The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper said he is confident police will adequately investigate allegations that a sitting Member of Parliament raped and assaulted a woman.

“There is a complaint with the police in relation to some very serious allegations,” Mr Cooper told reporters yesterday. “I’m certain that the police will investigate aggressively. We believe in the rule of law and we are confident that due process will prevail and the police will do their jobs.”

A woman filed a complaint in Grand Bahama on April 7 against her ex-boyfriend. On Saturday, she told The Tribune the MP raped, choked, poked her in her eye and made death threats against her and her family during their relationship, prompting her to fear for her life.

The woman and her family have questioned the authorities’ commitment to aggressively investigate her matter because it involves a sitting member of the governing party. 

Their concerns about the investigation grew after officers asked the alleged victim on Thursday to sign a document indicating she would not pursue further police action against the MP after binding him over to keep the peace.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said yesterday: “The RBPF investigates matters, and I don’t interfere with them.  Satisfaction with investigations is a question properly addressed to the Commissioner of Police.

“We don’t interfere with the police in their investigations regardless of who is the alleged victim or accused.”

“Critics can say what they like. The record shows that a PLP (Progressive Liberal Party) parliamentarian went to prison under a PLP government and (former Senator and MP) Pleasant Bridgewater was charged under a PLP government.”

ZNS reported last night that police have not yet interviewed the MP.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Bernard “BK” Bonamy told the network: “We would do all of our ground tests, all of our work, before we decide to move forward in terms of who the complaint is made against before we decide to interview anybody. We want make sure we get all of our witnesses who can assist with the investigation.

“When we investigate, we don’t put a time on investigations. We try to do it in a decent manner. I can’t say two days, I can’t say three days. Once we interview persons who can assist with the investigation then we’ll move forward.

Asked about the complaint against him, the MP told reporters “no comment” at least three times outside the House of Assembly last week.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is out of the country attending a CARICOM event in Trinidad and Tobago and has not yet commented on the matter.