BELL ‘IMPROPER’: Minister said oath given at funeral was unorthodox • Symonette says highly irregular move deserves resignation • Cabinet ‘had given approval’ to family

Minister of Immigration Keith Bell.

As of Tuesday, June 27, 2023

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

IMMIGRATION Minister Keith Bell yesterday defended conferring citizenship to a woman and her two children at a funeral on Saturday even as one of his predecessors, Brent Symonette, said his actions were “highly improper” and warranted his resignation from Cabinet.

Audio of Mr Bell swearing in three people during a funeral at the Metropolitan Church of the Nazarene on Saturday went viral over the weekend.

In the recording, Mr Bell acknowledges that conferring citizenship at a funeral was unorthodox.

He can be heard presenting the people with certificates, saying he was doing so on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, “and Bahamians everywhere”.

Mr Bell told The Tribune he was attending the funeral of Franck Racine, a man born in Haiti who came to The Bahamas in the 1990s. He said Mr Racine’s wife was also born in Haiti, and his two children were born in The Bahamas.

He said Mr Racine asked for help after his renal kidney failure diagnosis.

“He applied for citizenship under the former administration, but nothing was done,” he said. “As he cried, he said that he did not want to die and his wife and children was left in ‘no man’s land’. I told him I would look into his matter. It took some time, but his file was located.”

Mr Bell said he took the matter to Cabinet and the Immigration Board, and that Mr Racine and his family were approved for citizenship. He said while Mr Racine was sworn in, several outstanding matters related to his wife and children prevented them from being sworn-in simultaneously.

“By the time as this was done, I was abroad on government business and he had to be admitted to hospital,” Mr Bell said. “He called me and said that he was in hospital. I told him that everything had been done and that as soon as I returned home, I would swear in his wife in his presence. He said thank you and God bless you. He died. In honouring my commitment to him, his wife and children received their citizenship.”

Nonetheless, Mr Symonette called for a full investigation.

He said when he was minister, swearing-in events happened at the Hawkins Hill office in a designated room with no press because the event was a “very solemn occasion”.

He said a senior immigration officer –– either the director or the deputy director of immigration –– led proceedings, administered the oath, and did all the procedural work for the swearing-in.

Mr Symonette said he never administered an oath.

“I am unaware up to date of any swearing-in happening elsewhere than in, say, the Magistrate’s Court in Abaco, the immigration office in Freeport, or sometimes you can do it in the administrator’s office in a Family Island, but it’d be in a government office.

“At the sidelines of a funeral, I don’t want to say –– if it’s not illegal, it’s highly improper at best.”

He said if an immigration official did not administer the oath, this would be “highly irregular”.

“So,” he said, “he obviously went to that funeral with the intention of giving this girl or woman her certificate and making a public show for political reasons as a matter which is putting into ridicule the whole solemn issue of issuing citizenship, which is one of the greatest attributes that government has to give any national, any country.”

“I think the minister should step down, there should be a full investigation into this matter, and if his name is cleared, he can be reappointed. On the face of it, he has done an act which is totally improper for either political or personal gain.”

bobby2 1 year, 5 months ago

I think Mr Symonette should resign for making an issue of this. Mr. Bell did a very noble gesture in honour of the deceased. It's not as though it will become a frequent occurrence, it has special circumstances on this occasion.

moncurcool 1 year, 5 months ago

You cannot be serious with this comment. You have to be making an April Fool's joke.

realitycheck242 1 year, 5 months ago

PLP grand standing and conferring citizenship at a Haitian funeral is nothing but show boating and pandering to the illegal political base. Mr Bell knows there is a place for conferring citizenship according to the immigration act so why break the rules. No wonder the flood gates are open and foreigners think the Bahamas is a Banana republic, just look at the PLP lawyer who accepted the 1 million to fast track FTX business license and arrival to the Bahamas. i see many court cases in the making soon

TalRussell 1 year, 5 months ago

Former crown minister Brent Symonette should know that as long as the siblings of the late Comrade Franck Racine,---- Did swears or solemnly affirmed their allegiance to the King as Sovereign — Over all 1200 Out islands and its Cays' and Towns' ... They individually are now as much a conferred upon citizen as is "Pop" Symonette's, boy, Brent.– 'Aye.' 'Nay?'

bahamianson 1 year, 5 months ago

Ask Loftus Roker what he thinks. Personally, for me, it looks like grandstanding.

sheeprunner12 1 year, 5 months ago

Bell is a rogue Minister who is going to bring down the PLP government by 2026.

Lord, let it come quickly ........

