By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE United States continues to highlight the inadequacy of local legislation and enforcement efforts to combat corruption and conflicts of interest in public office.
In its latest Investment report, the US said the political system of The Bahamas remains “plagued by reports of corruption, including allegations of widespread patronage, the routine directing of contracts to political supporters, and favourable treatment for wealthy or politically connected individuals.”
The US report on The Bahamas, which has changed little over the years, said efforts to enforce conflicts of interest rules related to government contracts remain limited.
The Minnis administration passed new procurement rules in Parliament last year. The law will come into effect September 1, according to Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson.
Campaign promises to enact campaign finance legislation and fully enact the Freedom of Information Act remain unfulfilled.
“In May 2017, the current government won the election on a platform to end corruption,” the report said. “Early in the administration, the government charged a number of former officials with various crimes including extortion and bribery, theft by reason of employment, and defrauding the government. These cases were either dismissed, ended in acquittals, or are ongoing. The government reported no new cases of corruption in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches during 2020. Nevertheless, three Cabinet Ministers resigned in the first three years of the current administration under allegations of corruption, including the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Financial Services, and the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.
“The Public Disclosure Act requires senior public officials, including senators and members of Parliament, to declare their assets, income, and liabilities annually. For the 2020 deadlines, the government gave extensions to all who were late to comply. The government did not publish a summary of the individual declarations, and there was no independent verification of the information submitted.
“The campaign finance system remains largely unregulated, with few safeguards against quid pro quo donations, creating a vulnerability to corruption and foreign influence. The procurement process also remains susceptible to corruption, as it contains no requirement to engage in open public tenders, although the government routinely did so. In February 2021, the government passed the Public Procurement Bill (2020), which reportedly overhauls current governance arrangements for government contracts to improve transparency and accountability.
“The absence of transparent investment procedures and legislation is also problematic. US and Bahamian companies alike report the resolution of business disputes often takes years and debt collection can be difficult even after court judgments. Companies also describe the approval process for FDI and work permits as cumbersome and time-consuming. The Bahamian government does not have modern procurement legislation and companies have complained the tender process for public contracts is not consistent, and that it is difficult to obtain information on the status of bids. In response, the current government passed a Public Procurement Bill and launched an e-procurement and suppliers registry system to increase levels of accountability and transparency. The Public Procurement Bill was passed in March 2021, but has not yet been fully enacted.”
The US noted that The Bahamas scored 63 out of 100 in Transparency International’s most recent corruption index.
“However, the country’s scores have dropped eight points since 2012, perhaps indicating an erosion of transparency,” the US said. “The Bahamas still lacks an Office of the Ombudsman to strengthen access to information, nor has it fully enacted its Freedom of Information Act (2017) or appointed an independent Information Commissioner. Although the current government is pursuing legislative reforms to strengthen investment policies, progress on these efforts has been mixed.”
Comments
SP 3 years, 3 months ago
This is why the Bahamas could never have an effective Freedom Of Information Act while the PLP or FNM rule the country.
Both parties are equally corrupt, so resolving corruption is an impossibility that would mean too many "elites" past and present would end up in jail!
We must as a country vote in independents and, or 3rd parties regardless.
One thing we know for sure is the PLP and FNM have unquestionably failed us, so anyone else certainly cannot do much worse!!
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
That said, the US of today is way down on the list of countries qualified to lecture other countries “plagued by reports of corruption, including allegations of widespread patronage, the routine directing of contracts to political supporters, and favourable treatment for wealthy or politically connected individuals.”
Even Jinping in Communist China and Putin in Russia now take great pleasure in calling out the US on (1) its widening gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' with differing standards of justice for these two classes, (2) its increasing level of lawlessness, (3) its escalating human rights abuses and (4) its significant curtailment of the rights and freedoms that had previously been guaranteed to all US citizens. Truth be told, the US is no longer the shining example of a free democracy that it once was for other countries, and the rest of the world now knows this to be the case.
JokeyJack 3 years, 3 months ago
Oh ok, cool so that means we can tief. Good to know.
