The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Clayton Fernander declined to say whether voice recordings at the centre of an investigation into alleged corruption have been verified as genuine by foreign investigators.

This comes months after the recordings were first leaked, allegedly involving a senior officer and murdered gang members, prompting the announcement of an investigation into the matter, and resulting in a senior officer taking garden leave.

Mr Fernander said the public would receive a full update on the investigation at the end of the year.

“I don’t wish to comment at this time. Let the investigation take its course,” he told The Tribune while in Grand Bahama.

In July, government officials requested international assistance to investigate recordings that allegedly capture a quid-pro-quo arrangement involving a senior police officer, a lawyer, and two murdered men, Michael Fox, Jr, and Dino Smith.

 The conversation in the voice notes centred on a $1.5m airport bank car heist last November. Fox, Jr, and Smith were suspects, but were never charged.

 Two other men, Oral Roberts, 34, and Akeil Holmes, 26, were charged in connection with the robbery. Roberts was killed in the Fox Hill area in July.

 Michael Johnson, former head of CID, has taken garden leave as authorities investigate. Commissioner Fernander has previously noted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has joined the probe, which is being led by the Security and Intelligence Branch (SIB) of the police force.

 The Police Complaints Inspectorate will oversee the SIB’s investigation.

 Members of the United Kingdom National Crime Agency were scheduled to arrive in the country on August 14 to help oversee aspects of the probe, but they never did.

 Commissioner Fernander said the UK partners and the FBI are in communication with local enforcement and have received documents and video tapes for assessment.

 Michael Fox, Sr, father of Fox Jr, claimed his son provided him with the voice notes, instructing him to release them if he died. He stated that he did not release the tapes himself.

 Meanwhile, Sandra Smith, mother of Dino Smith, confirmed her son informed her about the voice notes, but did not give them to her.