Minnis: US failure to warn Davis shows lack of faith in govt

By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the failure of US officials to warn his successor about an explosive indictment shows their lack of trust in the government and police force, claiming that during his tenure, US authorities warned his administration about a separate, unrelated indictment involving a top local official.

Dr Minnis said in 2020, while he was prime minister, US officials warned authorities in his administration about an impending indictment involving an official. He said he instructed the authorities to proceed, emphasising he had “nothing to hide”.

Pressed for details, he declined to elaborate or say whether anyone was charged. He nonetheless argued that if Mr Davis was uninformed about the recent United States Southern District of New York indictment, it reflects a lack of trust from the US in the current government.

The federal indictment alleged that police and government officials facilitated the smuggling of large quantities of cocaine through The Bahamas to the United States. Prime Minister Davis has repeatedly said that neither he nor the former Commissioner of Police, Clayton Fernander, had prior knowledge of the allegations.

Dr Minnis also reiterated his call for a Commission of Inquiry into the Royal Bahamas Police Force to root out corruption and address longstanding questions.

The recent federal indictment had alleged that a “high-ranking politician” was expected to authorise Bahamian law enforcement officials to facilitate the cocaine trafficking operation for $2m.

Dr Minnis urged the opposition to find ways of communicating with US authorities to identify the politician involved.

Mr Davis on Tuesday appeared frustrated at US officials’ failure to name the person mentioned in the indictment. However, Dr Minnis questioned whether Mr Davis would do anything even if he discovered the identity of the politician.

Last month, The Tribune reported that the Southern District of New York –– the same office behind revelations of the cocaine smuggling activity –– disclosed in an FTX submission that the US was concerned that Bahamian authorities would not arrest FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried unless his “precise location” was known, so they enlisted the FTX co-founder to identify the hideaway.

Comments

birdiestrachan says...

Doc Is a smooth liar. Doc should find out who the high ranking politicians are I would like to know
Why they have not been named

Posted 12 December 2024, 8:38 a.m. Suggest removal

IslandWarrior says...

I fail to see why "drug-tinted" Brave Davis would expect the DEA or U.S. authorities to trust him, given his historical ties to figures like Samuel “90” Knowles. Knowles and his associates were central to a major drug trafficking network that operated through The Bahamas from the 1980s until Knowles’s extradition to the United States. Knowles was eventually tried and convicted as the leader of a transnational smuggling operation spanning South America, the Caribbean, the U.S., and Canada.

Davis's past affiliations with individuals linked to such illicit activities cast a long shadow over his current leadership. It is no secret that these historical connections undermine his credibility, especially in the eyes of international law enforcement agencies like the DEA.

Further, the internal discord between former schoolmates Clayton Fernander and Marvin Dames during their time in law enforcement highlights the dysfunctionality within the system. The unresolved tensions, which led to Clayton's temporary removal from the force, only for him to return as Commissioner under circumstances many considered politically motivated, underscore the questionable decision-making that plagues the government. It is widely recognized that Clayton’s return to such a high-ranking position exceeded his professional capacity, a reality the U.S. authorities are undoubtedly aware of.

Given this backdrop, the lack of trust exhibited by the U.S. toward Davis’s administration is not surprising. Trust must be earned through integrity, transparency, and consistent action—qualities that appear lacking when considering the legacy and current state of Bahamian governance.

Posted 12 December 2024, 10:18 a.m. Suggest removal

ExposedU2C says...

All too true.

Posted 12 December 2024, 4:36 p.m. Suggest removal

Porcupine says...

Well said, and I appreciate your in-depth and frank analysis and commentary.

Posted 12 December 2024, 6:08 p.m. Suggest removal

IslandWarrior says...

Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your feedback. :)

Posted 13 December 2024, 8:20 a.m. Suggest removal

bahamianson says...

Politicians are jokers. They say each has their hand in the cookie jar , but isn't that stealing? Which politician went to jail for stealing, corruption, bribes, or insider trading? I will wait, I have time.

Posted 12 December 2024, 12:02 p.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

When those who are trusted betray their trust it is not good in every country there are good and bad. But the Bahamas has more good people than bad . This situation has become a political football they will throw the Bahamas on the dump The USA is no better than we are.

Posted 12 December 2024, 12:04 p.m. Suggest removal

Jetflt says...

Dr. Minnis - the US has NEVER trusted the Bahamian Gov't, even under your administration, so let's just leave it at that.

Posted 12 December 2024, 12:34 p.m. Suggest removal

birdiestrachan says...

Trump told canada their leader can be a governor. And according to him their are black jobs . THE BAHAMAS IS A black country. We are a proud of our beautiful country.

Posted 12 December 2024, 12:52 p.m. Suggest removal

Porcupine says...

Not one word of that made any sense, birdie.
Did it make sense in your head?

Posted 12 December 2024, 6:10 p.m. Suggest removal

TalRussell says...

--- Does the US govt know they might flush out tips on suspected Bahamians. --- By encouraging their popoulaces' to --- **Click on Submit a Tip or Call in By Phone ** feature on -- **Crime Stoppers Miami-Dade & The Florida Keys' website.** ---  Yes?

Posted 12 December 2024, 4:18 p.m. Suggest removal

ExposedU2C says...

Whenever the very tyrannical, authoritarian and ruthlessly evil Minnis dares to speak, my mind immediately goes to all of the people who needlessly died in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Dorian and during the COVID epidemic because of his gross incompetence and egomaniacal stupidity in the way he dealt with both of those crises. This quack has proven he is no leader by any stretch of one's imagination. It's a crying shame Pintard is not as strong a leader as he should be thereby allowing Minnis a voice to continue bullying his way in the political arena.

And then there is the more than two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000+) of taxpayers' funds and government borrowings that he so foolishly squandered by buying the Grand Lucayan Hotel property from the Communist Chinese (Hutchison Whampoa) and then attempting to renovate the hopelessly dilapidated property.

Voters in the Killarney constituency really need to kick this evil quack out of the political arena forevermore. Our country deserves so much better than the likes of him!

Posted 12 December 2024, 5 p.m. Suggest removal

rosiepi says...

One fails to find any lies or improprieties in Dr Minnis’ demand that the PM do his job, that would be acting in the best interests of his fellow citizens and this country
Or perhaps one could why an administration that came to power promising transparency,
an end to corruption, etc etc. now finds itself accused of corruption scandals that top even those when they last were in power!

And why should the job of finding out/sharing the name of the ranking official controlling illicit drug smuggling here be given to Dr Minnis?
Shouldn’t this task rightly belong to the serving PM?

Your ludicrous query serves to further buttress Dr Minnis’ statement that the US Judiciary and DEA operatives obviously had solid intelligence of grave corruption in the Davis&Co administration.

Davis’ silence on this matter (and the other ongoing corruption scandals) which you’ve brought to fore by begging a former PM to intervene, looks very like an admission of guilt.

Posted 12 December 2024, 11:48 p.m. Suggest removal

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