By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Ellison Greenslade yesterday said the investigation into the Bahamas Electricity Corporation bribery claims is “totally out of my hands” but added that a senior assistant commissioner of police is investigating the matter with the Office of the Attorney General.

“That is totally out of my hands and I am going to continue to speak clearly that matter is in the purview of the attorney general’s office, she has spoken to it several times and I do not want to speak across her,” Mr Greenslade said at a press conference yesterday.

“We are fully supportive of the work that has been done, we are part of the investigation, I have a senior assistant commissioner who is working with the Office of the Attorney General.”

Earlier this month, Attorney General Allyson Maynard-Gibson confirmed that US authorities had provided her with the name of the Bahamian who allegedly received a bribe from a French company over a decade ago to help that company secure lucrative BEC contracts.

However, the name has not yet been made public.

The bribery claims were unearthed in a $722m plea agreement between Alstom and the United States Justice Department last year.

In December, Tribune Business revealed that French energy company Alstom (formerly ABB) paid more than $300,000 to a government official to secure the purchase of a slow diesel generator for the electricity company nearly 15 years ago.

Cheerleader

Mr Greenslade also took the opportunity to respond to Fort Charlotte MP Dr Andre Rollins who called him a “political cheerleader” earlier this week.

“I cheer leaded yesterday and I will cheerlead again. I am thanking all these men and women seated here for the hard work they are doing. I am demonstrating and saying to them as commissioner, I am grateful,” Mr Greenslade said in response.

“I am telling you well-meaning Bahamian citizens far and wide call me, text me, email me and say ‘We appreciate what you are doing, please don’t stop, we feel better as a result of what you are doing, we feel safer as a result of what you are doing’. As commissioner I have the right and obligation to thank hard working decent Bahamian persons on the police force and law enforcement in general and I will continue as commissioner to cheer lead them. That is good leadership, that is good business. These officers are working hard and are asking for nothing but appreciation and a duty of care before them. Can I have the right equipment? Can I have the right footwear? Can I have the tools I need? That is all they ask for, that is all they want.”

Mr Greenslade also said it does not bother him if crime is used as a political football by the major political parties as long as the RBPF is equipped with all it needs to fight it.