A REVEREND who made “offensive” allegations against Police Commissioner Paul Rolle in a video that went viral on Facebook is now being questioned by police.
According to a statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the reverend “surrendered himself” to the Criminal Investigation Department and has been arrested in reference to the video for “defaming” the police chief.
Earlier this week, the RBPF said Commissioner Rolle reported a video that was circulating on social media that made “spurious allegations” against him to the CID for investigation.
The statement said the police chief “takes these attacks on his reputation seriously”.
In a later interview, Commissioner Rolle told reporters he found the allegations in the video to be offensive.
Comments
FreeUs242 3 years, 7 months ago
The upper class who catered to Nygard's pamper parties is not standing trial. It's always a double standard for the wealthy or the protected role players.
newcitizen 3 years, 7 months ago
You get arrested for 'offending' the commissioner of police? What kind of fascist game are they playing? This place is becoming more and more banana republic by the day.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
True. Is libel something you get arrested or questioned by police for? Or do you just get a summons to appear in court? It does seem very Hitlerish. Perry Christie started this when he used the armed forces to threaten a song writer
I could see if the man threatened to kill someone, that's a different matter. I havent seen the notorious video, saying someone got paid this and that to look the other way or slept with so and so doesn't seem like something you'd arrest someone for. If that's the sum total of what was said it looks like we are headed in SS and Ton Ton Macoute territory.
Clamshell 3 years, 7 months ago
Hear, hear. Well said.
Emilio26 3 years, 7 months ago
new citizen it seems the bahamas is slowly becoming a next Russia or Communist China.
KapunkleUp 3 years, 7 months ago
Most of the upper ranks of the police have long thought of themselves as old style feudal "Lords". Except they're not. They are arrogant, self entitled and incompetent. Our number of unsolved murders and other crimes are proof of their incompetence. Any "investigation" which involves another cop and gets burried is proof of their self entitlement. As for arrogance... this story is proof enough of that. Rolle probably thinks of himself as some kind of great leader and investigator which gives proof to another fact: Ignorance Is Bliss.
Clamshell 3 years, 7 months ago
Congratulations. Officially, we are now North Korea.
Emilio26 3 years, 7 months ago
It seems like Minnis wants to be the next Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping.
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 7 months ago
So, I guess that we can now make unsubstantiated criminal allegations against someone, claim that God revealed it to us in a dream, and expect no follow up according to this comment section?
Sad to see how many Bahamians will let their hatred for Minnis and his administration blind them from all common sense and practicality.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
no, you aren't allowed to make unsubstantiated claims. Its also not the police forces' job to police words that fall far short of threats of physical harm.
You get a law suit filed against you for libel or slander. You don't get called to the police station for saying someone did something bad.
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 7 months ago
1.) The allegations were of a criminal nature. This is where things cross over from the civil to the criminal side of the law.
2.) The person that they were made against is a public servant, not a private citizen. Moreover, it is the Commissioner of Police.
Similar situation happened with Christie right before the election in 2017 when he arrested the musician for making up stories for social media. Bahamians need to understand that you can't just run on with unsubstantiated garbage all over social media and not expect any consequences. Even more so when you consider that our laws are based off of the British ones that have a much lower bar for what constitutes slander/libel and defamation of character, even for public figures.
Stupid is as stupid does, the "reverend" should exercise better judgement before making criminal claims against a man with no proof.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
I looked it up. and there is such a thing as criminal libel but according to @Clamshell it doesn't exist in the Bahamas. Further what Christie did was a real abuse because the man was called in for making crude comments about Mrs Christie and then made to apologize to her? What was that? He used the full power of the armed forces because someone said something nasty about his wife. Given that the Bahamas has had a stain of corruption for decades, what they're doing yo the reverend is waaaayyy beyond the pale and Hitlerish
Greentea 3 years, 7 months ago
Where is the crime? Rolle's appearance and public statements and now actions suggest that he is an undisciplined, ignorant, and fascist leaning person in a position of influence. He needs to go. This isnt 1960s Duvalier's Haiti or Castro's Cuba in the 70s- or is it? With such petty, mediocre, power hungry, dumbass, incompetent fools in charge the country is on the road to nowhere.
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Rolle and his mentor (Minnis) both need to go.
TigerB 3 years, 7 months ago
Libel and slander are criminal in any law....this is different than freedom of speech.
KapunkleUp 3 years, 7 months ago
They are not criminal in ANY law.
Clamshell 3 years, 7 months ago
Bzzzzt ... wrong. Libel and slander are civil issues, not criminal-law issues. There are no criminal sanctions for libel and slander.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
So I looked it up
"criminal libel, the theory is that the damage is to the public rather than to a private individual. Therefore, the state becomes the prosecuting entity against an individual speaker. Presumably, the individual’s libelous statement would have to be deemed serious enough to warrant removing the case from the civil realm. The defamation involved in criminal libel could be of another individual, a public official, a government entity, a group, or even a deceased person."
