The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE government is being called on to adopt a comprehensive approach to tackling corruption in the wake of allegations of a cocaine smuggling conspiracy involving law enforcement officials and politicians.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis announced plans to introduce new legislation to strengthen oversight of law enforcement agencies.

While welcoming the Prime Minister’s commitment, ORG deputy executive director Steffon Evans stressed the importance of fully implementing existing measures, such as the Freedom of Information Act and the Office of the Ombudsman.

“I think first and foremost, it’s important to recognise the need for deliberate action to be taken in the aftermath of serious allegations of corruption,” Mr Evans said.

“At the Organisation for Responsible Governance, this is one of the primary things that we promote. We stand firm on our stance that corruption needs to be tackled at a systemic level to ensure that The Bahamas has the tools it needs to prevent, detect, and respond to corruption.

“And so, while the plans that have been put forward by the Prime Minister are certainly an important step, we also encourage taking that a step further by making sure that key pieces of legislation, like the Freedom of Information Act, the Office of the Ombudsman, and several others, like the potential for an integrity commission, be given adequate attention and necessary funding in the annual budgets.”

The Tribune understands the Davis administration plans to table the Security Forces Inspectorate Bill, which would establish a body to oversee all security forces in The Bahamas. This initiative aims to address long-standing resource challenges faced by the Police Complaints Inspectorate, which oversees the police force’s Complaints and Corruption Branch. National Security Minister Wayne Munroe has indicated the new Inspectorate will be more robust and fill existing gaps.

Mr Davis has pledged to table oversight legislation before the Christmas break.

“We haven’t gotten our hands on that bill yet, and what we would encourage, as is the case with any piece of legislation of public interest, is that it be a cross-sector collaboration, making sure there’s input from the citizenry, civil society, and the private sector, as necessary, to make sure that the bills are representative of the needs of the communities and that they’re actionable, efficient, and effective in execution,” Mr Evans said.

While expressing concern over the allegations, Mr Evans emphasised the need for all facts to emerge before drawing conclusions. He reiterated ORG’s commitment to working with the government and other stakeholders to create a stronger framework for combating corruption in The Bahamas.

“Any long-term governance reform will require the collaboration of the government, all other sectors, and the public,” Mr Evans said. “It’s important to bring the other sectors and the citizens along, to educate them and make sure they understand what’s happening every step of the way.”

On Tuesday, Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander announced the arrest in the US of Chief Superintendent of Police Elvis Curtis, the officer in charge of Lynden Pindling International Airport, and Chief Petty Officer Darren Roker of the Defence Force, who are accused of facilitating drug trafficking operations.

Eleven other people, some Bahamians, were named in the US federal indictment. A politician is also accused of involvement in the alleged conspiracy. According to US prosecutors, CSP Curtis allegedly told investigators that a high-ranking Bahamian politician would authorise the involvement of Bahamian law enforcement officials in unlawful activities in exchange for $2m.

Several Cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Labour Minister Pia Glover Rolle, and National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, have said they are not the politician allegedly involved.