The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie has referred a complaint Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis made against Attorney General Carl Bethel to the Committee of Privileges yesterday, despite opposition from the governing side.

The Office of the Attorney General released a statement last week claiming Mr Davis exposed himself to possible criminal prosecution by claiming Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis breached rules of the Emergency Powers Order.

The statement was in response to the PLP’s criticism that Dr Minnis has failed to detail “the expenditures, suppliers for the goods and services procured and the reasons those suppliers were chosen” as Section 11.2 of the Emergency Powers (COVID-19 Pandemic) Regulations requires.

In a letter to Speaker Moultrie dated February 1, Mr Davis wrote: “I feel duty bound to refer this matter to the said committee because as an attorney and member of the Bahamas Bar Association in good standing I stand on judicial precedent that a considered legal opinion in the course of interpreting the law by an officer of the court cannot be characterised as criminal libel.

“Further, as a duly elected member of the House of Assembly, the language, tone and tenor of the statement referenced above and enclosed amount to a breach of my parliamentary privilege.”

Mr Davis wrote that the Attorney General’s “threats” were an attempt to silence him and prevent him from freely expressing himself.

He said in the House of Assembly yesterday: “The question is, they know what they spent, they know who benefited from the contracts and the spending and they could tell us that today if they wanted to, but they don’t want to. It is for telling these simple truths that I was threatened by the Attorney General. I don’t take threats lightly so I will continue to ask this question. What is the government afraid of with respect to reporting, what do they have to hide?”

“Having heard the complaint and the response,” Speaker Moultrie responded, “it is the order of the chair that this matter be sent to the Committee of Privilege.”

The committee will determine if a breach of privilege took place and will make recommendations if necessary.