda rejected assertions that the government is targeting the local pastor.

As for the accusation of the incident being politically motivated, the commissioner answered: “I would let people draw their conclusion. I said the devil got in the mix and sent the wrong message out. Now, whoever that devil is, let the Bahamian people decide who that is.”

Days after he claimed to be visited by the commissioner, Bishop Mills alleged “someone” had entered his church to take pictures of items being stored there with ill intentions.

Asked if police are investigating anybody in regards to the DRA situation, the commissioner replied: “No, all they’re doing is doing an inventory and just trying to recover some of the items.

“I don’t know who else because I’m not doing any investigation with the DRA and we haven’t gotten no complaints from the DRA with respect to any other matters,” he said.