The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE results of the New Year’s Day Junkanoo parade in Grand Bahama could change as an appeal hearing over the unofficial results was held on Monday by officials of the Grand Bahama Junkanoo Committee. 

Monday’s meeting was held at 6pm at the C A Smith Building where a committee, which was also comprised of Junkanoo officials from New Providence, heard appeals put forward regarding the unofficial results that were announced on January 2.   

The Tribune understands that Platinum Knights’ group leader Thomas Curry attended the meeting and presented the group’s case to Junkanoo officials.

When contacted yesterday, Mr Curry said he was confident about the case he had put forward during the hearing.  “I feel good about it, and I believe an announcement will be made tomorrow (Wednesday),” he said.

Platinum Knights, the two-time defending champion and favourite to win the parade, fell in the standings from first to third place after penalty deductions were applied, and the Superstar Rockers group was announced as the winner.  

According to the unofficial results for the Division A category, Platinum Knights won eight of the ten divisions, including execution of theme, group performance, music, overall costume, banner, choreographed dancers, best individual lead costume, and best off-the-shoulder.

At the outset, Mr Curry said the group would protest and appeal the results as he did not agree with the penalty deductions, and had even threatened not to participate in future Junkanoo parades in Grand Bahama.   

Chaos broke out shortly after the unofficial results were announced and police were called in to quiet the situation and calm tempers.

The Superstar Rockers, which received sponsorship from Oban Energies at a very late stage, had not won the parade in six years. Nine days before the parade, the group received a $25,000 contribution from Oban Managing Director Alexander Grikitis. 

According to a reliable source, the appeal hearing was expected to continue last night to hear from another group that is protesting the unofficial results. 

This comes as a police investigation is continuing into bribery claims related to New Providence’s Boxing Day and New Year’s Day parades.

Earlier this month, the Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence asked the Royal Bahamas Police Force to investigate the claims, according to JCNP Chairman Silbert Ferguson.

The claims stem from several recordings of calls from a purported woman judge to Bommer George, a costume designer for the Genesis Junkanoo group.

Mr George told The Tribune as part of his attempt at a sting operation, he downloaded a software that automatically records incoming calls. He said he was willing to talk to police and share his information with them, including additional recorded calls, not yet publicly released.

However, Mr Ferguson has ruled out the possibility that the New Providence results could be voided after an investigation.

“What has happened is the judges have judged the parade,” the JCNP chairman had said earlier.

“We have reviewed all the people’s score cards and all the groups have the same information. If anybody desires to make parades null and void, that will not happen like that. Based on what we have seen, we don’t think anything that has been reported or done could screw the results like that.”