ATTORNEY Wayne Munroe, QC.
By SANCHESKA DORSETT
Tribune Staff Reporter
sdorsett@tribunemedia.net
ATTORNEY Wayne Munroe, QC, said yesterday he has completed his list of alleged “corrupt members” of the Free National Movement, but won’t send it to the police “just yet” because he doesn’t trust the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s Anti-Corruption Unit.
In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Munroe said he has a list of eight FNM members — six current and two former members of Parliament — who he believes fits the current government’s definition of being “corrupt.”
He said he is currently consulting with lawyers from the United States, the Caribbean and Europe to determine the most effective way to move forward.
Mr Munroe would not reveal the names of the persons in question but said one of the two former MPs has recently publicly spoken out against the FNM’s actions.
“We have the names but I will not be turning it over to the police because I do not trust they will do anything with the information,” Mr Munroe told The Tribune on Monday.
“I have no confidence that they will investigate, so we have to be different in what we usually do and get all the information ourselves and give them everything so they cannot turn us away. So that is what we are doing now, compiling all of the evidence so if they turn us away, we will be in the position to present it to other international bodies and say, ‘Here is the proof of governmental systems being abused.’ Presently we have eight names, six current and two former members. I am not saying that the current government’s threshold for corruption is correct but it is what they set. So if they say you have one strike and you are out, I may think it is supposed to be three strikes, but I will go by what they have set. So we are referring to European lawyers and lawyers in the US and the Caribbean to get their perspective on what we should do, so we will take as long as we have to, to do this properly.”
Mr Murnoe also criticised Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis for refusing to meet the leader of the Progressive Liberal Party over his concerns about anti-corruption probes, calling the decision “not very smart.”
“Whoever is advising him must have never been in litigation,” Mr Munroe said.
“Dr Minnis is giving us an easy case against him. The person telling him not to meet with the PLP is not very bright. How could you refuse a meeting and still be seen as reasonable? You meet with someone and you hear what they have to say, you don’t have to agree with them or even make a contribution to the conversation but the person could never say you didn’t meet with them. It works for us because it shows there is bias and it supports our argument.”
Last Tuesday, Dr Minnis said he would not meet with PLP Leader Philip “Brave” Davis and dismissed concerns about being the subject of payback following the PLP leader’s harsh July 18 letter to him.
Dr Minnis insisted that his “life is an open book” and criticised Mr Davis for breaching protocol after the critical letter was leaked to the press.
In mid-July, Mr Davis wrote a strongly worded letter to Dr Minnis regarding criminal probes of PLPs. He warned: “When you set out to dig a grave for your enemy, dig two.”
The letter was leaked to The Tribune and other media and also circulated on Facebook and messaging platform WhatsApp.
Dr Minnis suggested he rejected the letter because it was made public. He said Mr Davis could have called him, but as it stands, the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP has not done so.
Comments
BahamasForBahamians 7 years, 4 months ago
Uh Oh.. This shit show is about to hit the fan.
Munroe appears to be getting the world involved.
How will Minnis explain to the world that he's only weeding our corruption on one end of the spectrum but not cleaning his own house?
Is Minnis effectively going to tell the world, there has never been any corrupt any FNM MPs. Ever?
Oh man.. Lets get the pop corn. Frank Watson BOLO.
tell_it_like_it_is 7 years, 4 months ago
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I think the best way forward is indeed to weed out corruption on both sides. The PLP has definitely done crap, but the FNM is not perfect either.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
Monroe is obviously not too bright a QC. As a member of the Bahamas Bar Association, he has effectively confessed to having violated several key provisions of the code of ethics (embodied in a statute) applicable to all attorneys practicing law in the Bahamas as well as other rules of conduct that apply to members of the Bar. He has very deliberately (albeit possibly unwittingly - even as a QC) made his unethical conduct a matter of public record and an appropriate complaint should be properly lodged with the Bar Association so that its investigation and disciplinary committees can discharge their respective statutory duties as regards Munroe's wayward and wrongful conduct as a licensed attorney. The Attorney General's Office may also feel compelled to look into the conduct of Munroe! Munroe purports to have hard evidence of the criminal conduct of others (who are not his clients) but does not see himself duty bound as a licensed practicing attorney and an officer of the court to turnover such evidence to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. His conduct, according to his own confession, is tantamount to aiding and abetting the illegal acts of individuals who are not his clients. This surely cannot be considered tolerable conduct by any practicing member of the Bahamas Bar Association!!
Reality_Check 7 years, 4 months ago
I am absolutely flabbergasted that a Queen's Counsel would be attempting to extort a sitting government with evidence and information he claims to hold that he himself is professionally obliged to turnover to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Munroe's conduct is most unbecoming of a senior member of the Bahamas Bar and seriously tarnishes in a very unsavory way the lustre of the QC designation for all Bahamian QCs.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
Commission of Police, Greenslade, should be paying Munroe a visit to demand that he forthwith turnover to the police all evidence he claims to have of corruption and illegal acts involving past and present politicians who abused their public office and the public trust. Munroe is well aware of the fact that our law enforcement authorities are currently investigating numerous instances of possible corruption, fraud and outright theft by certain senior officials of previous governments. He is therefore duty bound to handover to Greenslade whatever information he may have on such matters, and Greenslade is duty bound to formally request that Munroe do so posthaste.
BahamasForBahamians 7 years, 4 months ago
There are provisions in the law that allow for even a counsel member to seek further counsel before bringing matters to the court.
I admonish you guys to read the constitution and seek legal advice before putting your feet into your mouths on such topics.
Suggesting that the COP should arrest him is in direct contravention of The Penal Code.