WETHEPEOPLE 3 years, 3 months ago
Nope, they are just no in a position to judge.
newcitizen 3 years, 3 months ago
Go back to ZZZzzzzzz troll.
mandela 3 years, 3 months ago
So will Dr. Minnis our PM be going abroad now and stating again how corrupt Bahamians are and then also stating that so is his government that he and only he presides over, making him also the ruler of the corrupted.
JokeyJack 3 years, 3 months ago
Public Accounts Committee meets every 3 months but refuses to publish their findings.
hrysippus 3 years, 3 months ago
Corruption is systemic in some ares of the civil service and also among too many of our elected officials in the past, my personal jury is still considering it's verdict on this current set.
TalRussell 3 years, 3 months ago
It's not the inadequacy of local legislation but the lack of enforcement efforts to combat blatant political parties' corruption.
Don't be more blatant than knowingly offering that OBAN fake document, and where did they do it, right up in the cabinet office, and under the bight lights used for the cameras.
It's like they have their own TV Comedy Sitcom: **The Colony's Most Stupid Elected 35, and Politically Appointed, and, in complicity co-starring PublicPurse's hirees.
And then, get this, who was it that Reds brought in to go searching for the so-called OBAN missing documents...none other than the sitcom's SNL cast member, we Commish Royal Constabulary.
You'd wanna thought this was all made-up lies, yes?
newcitizen 3 years, 3 months ago
Corruption here is rampant. You can buy anything you want from the government in this country and at any level. You can pay to jump the line at Road Traffic, you can pay for you building inspections after the fact, you can buy a passport in Haiti, you can even just pay off sitting ministers to give government contracts. At every single level you can buy what you want. And it hurts everyone, every single time it happens.
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
Such revelations! You really must be a new Bahamian citizen. lol
birdiestrachan 3 years, 3 months ago
The PM went international with his the Bahamas is the corrupt message. They call the PLP corrupt but it is them The Bahamas has dropped eight points. under the FNM Government.
telling lies is corruption. having others sign their signatures to others names at a press conference OBAN. Trump up charges going west when you said you were going east. lies and more lies.
Corruption in high places that is FNM they have proven themselves to be weighed in the balance and found wanting.
IslandWarrior 3 years, 3 months ago
And may I add, in no way is this report implicating a single Bahamian Government Administration.
In my experience, in the past ten years of trying to participate in the development of this country. I know of experiences that "holds true" to this Report of Corruption, including senior government advisors, managers and technical staff, plus some well-known family members of top government officials who held the top post at a Government Department.
We all remember the PTI Proposal that ended up on the Floors Parlemant as BFG PPP Ventures I Limited (PPP1)
Or the issue of Ron's Auto and 5 Million Dollar Purchase Deal that turned into 4 Million by The Time the Check got to the landowner.
The Fake RTD Bahamas 2016 License Plate RFP - and the plagiarism of the STATE OF WISCONSIN REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) # RME-1625, this program now costs the Bahamian people $29 to produce each Licence Plate.
We all remember the mess at The Road Traffic and the TMS system where the top man at the department, even after leaving the job, still represents the company that won the contract under his watch. And his radio personality family member holds the rights to the imaging on our driver's license. Not the mention the $30,000 service call fees in the worse contract deal that ties the hands of the government into an unbreakable contract for five years.
Or the vanity printer that is listed as $95,000 but is presented to the Bahamian Public by a former Minister as valuing $900,000, knowing the printer was already on site.
Or the local company (BASIC) who could not get a deal with the government unless a former swimmer and digital currency company owner, with extensive contacts with this government and who is the son of a wealthy party financer wasn't a part of the deal. "if my son is not a part of the deal, then there is not a deal in a September 2019 telephone call from the party influencer.
“The Public Disclosure Act requires senior public officials, including senators and members of Parliament, to declare their assets, income, and liabilities annually. ...should also include PSs, their families and government technical staff where most of the actual dealing occurs.
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
The cost of government corruption after May 2017 has been taken to a whole new level that not even the most corrupt among the PLP political elite could ever have dreamed possible....and that's saying a whole hell-of-a-lot!
IslandWarrior 3 years, 3 months ago
The 30 to 40-year old culture of Government Administrative gameplay culture had a field day with some of these new Ministers, many of who still don't know simple governmental protocols and their PS and technical people running shop right under their nose while Flambéing them with the Public Service (breakfast, lunch and laundry special)
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