The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson has been “indefinitely” suspended pending the results of a police investigation into her alleged violations of union procedures, The Tribune can confirm.

Acting union President Zane Lightbourne told The Tribune yesterday that Mrs Wilson has been suspended with “half pay” pending the results of the investigations.

He said Mrs Wilson has also been ordered to serve the remainder of her initial six-month suspension, that was imposed last year by the union but later overturned by an appeals committee. This order also applies to the union’s treasurer, Lorraine Knowles, he said.

The ruling came from executives at the union’s annual general meeting (AGM), which started earlier this week, according to Mr Lightbourne.

This marks the third time that Mrs Wilson has been suspended. She was first suspended last December and again in March.

Mrs Wilson and Ms Knowles were originally suspended amid concerns from the union’s executive committee that more than $1.1 million from the union’s pension and savings account was wrongfully spent.

“The AGM who is the supreme body, ruled not only for her to be suspended from the December 18 suspension that was overturned,” Mr Lightbourne said yesterday. “Also she has an indefinite suspension pending the completion of the forensic audit on the pension, the (union’s) building in Grand Bahama and pending a police investigation.

“They did the suspension with half pay on Monday until the investigations are complete and then (Tuesday) they invoked that she has to serve the suspension that she didn’t complete when the appeal committee overturned it. They looked at the reasons why the appeal committee overturned it and they saw the same difficulties that we saw. And therefore ruled that she has to serve the rest of her suspension that we gave her at that time.”

Mr Lightbourne said that the union has made “a lot of progress” in the embattled president’s absence.

“The members will have to decide because it’s two completely different styles of leadership,” he said. “She has always had the ‘me, me, I’ type of leadership.

“Then the leadership that happened in her absence was the type of leadership where there was collaboration, cooperation, there was transparency, there was accountability, and a more professional atmosphere,” he said. Mrs Wilson and Ms Knowles were suspended in December for six and three months respectively due to concerns that more than $1.1 million from the union’s pension and savings account were spent in contravention of its policies over a four-year period.

In January, Mrs Wilson had her suspension overturned by a three member appeals committee, who said it found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the president as was alleged.

Mr Lightbourne and the union’s executive committee said they firmly rejected the appeals committee’s decision. However, Mrs Wilson was subsequently granted an injunction barring the union’s executive committee from interfering in her duties as president.

In March, however, Mrs Wilson and Ms Knowles were again served with another suspension accused of “blatant violations” of the union’s constitution.