By AVA TURNQUEST
Tribune Chief Reporter
aturnquest@tribunemedia.net
POLICE are expected to bring charges on Friday morning against a man in connection with the 2003 bribery allegations at the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC).
The court action comes after months of speculation over whether the government would act on the US Department of Justice report that French power company Alstom SA paid more than $300,000 to a BEC member to influence contracts to a French company between 1999 and 2003.
This is related to a widespread scheme involving tens of millions of dollars in bribes to countries around the world, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson pledged last month that Bahamians would “absolutely” learn the identity of the person accused of the bribe.
The French company allegedly hid payments to the Bahamian official, routing them through an American consultant who was a “close personal friend” of one person able to influence the awarding of BEC contracts.
Following the revelation last year – which was reported exclusively in Tribune Business - former Deputy Prime Minister Frank Watson, who at the time had the electricity corporation in his portfolio, expressed “difficulty” with the situation.
Mr Watson has maintained that he was unaware of any controversy surrounding generator purchase contracts, or the events that allegedly took place between 1999 and 2001 when the Free National Movement was in office.
The man will be taken before a magistrate at 10.30am on Friday, according to police bulletin.
Comments
URD 9 years, 1 month ago
TODAY ???
TruePeople 9 years, 1 month ago
Or maybe some unspecified 'friday' in the near or very distant future?
TruePeople 9 years, 1 month ago
How dey gone charge him when he's still a mystery man? What dey gone do? Run out in the middle of a hurricane and arrest him. BEY i swear wtf is dis fool jhed.
John 9 years, 1 month ago
So what happens whilst the Bahamas is distracted by "a perfect storm?" No wonder they shutting down the part of the country that is not even affected by the storm.
sansoucireader 9 years, 1 month ago
This is so stupid. Another distraction in hopes we'll forget how the Family Islands have pretty much been abandoned. SMT.
jus2cents 9 years, 1 month ago
Old PR trick, to relay news you don't want anyone to pay attention to on a Friday afternoon, or when there's another bigger story everyone's paying more attention to, it's classic "wag the dog"
John 9 years, 1 month ago
FRED RAMSEY HAS BEEN CHARGED!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 1 month ago
Fred Ramsey is the fall guy for the smaller portion of the $300,000+ bribery payment. The people need to know the name of the former MP who pocketed the lion's share of the illegal payment.
dahasamo 9 years, 1 month ago
I am left to wonder how one board member could overrule the decision of the Board and move the contract from the Board authorised provider. Did Fred Ramsey have that much influence to cause Vincent D'Aguilar to resign? Someone else was pulling the strings.
SP 9 years, 1 month ago
How can the head witch charge one person for carrying out the status quo set by ALL former governments?
B.E.C. didn't just suddenly fail.
It is no secret that both PLP and FNM have always been practicing this bribery and switch-a-rue engine buying tactics from the late 60's!
Greentea 9 years, 1 month ago
well this one made the mistake of being caught in a court case in a court system beyond our compromised system.
SP 9 years, 1 month ago
No problem. The head witch will just conjure another magic ritual to blind the people and protect the dancing clown....LIGHT STUFF!
MonkeeDoo 9 years, 1 month ago
John: Is that a fact or just a rustle ?
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 1 month ago
See my comment to John's posting above.
TalRussell 9 years, 1 month ago
Comrades nothing seems to be going right for the embattled red party. Not even the ghosts of the Papa Hubert regime is about to get a break. Hopes for some could even be quashed to return under such a dark cloud in time for the 2017 General.
Some them will be soon seeing more red than others - others would call it - blood letting.
And, you know what else. Every day single day the red party could be forced to endure questions, if and when a trial proceeds - could blow the lid clear-off the whole red party's 2017 General's machinery.
And, then there are those who will be summoned to testify under oath.
And, you knows the consequences over one's own freedom, if you tell the judge and jury - what you has have known are bold-faced-ed untruths.
banker 9 years, 1 month ago
Nahhh! It'll pass like Shame Gibson's Rolex, and money tiefed from the Ministry of Housing that makes $300K look like small potatoes.
The government een chasing anyone high up, because they know that it'll come back to bite them. Tacit agreement among them to punish minor guilty and let the guilty big fish go free.
Greentea 9 years, 1 month ago
Banker was Gibson housing minister with the whole Penn Home Depot/Crown land scandal?
John 9 years, 1 month ago
Can someone please teach TalRussell English? at least their grade. or at least translate: "Every day single day the red party could be forced to endure questions, if and when a trial proceeds - could blow the lid clear-off the whole red party's 2017 General's machinery. "
Reality_Check 9 years, 1 month ago
As the fall guy who has willing agreed to shield a former MP, Fred Ramsay will serve little to no prison time and the people will never hear the name of the former MP who pocketed the lion's share of the bribery payment. Hubiggity should name the former MP involved in public!
Greentea 9 years, 1 month ago
Ramsay is a fool then. And will bear the brunt of my scorn until we hear about the others he shared the money with. Funny how its more than the 300gs we thought.
John 9 years, 1 month ago
Maybe Fred Ramsey will pass on into the "silent good night" even before this trial is brought before a court, thereby taking more secrets with him.
marrcus 9 years, 1 month ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf7Sxl2…
SP 9 years, 1 month ago
LOL....This is a must see!
SP 9 years, 1 month ago
.................................................... Clean Hands My Foot! .................................................
Hubert Ingraham and his whole FNM Cabinet have been implicated by the BEC $600,000.00 bribe scandal charge.
Ingraham was a well known "hands on dictator" that personally made every Cabinet decision bar none.
He will be hard pressed to now tell us he had no knowledge of $600,000.00 exchanging hands in his Cabinet right under his nose for exchange of good generators for inferior generators!
Where are Dr. Minnis, Michael Pintard, BLT and Darron Cash demanding the crooked FNM Cabinet Ministers be held accountable for corruption?
SP 9 years, 1 month ago
. Nobody On Board Took Bribe Assured B. Farrington - BLT Wants Light On Corruption .
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/bahama…
Fred Ramsey couldn't operate in a vacuum by taking the bribe, pocketing all the money and signing the deal himself for the switch-a-rue in Cabinet!
Several people in Ingrahams FNM Cabinet must have shared in the $600,000.00!
BLT was "checking on it" and wanted to "shine light on corruption wherever it is", but quickly lost focus.
Lets see how much "light" BLT will shine on her own corrupt FNM's!
Where are the senior PLP's, Cabinet Ministers and dancing clown condemning this find of FNM corruption?
The PLP are suspiciously too quite when one would have thought they would immediately use these circumstances to laud their honesty and integrity to kick off their 2017 campaign.
People living in glass houses....ETC!
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