The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

SEVERAL elected officials have sought extensions to file their annual financial disclosures after the March 2 deadline passed.

National Security Minister Wayne Munroe and Environment Minister Zane Lightbourne told The Tribune they requested 30-day extensions. Sea Breeze MP Leslia Miller-Brice said she sought a two-week extension. Golden Isles MP Darren Pickstock said he was finalising his filing and awaiting bank statements, adding he expected to file by today once he received them.

The Tribune was unable to confirm whether Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis met the deadline.

When contacted on March 6, Public Disclosures Committee chairman Bishop Victor Cooper said he did not have a rough figure for how many officials had filed and was unable to provide details because the board had not yet met.

Several cabinet ministers said they met the deadline, including Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper; Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville; Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin; Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg; Social Services Minister Myles Laroda; Transport and Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis; Labour and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle; and Works Minister Clay Sweeting.

Other parliamentarians who said they filed include Mount Moriah MP Mckell Bonaby, MICAL MP Basil McIntosh, Southern Shores MP Leroy Major, West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Kingsley Smith, Nassau Village MP Jamahl Strachan, and South Beach MP Bacchus Rolle.

A Free National Movement official claimed all FNM members filed on time.

Several officials did not respond to requests for comment up to press time, including Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell; Housing and Urban Renewal Minister Keith Bell; Immigration Minister Alfred Sears; Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey; Agriculture and Marine Resources Minister Jomo Campbell; State Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal Lisa Rahming; Bamboo Town MP Patricia Deveaux; South and Central Andros MP Leon Lundy; Bain and Grants Town MP Wayde Watson; North Abaco MP Kirk Cornish; Central and South Abaco MP John Pinder; and North Andros and Berry Islands MP Leonardo Lightbourne.

Under the Public Disclosure Act, only the prime minister or the leader of the opposition can act on delinquent filings. Either may table the matter in the House or Senate or refer it to the attorney general or commissioner of police. Offenders face a $10,000 fine or up to two years in prison.

The issue of disclosure compliance has surfaced repeatedly over the years. Last year, after similar questions arose about missed filings, officials acknowledged shortcomings but never publicly identified who failed to disclose, a perennial concern surrounding enforcement of the law.

The US Department of State, in its 2024 Investment Climate Statement on The Bahamas, highlighted the country’s failure to release public disclosure reports for more than a decade. The report noted that the Public Disclosures Committee has not published required reports for 13 years, with the last one issued in 2011 covering financial declarations only up to 2008. It also criticised delays in fully enacting anti-corruption laws and accused some Bahamian officials of showing a “complete disregard” for compliance with the Public Disclosure Act.

The law requires senators, members of parliament and senior public officials to declare annually their assets, income and liabilities.