The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Wayne Munroe said yesterday the government will pay damages to Claudia Edwards Bethel’s estate after the Privy Council upheld the state’s liability for her unlawful detention and rape by a senior immigration officer, saying “some things are more important than sorry” when asked about calls for an apology.

His comments came after Human Rights Bahamas president Stephanie StFleur demanded a public apology to Edwards Bethel’s family following the ruling.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council upheld a decision finding the Bahamian state vicariously liable for the unlawful detention and rape of Edwards Bethel by former senior immigration officer Norman Bastian in 2014. The case will now return for the amount of damages to be assessed.

Mr Munroe said he had not read Human Rights Bahamas’ statement, but acknowledged that the government is liable for damages.

“The government position, as I understand it, was advised by council. I don't believe a Bahamian argued in front of the Privy Council and the issue was whether the government is responsible for that sort of conduct. Privy Council ruled against the government as did the Court of Appeal and so the government will pay,” Mr Munroe said.

He added: “Some things are more important than sorry – proper compensation.”

Immigration Director Stephen Laroda said he would be prepared to apologise to the family, but only if advised to do so by the Office of the Attorney General.

“I think there’s still some clarification and directives that we need to get from the Attorney General’s Office on this matter, keeping in mind that this is something that took place 11 years before I got in the chair,” he said.

The Privy Council ruled on Thursday that the state was responsible for Bastian’s actions because Edwards Bethel remained in state custody throughout the ordeal and Bastian was exercising the authority of his office.

The court also found that her arrest was unlawful from the outset because police had no reasonable grounds to suspect she had committed an immigration offence. She had already produced a copy of her spousal permit before she was arrested.

Edwards Bethel, a Jamaican woman who had been married to a Bahamian citizen since 2010, was arrested during a December 13, 2014 police raid at the Twilight Bar along with a group of Jamaican women.

On Monday, December 15, senior immigration officer Bastian lied to his superior to obtain custody of Edwards Bethel, falsely implying that a female immigration officer would accompany them.

He then drove her around New Providence before taking her to his home, where he raped her, detained her overnight, sexually assaulted her and raped her again the following morning.

Edwards Bethel did not live to see the outcome of the case. She died at Princess Margaret Hospital in May 2021, one day after giving birth to her fourth child, Emmanuel. She was 35.

Yesterday, Stephanie St Fleur, president of Human Rights Bahamas, said: “Claudia Edwards Bethel died while waiting for justice. An apology, while important, will never bring her back. This case is bigger than one family—it is about every woman who is afraid to report rape, sexual abuse, or violence, especially when the alleged perpetrators are people entrusted with authority and public protection. Accountability, remorse, and meaningful reform are essential if public confidence is to be restored. The question is not only where is the apology, but where is the genuine remorse and commitment to ensure that no other woman suffers the same fate."