ExposedU2C 1 year, 5 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

moncurcool 1 year, 5 months ago

Rather than us throwing aspersions, let us see if we can have real dialogue that pushes change.

You claim Symonette to be despicable in calling it irregluar. What is the law that we can point to to show what Bell did was illegal and not irregular?

I believe Bell is totally wrong, but let's see if we can bring out the illegal, and then have a ground swell to ensure this act is taken seriously

ExposedU2C 1 year, 5 months ago

You must either be kidding or be of Haitian descent !! LOL

moncurcool 1 year, 5 months ago

Again, dialogue.

If you seek to try throw disparaging remarks, then it becomes clear you are deflecting and have no actual proof to back up what you are saying.

We only do change when we can produce the evidence and then speak truth to power.

ExposedU2C 1 year, 5 months ago

For decades we've been getting plenty of useless dialogue from our corrupt politicians. The fact that you want more dialogue on this particular matter only serves to tell me you wouldn't know what evidence is if it whacked you broadside your head. By the way, your Haitian roots have been all too evident in many of your postings to this website.

ThisIsOurs 1 year, 5 months ago

Bell should not have done it. I'm baffled at w.d hat he expected to achieve other than theatrics. It takes time to plan a funeral, he could have handed over the documents from his office like normal anytime between the gentlemans death and the funeral. It was a dumb move.

ExposedU2C 1 year, 5 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

John 1 year, 5 months ago

Keith Bell was never the brightest crayon in the box but he continues to do stupid stuff to draw attention to his ignorance and lackluster performance in his various offices. Like parking the government vehicle if front of banks in areas clearly marked and even with cones as ‘ no parking Keith Bell, you too fool!’

ExposedU2C 1 year, 5 months ago

He's a well known crook, period!

John 1 year, 5 months ago

Or saying he will make the minimum wage, which is now $260 a livable wage, which is about $$900 to $1,200 depending on where you live in The Bahamas.

SP 1 year, 5 months ago

This is a total shyt show starring Brent Symonett, Keith Bell, and any number of skeletons on both sides of the aisle.

Bell and Symonett could give a damn about what the people think.

We need change asap!

sheeprunner12 1 year, 5 months ago

Has Brave fired Bell yet????

That says it all ........

jackbnimble 1 year, 5 months ago

No surprise here. Every foreigner in the land must have Keith Bell's personal contact and they brag about it. How could you put out a statement saying the man came to the Bahamas in the 1990's without saying "HOW" he came. The illegals know they only need to make it here and its just a matter of time before the Government comes looking for them for citizenship for votes. The Bahamas has long been for sale and this just confirms it.

John 1 year, 5 months ago

Ok do not let Brent Symnonette make you color blind: from what we know the father of two young children who had lived many years in this country and was suffering from a possible terminal illness appealed to the Foreign Affairs Minister to look favorably on his application for citizenship. Since no one raised concerns to the contrary, this man qualified and Keith Bell swore him in as a Bahamian citizen. So the new interpretation of the law says ‘the children of a Bahamian father born to a foreign woman are BAHAMIAN, periodd. So Keith Bell granted these two children citizenship. So they are no longer half Haitians but full Bahamians. And this was the concern of the dying father. So Keith Bell says what the heck, can’t make the whole family Bahamian and leave the ma out in the cold. Da pa dead and she may be subject to deportation, putting the minor children welfare in jeopardy. So he granted the Haitian woman citizenship and she is now fully Bahamian. Keith Bell had full legal right to do so. The only problem is that he should have kept government business in the government office and not try gain political miles from it. .

Now less than two weeks ago Brent (post office in da mall) Symnonette was in the news letting people know that his two daughters were somewhere around the world shack in up with unmarried boyfriends. Mr Pave da Airy Brent says Bahamian immigration laws must be changed so that if his shacking up daughters want to bring their live-in boyfriends home to The Bahamas, the boyfriends who doesn’t want to own the cows, but get the milkshakes for free, can live and work in the Bahamas while they get free native milk.

Dawes 1 year, 5 months ago

Just checking, if someone is given Bahamian citizenship does that mean their children already born are automatically Bahamian, or is it only the ones born after the father received it?

ExposedU2C 1 year, 5 months ago

The law requires that there be a warm blooded live Bahamian father at the time of the birth of his child and also at the time of the application that must be made for the child to be properly registered as a Bahamian citizen. The Constitution of The Bahamas does not allow the non-Bahamian child of a deceased Bahamian father to inherit Bahamian citizenship from a cold dead corpse.

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