Munroe, Greenslade and Carl Bethel knows this very well..
It appears as if the FNM dissenting commenters here are unaware of that and comment purely off emotion.
Lol I can't wait to see how this comment section will be when the second grave dug by Hubert Minnis is actually put to use.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
@Birdie: On advice from very sage counsel - YOU ARE DEAD WRONG! Munroe dared walk too far out on a rickety plank and now he is very wet. You had better hope he can swim. Abusing, flaunting and taunting the law will usually draw the consequences warranted, especially in today's Bahamaland where the rule of law applies equally to everyone.
DDK 7 years, 4 months ago
Check out today's (Wednesday's) breaking news! LOL!!
DDK 7 years, 4 months ago
Amen to that!
bahamian242 7 years, 4 months ago
Another Sandilands CASE!
proudloudandfnm 7 years, 4 months ago
This dude is amazingly full of sh-t...
DDK 7 years, 4 months ago
This one needs to crawl under a rock too, a BIG rock.
licks2 7 years, 4 months ago
Here we have an officer of the courts saying he have evidence of crimes committed against the state. . .but he will hold on to it and not give it to the police!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha. . .this man is not too smart. . .he has publicly confessed to committing a crime himself!! HE WILL NOT PUBLISH OR SUBMIT ANY DIRT HE HAS TO THE POLICE BECAUSE HE WILL BE SENT TO JAIL HIMSELF AND BE MADE BROKE AFTER THEM PERSONS SUE HIS BACKSIDE!! Nice try Mr QC. . .go fer yasef there!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
Tarzan 7 years, 4 months ago
Oh boy Wayne, do you keep that "secret list" right there where the good Senator McCarthy from Wisconsin kept his file of "known communists serving in the Army"? What a joke. You are a pathetic fool, if you think anyone but die-hard PLP dupes gives a fig what you have to say.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
Munroe has lost most of his credibility as a politician and a lawyer ......... This report borders on extortion of the government ........... He should be picked up NOW by the Anti-Corruption Unit as he is withholding information that negatively impacts serving members of the government and public confidence in our government ......... This can create a major public crisis in governance
sealice 7 years, 4 months ago
Mr. Munroe - if you would have been elected then you could have put your own name on your own list?
sealice 7 years, 4 months ago
AND.... like all things PLP you keeping it a secret cus it's all just a bunch of BS and you are still trying to stay relevant in the media???
baldbeardedbahamian 7 years, 4 months ago
Munroe? Yawn....... I wonder which private schools the children of this "man of the people" go to? I wonder which private school he went to? I wonder who paid for his law education?
Honestman 7 years, 4 months ago
What a disappointment Wayne Munroe has turned out to be.
BahamasForBahamians 7 years, 4 months ago
Lol. The FNMs here are so paranoid about going to jail they are all throwing tomatoes at Wayne.
Even going as far to suggest that he is criminally withholding evidence from the courts.
You idiots. Crying under the Tribune's comments wont save Brent Symonette, Hubert Ingraham, Frank Watson or Hubert Minnis from spending the night at Central Police Station and being tried in courts.
The QC has exercised his legal right to seek further counsel before bringing this matter to the courts. His actions are neither illegal nor unusual to the Westminster system.
It appears to be unusual to those that lack knowledge on the matter. Ironically though the ones that seem to know lease about the situation or how legal matters are conducted in The Bahamas, are the first to comment here.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 4 months ago
Repost to @Birdie: On advice from very sage counsel - YOU ARE DEAD WRONG! Munroe dared walk too far out on a rickety plank and now he is very wet. You had better hope he can swim. Abusing, flaunting and taunting the law will usually draw the consequences warranted, especially in today's Bahamaland where the rule of law applies equally to everyone.
Sickened 7 years, 4 months ago
My God BforB. You are so ignorant! FNM's want all corruption stamped out, we don't care who done it. If you have evidence then present it. Munroe can give his evidence to police now and keep a copy on file if he wants, and he can then say in 6 months, look I gave this evidence to the police on such and such a date and nothing has happened. Bradley Roberts is using him big time to try and stir up dirt and Munroe is going to be the one looking like a fool.
Alex_Charles 7 years, 4 months ago
As a regular Bahamian, I seriously couldn't give a shit. If you have evidence then make it public and lock everyone up and give them a fair trial. I don't give a crap. Even if Monroe, Minnis, Ingraham and Christie are involved lock ALL of their @$$es up too.
That aside, this seems like utter political BS. This screams of the PLP's election tactics all over again of "we're terrible but they are just as bad!" I have NO political party I support but hot damn am I really sick of this PLP shit. Refusal to admit you're party is full of crap, arrogance, refusal to even have a discussion about reform, refusal to even adhere to their own bloody party constitution!!!
the PLP and the FNM both need to STFU and just fix the damn country. While these multi-million dollar fellas rant and rave about who's corrupt, life only gets harder and more expensive for us regular folk. Time for the PLP to put up or STFU
sheeprunner12 7 years, 4 months ago
Boy!!!!! Wayne Munroe is one OGLY man!!!!!! ............ He could win any Ogly Man Contest hands down!!!! ............ He needs to catch a flight to Black Point, Rolleville or Cat Island for this weekend ........ Could make himself some pocket change ......... BOL
Believer1 7 years, 4 months ago
Isn't witholding evidence a crime?
licks2 7 years, 4 months ago
Especially if it is being held by an officer of the courts. . .thus. . .HEEN GAT CRAP!! Typical PLP blustering. . ."iffin yinna keep on tellin on we I ger tell on yall"!! Well by grave. . .tell on them all. . .I een no witch. . .so on wid the witch hunt!! Lol!
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