Sands and Dames should quit over Frank Smith trial, says pressure group

Former PLP Senator Frank Smith speaking to the media after he was acquitted on Friday.

As of Thursday, February 7, 2019

By RIEL MAJOR

A group of concerned citizens says its members are planning to protest for the resignations of Health Minister Dr Duane Sands and National Security Minister Marvin Dames for the role they played in the Frank Smith trial.

Ricardo Smith, a member of Concerned Citizens for Justice and Empowerment, said as early as next Wednesday, they are going to take their demonstration to the streets.

Mr Smith, who is also a member of the Progressive Liberal Party, said: “We have decided it is incumbent on us to take this to the next level. We are going to announce our date of demonstration. We are going to call on the commissioner of police and we are going to call on the independent prosecutor to do their jobs. We are going to articulate in letters to them what we think should happen as far as this matter.

“We can’t allow this. We are steadfast and there is no other way…we want to make sure that the citizens of the Bahamas have the right to have our wishes heard by those who are in position of power. We believe that there are established conventions that dictates that when these persons find themselves in these types of positions that they don’t wait around…they don’t hang around when they do that which is honourable. Because this is supposed to be an honourable Parliament... for us now, we are placed in a position whereby the citizens of The Bahamas have to act.

“The administration said they would come here, and they would be cleaning up all of the mess and they would be fixing this and fixing that. The fact of the matter is it appears that they are messier than anything else.”

Mr Smith said Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has a responsibility at this time to fire both Mr Dames and Dr Sands and if he fails to do his duty, he himself must go.

“We as citizens, we have no other choice (but) to take our plight to the streets to ask before the state to become involved and demand these people to do the right thing or else there would be no law. There would be no order in our country.”

Mr Smith said a letter was drafted asking for permission to demonstrate and the group is currently waiting to be granted a permit to protest.

PLP leader Philip Davis has repeatedly called for the resignations of Mr Dames and Dr Sands after Mr Smith was acquitted of bribery and extortion charges last week. In her ruling, Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt pointed to numerous “inconsistencies” and “discrepancies” in the Crown’s case, which she further said was “undermined” by its own witnesses. She also cited the “egregious” behaviour of two Cabinet ministers connected to the matter.

HonestTruth 5 years, 10 months ago

Mr Smith, who is also a member of the Progressive Liberal Party,

As soon as I read the above line, this article and protest lost all credibility. PLP cronies are the most entitled group of people you’ll ever meet, can’t wait until the party disbands for good.

BahamaPundit 5 years, 10 months ago

Can we now say that both parties are a complete disgrace, and we should never have sought independence given the garbage trolls involved. What were those idiots thinking in 1973?

momoyama 5 years, 10 months ago

Nice try. But independence has done us well. And both parties have been imperfect, but made us into the least corrupt (according to transparency international) and highest human development (according to the UNDP's index) and best governed black country in human history. You people really need to travel and read before you come out with this kind of ignorant rubbish. Pindling, Ingraham and Christie left us a fine country, but of course with many areas of improvement. Minnis and Co. bamboozled the populace with the kind of twaddle you are selling and are proceeding to undermine every achievement of their predecessors. Only with this crew are we heading backwards.

pingmydling 5 years, 10 months ago

Smith should be retried immediately, found guilty and summarily executed. He is an old unreformed PLP, so obviously there can be no mitigating circumstances. ( in the old days those despicable dark shades would have meant " Ton Ton Macoute ". Some things don't change.)

TalRussell 5 years, 10 months ago

Yes, or no - for PLP comrades have faint hope being the political party positioned themselves as government-in-waiting, going into 2022 general election, it will have to appeal minimum 38.7% of 91,409 dedicated red voters now feeling they've been red shirts disenfranchised. I simply cannot imagine a comrade Frankie and George Smith as lead players portraying themselves as government-in-waiting. Yes, no - the two will face too many shots to duck from..... and, most certainly safe bet, there will be 2 to 6 By elections - no later than early 2021 ?

rawbahamian 5 years, 10 months ago

How come this same group of clowns didn't seek Perry's removal while he was effing things up for the small man. They need to pull their heads outta their anal cavaties so they can smell the fecal matter they are spewing !!!

momoyama 5 years, 10 months ago

it is people like you who put politics before everything else that are effing up our country. Wrong is wrong, whether PLP or FNM. This matter rises to a new level of wrongdoing and brazen corruption. If Perry, or Hubiggety or any other PM permitted two ministers to corrupt the police force and undermine the judicial system in pursuit of framing a citizen, they would be rightly urged to resign.

geostorm 5 years, 10 months ago

@rawbahamian, you ask a valid question!

joeblow 5 years, 10 months ago

Actually they should be fired for incompetence in their respective offices!

Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 10 months ago

All Bahamian voters should be taking to the streets whether they be of the FNM or PLP persuasion. The bottomline in this matter is that Minnis, Sands, Dames and Bethel have each betrayed all of the Bahamian people by their corrupt behaviour and most egregiously gross misconduct. Frankly, these four deserve a public whipping for having caused the acquittal of Frank Smith which will soon be followed by the acquittal of Shameless Shane. Mega millions of dollars wasted on investigations and court cases! LMAO

momoyama 5 years, 10 months ago

Well said

momoyama 5 years, 10 months ago

When even hopelessly biased Tribune readers are saying these dudes should go, then you know they screwed up. They should never have been elected in the first place.

CatIslandBoy 5 years, 10 months ago

Frank Smith is guilty as charged. Unfortunately the investigators and prosecutors did a very poor job. No one framed him! There is no reason for Sands or Dames to resign or be fired. I am not going to hang my belief on the possible biases of a single Magistrate. I'll wait for the Appeals process to take its due course.

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