The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has accused National Security Minister Wayne Munroe of prejudicing investigations into an incident involving a Cabinet minister and a Royal Bahamas Police officer.

Dr Minnis levelled the accusation against Mr Munroe after he doubled down on calls for police officials to provide an update on what allegedly took place between Transport and Housing Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis and a police officer.

In May, Mrs Coleby-Davis was accused of assaulting a Royal Bahamas Police officer with her vehicle during a Carnival event.

The Elizabeth MP has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis said last week he was satisfied with the minister’s explanation of what happened that day.

 “I am now calling for the new Commissioner Clayton Fernander to provide the public with a written update on the investigation into the member for Elizabeth. The Prime minister has caused mass confusion on this matter,” the Killarney MP said in the House of Assembly.

 “There is a TV news interview where former Commissioner Paul Rolle told the entire media and the world that he had an Assistant Commissioner of Police investigating the matter the public needs clarity on this.”

 He added: “I say again as I’ve said before, I call on the Prime Minister to invite the member for Elizabeth, while the matter is being investigated to resign or step down from the post of transport, while an investigation is proceeding in transport and not housing.”

 He also noted comments made by Mr Munroe to a local media outlet concerning investigations and accused him of directly interfering with the case.

“I am concerned an active investigation is going on,” Dr Minnis added. “The Minister of National Security, when interviewed yesterday (Tuesday), said that the police had shown him and released footage and witness statements and reports and the minister (Munroe) said ‘these reports support the minister, not the police’.

“Now, I would have thought that there’s a Commissioner of Police and that police performing proper investigation, he would respond to the Commissioner. The minister is a policy maker and that is direct interference in an investigation by a minister.”

However, the Freetown MP rose on a point of order, asking Dr Minnis to withdraw the remarks.

Mr Munroe said: “Unless the member for Killarney has any evidence that this member has interfered with any police officer doing a duty, he ought to withdraw that. If he were to watch (it) because it’s a video so he doesn’t have to depend on a journalist’s interpretation of it, he would see that I said that I’m briefed on that as I’m briefed on violent crime by the police and that I do not get involved in investigations.”

But, Dr Minnis hit back and said he stood by his earlier statements.

“One has to ask the question - is the minister receiving such information?” Dr Minnis asked. “Is he prejudicing the investigation, and can it be interpreted as a form of interference or even intimidation since those individuals, I implore it indirectly through the minister and yet the minister himself is receiving information before the final investigation is completed? Every Bahamian would know that that could be interpreted as interfering.

“One has to ask the question, Is he now the Commissioner of Police? Is he the judiciary? He has already put out to the public that the evidence that he’s seen favours the minister. He has already distorted the minds of the public and has prejudiced the case,” Dr Minnis said.