By PAVEL BAILEY

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said the government has asked Italian officials for the files connected to the investigation of the deaths of two Bahamian men who died mysteriously in 2019, but have yet to receive them.

Bahamians Alrae Ramsey and Blair John were found dead in Italy on June 4 and June 5, 2019. Their bodies were discovered lifeless in the Po river in Turin. While the autopsy reported that their deaths were likely accidental as a result of drowning, their families have rejected that explanation and are still seeking answers.

When asked if any new steps are being taken to revisit the investigation, Mr Mitchell said he had requested the files on the incident from Italian officials since last October, but has yet to receive them.

“Here’s the issue. When I visited Italy last year I believe that was last October I saw the foreign minister of Italy, or the deputy foreign minister I believe, raised the question of us getting ahold of the files themselves, so that we could have our experts look at the files to see what happened,” Mr Mitchell said on the sidelines of an event.

“The previous government had also hired a private lawyer to coordinate that approach to the Italian government. We were told during that visit that within two weeks we would get the file. We’ve been trying to get the file, still can’t get the file and we’re still working to get the file.”

While he indicated that he is still trying to retrieve the files from Italian authorities before the government goes further, Mr Mitchell said he plans to honour his party's pledge to give closure to the victims' families.

“What we thought is that we needed to have our own people look at the file to be sure that we were satisfied that all has been done to deal with it. And the fact is we are stepping quite gingerly because when you open these things up, family members, it’s a real sensitive thing.

“But people want closure and so we had made a pledge in opposition that we would do all we can to get to a proper answer on this and so that is what we are seeking to do,” the Fox Hill MP said.

Ramsey, a 29-year-old foreign service officer on study leave in Vienna, was reportedly in Turin on a break. He and his friend, John, were staying at a bed and breakfast establishment at Via la Loggia 2 in Turin.

John, a 28-year-old Saint Mary’s University graduate student, was there to attend a psychology conference.

Both men attended the same high school, Saint Augustine’s College in New Providence.