The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

RANDY Rolle, the Bahamas Consul General to Atlanta, returned to active duty yesterday after he was ordered to return to Nassau for a series of consultations sparked by his brief arrest and release in Bimini nearly a month ago.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign affairs, Mr Rolle has also offered an “unsolicited apology and an expression of regret”.

On April 3, Mr Rolle was handcuffed and taken to a Bimini police station for “disorderly conduct”, Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade told The Tribune last month.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that Randy Rolle, Consul General in Atlanta, returns to duty with effect 4th May in Atlanta following a period of intensive review, reflection and consultations,” the statement read.

“The matters arising that resulted in the return to Nassau have been thoroughly investigated and the appropriate authorities both at home and abroad were consulted. There are no outstanding issues with those authorities.

“During this time, a review of all the procedures generally of Heads of Missions and the standards of conduct expected of them were reviewed with all posts. In the circumstances, an unsolicited apology and expression of regret together with a full understanding of the way forward were received from the Consul General and he is to return to duty.”

The incident was first made public by FNM Chairman Michael Pintard, who questioned the circumstances surrounding Mr Rolle’s arrest and what led to his release from police custody. It has led to a lawsuit by Prime Minister Perry Christie, who maintains that Mr Pintard defamed his character with the accusations.

According to the Prime Minister, Senator Pintard, in a press release, falsely and maliciously accused him of interfering with a police matter involving Mr Rolle.

Mr Greenslade was also put in the hot seat after fingers were pointed at him as having given the orders for Mr Rolle to be freed from police custody.

Mr Greenslade told The Tribune that those accusations were “erroneous” as he denied that he or any politician, including Mr Christie, intervened on Mr Rolle’s behalf. He added that the release was the result of a decision by an assistant superintendent on the island.

Mr Greenslade said he learned of the incident after Mr Rolle was released from police custody. He said Mr Rolle had sent him a message on the mobile messenger service WhatsApp, followed by an email to communicate the series of events.

This contradicted Mr Rolle’s previous comments to The Tribune stating that he did not call Mr Greenslade because he did not know the Commissioner’s number.

At the time Mr Greenslade said: “It was a situation where there was a major event happening in Bimini, a homecoming of sorts (and) the streets were congested. Police officers determined that they should set up a diversion to get the traffic to move around the area so as not to have complications.

“The police had reason to speak with Consul General Randy Rolle, who was on a golf cart, and, of course, pointed him to the area where he should divert. That conversation did not go extremely well. It was quite verbal, some verbal jostling between the initial officers and the Consul General, and subsequently a sergeant was called in who again made an intervention and had reason to arrest the Consul General for disorderly behaviour.”

He added: “The answer to the question of whether the Commissioner ordered the release of Consul General Randy Rolle in respect of the recent police matter in Bimini is erroneous. It never happened and I am very bothered by the fact that anyone would put that out as a factual statement because it did not happen.” 

Mr Rolle has also denied the FNM’s claims saying that at no time did he ever call or speak to the Prime Minister during the time of the his arrest.

“The matter was resolved without recourse to any politician. I was released without charge and there the matter ended,” Mr Rolle has said.

Mr Rolle has maintained that there were no grounds for him to be terminated from his consular position because he was not charged with an offence.