Considering that Nygard is currently sitting in a prison for allegedly running an underage sex ring out of the Bahamas, that Pindling had to appear on International news to defend this country against island for sale allegations and missing people, considering the Department of States damning report about corruption in the Bahamas and considering our own PM'S words, to the UN no less, about 500 million lost to corruption every year, I dont know what could have been said that was sooo shocking that it damaged the public. But ok, gulag for him, get ASP Ferguson to guard him. Make sure you check for smart watches though.
The rest of us are safe until the SS decides posting comments on the Tribune is also criminal
Clamshell 3 years, 7 months ago
Note the use of the words and phrases, “the theory is ...”, and “presumably” and “could be.” In Britain, the Bahamas, the U.S. and other nations whose laws evolved from the British system, libel and slander remain civil issues. There are no federal criminal sanctions — i.e., criminal conviction, jail term, etc. — for cases of libel/slander. In the U.S. there are some states that have criminal libel on the books, but it’s localized, rarely if ever enforced, and generally would involve a violation of a court order, which is not the situation here.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
I fully agree with you... I think what they're doing is a real stretch considering that noone in the world including Hubert Minnis believes the Bahamas is beyond corruption. And given that reality how did the reverend harm "the public"??? At most the Commissioner should be protecting his own good name in a civil suit.
Clamshell 3 years, 7 months ago
Agreed! It is frightening that a senior police offical can have a pastor taken into police custody and/or arrested on the basis of something he said, no matter how insulting or erroneous it might be. That’s some scary Third World shyte right there.
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Welcome to Minnis's police state.
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Is that a certain medical doctor's view? LOL
John 3 years, 7 months ago
If something is reported in the news purported as facts or or ‘allegations under investigation,’ then persons who comment on those reports have more latitude and freedom from prosecution than someone who just goes in a public forum and loosely makes allegations. And even after a person is arrested and even charged, the story does not end there. If he or she can bring evidence that the allegations made are true or if he or she can show that steps were made or are being made to cover up the allegations then any actions against him or her will be challenged. In the case of Nygard, for example, it was proven that all the allegations against him lead back to the hands of one person. And it is further believed that most of the said ‘allegations and evidence’ against Nygard cannot hold up in court and once he has his day in court the cases against him will be tossed. And if he can prove the malicious motives behind the actions against him, he will receive substantial financial relief. And so that is why he is being held in prison, hoping the matter never reaches the court. Then there is the case of NY Governor Cumo who is facing a similar situation as Nygard. His accusers now number eight. The thing is lawyers are trained to style simple everyday employee/employer’s interactions into sexual abuse and inappropriate advances. And once these allegations are heard in the public and repeated often enough, they become the standard. In other words everyone knows bosses are sleeping with secretaries and other workers and employees sleeping with other workers. But only when it becomes convenient for someone to be removed from their post or when someone wants monetary relief, these relationships or behavior becomes unacceptable or even criminal.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago
hmmm... the last part is wrong. A "secretary" "may" (i said may) start/continue a relationship with her boss because she fears she has no other choice. Thats why its usually policy that bosses cant have relationship with staff. They have power to compel subordinates to do things and you want those things to be wholesome.
Think of the position hurricane Dorian and COVID has put some women in. Some people never learn the flight response.
I do think there's an over political correctness about "some" of it. Men and women are meant to be attracted to each other. So if a man or woman makes a "normal" advance that shouldn't be classified as harassment because the other party wasn't interested. Even if the pursuer tries again, thats normal behaviour. But if it gets vulgar, if it goes to touching, if it gets to the point where the subject has rebuffed multiple advances and they still continue or the subject's uncomfortable/afraid to be around the individual, thats harassment. And it happens.
FreeUs242 3 years, 7 months ago
They are the most corrupt branch on planet earth. That's why so many politicians don't go to jail because they can pay the police to keep hush hush. Hywel Jone's case is the perfect example of police corruption and the courts.
Clamshell 3 years, 7 months ago
This story has been up for 4 days now. Damn, how do ya get a job like The Tribune staff? Where you can check out and pretend that 4 days go by with nuttin’ happenin’ across the nation?
John 3 years, 7 months ago
So what if the Rev can prove his allegations? Certainly there was no investigation by the most capable police force, and certainly not under the direction of Marvin Dames. But what if the Rev can bring evidence and witnesses who spill the beans and prove the allegations to be true? Will Commissioner Rolle be made to resign then be charged with he alleged matters or will he still sit in one of the seats of the untouchables? Then, of course, this opens the door for both Rolle and the COP (Rolle will no longer hold that post) to be sued. Of course in the alternative, the commissioner can also take civil action against his accuser, if only for the sake of clearing his name.
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