By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

SENIOR banking officials, located as far as Europe, are “having discussions” about moving certain banking sectors from the country because they are “fearful” of an Immigration Department visit similar to the reported “raid” at Atlantis, according to opposition Leader Dr Hubert Minnis.

Dr Minnis was speaking yesterday afternoon in the House of Assembly and was quickly rebuked by Financial Services Minister Ryan Pinder for “misleading” the entire country and “instilling panic.”
Dr Minnis was also challenged by Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell who said the opposition leader should not “be involved with or complicit in defaming officers” of the Immigration Department.

“With respect to the immigration policy, I have met with senior personnel in the banking sector and many are now afraid because of what happened at Paradise Island,” Dr Minnis said.

“At present, senior individuals in the banking sector as far as Switzerland are presently having discussions about moving certain sectors of the banking system from the Bahamas because individuals are fearful that similar things may happen to them.

“I ask the minister to review and have the policy in place so that these things do not happen again.”

Rising on a point of order, Mr Pinder dubbed the opposition leader’s comments “unpatriotic” and “dangerous.” He called on Dr Minnis to apologise and withdraw his comments, if he has no proof.

“The honourable leader of that side is misleading the House, the entire country, and might I say, the entire world, right now. Instilling panic and adverse propaganda when he knows better,” Mr Pinder said.

“The financial services industry throughout the world is reassured and knows the commitment of this government to their advancement and any propaganda that would come out of that side to try to diminish the growth and the advancement of the financial services industry is unpatriotic.

“He should apologise and unless he has proof to table in this place right now, he should withdraw. Those are dangerous statements.”

Mr Mitchell also rose on a point of order and noted he has been “trying to be very careful” with regards to responding to “all these allegations that have been made in the press” about what the Immigration Department did and did not do.

“I’m loathe to describe the particulars of it, because my belief is these are matters that are between employers and employees and the department,” he said. “I can’t understand, for the life of me, why a company would put information in the public domain about something that allegedly happened on their premises, which spreads panic and fear.”

Noting he would “respond generally”, Mr Mitchell explained that if a visitor arrives in a country and their passport stamp states they are a visitor, but they are working on that job site – “if information comes to the attention of the Immigration Department that this is going on, what then, does the Immigration Department do? It has to act to find out if that is in fact the case.

“To portray that anything unusual happened other than that is simply, it’s just mischief. It leaves me speechless; and then to go on now and say that somehow the financial services sector is under threat because of something which is completely the figment of the imagination of the press.”

House Speaker Kendal Major told Dr Minnis he would not allow any “hearsay evidence” and if the Opposition leader has evidence, the House would like him to share it.

Dr Minnis responded: “I spoke to individuals; those names, I will not reveal.”

Dr Major sent out a final warning that “members ought to be very careful in this place with accusations and propaganda, as we go forward.”

Last week, Immigration officers disrupted Atlantis operations at Dolphin Cay to detain and escort away the attraction’s head sea lion trainer.

She was later released after a colleague contacted Immigration and informed them the resort had filed an appeal over her denied work permit renewal, well-placed sources told The Tribune.

A day later, Immigration officials approached a number of expatriate staff at the Sheraton during their lunch break and temporarily detained five engineers, on site.

Senior officials there noted Immigration handled the situation, respectfully, but also explained the country has to be “very careful” that it does not send signals to investors or potential investors that the country is not investor-friendly.