By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

CONCERNS about The Bahamas’ enforcement of financial crime laws and its payments to Cuban healthcare workers will be at the centre of high-level talks involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio when Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis leads a delegation to Washington, DC, next week.

The high-level meetings come amid scrutiny from US officials, including criticism in a recent narcotics control report and questions from the US about how The Bahamas compensates Cuban medical staff.

Director of Communications Latrae Rahming said the full agenda for the talks has not been finalised, but Mr Davis is expected to push for regional security cooperation and relief from tariffs that disadvantage small island developing states.

“I know he will advance the interest of The Bahamas and provide any clarity that DC may have, or the administration may have on the Bahamian government policies,” Mr Rahming said.

Attorney General Ryan Pinder said outreach has already been made to major US agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and digital asset regulators.

He said the country would spotlight its compliance with all 40 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) anti-money laundering (AML) recommendations — one of only a handful of countries to do so — and push back against what he described as misleading assessments in the 2024 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR).

“When you look at the report versus the reality, they just don’t match up,” he said. “We are 40 for 40 in anti-money laundering — one of only seven countries in the world to accomplish that.”

Mr Pinder added that the US lacks key AML mechanisms like beneficial ownership transparency, which he called a basic standard.

Describing the report as “technical and bureaucratic” rather than political, Mr Pinder said it rehashes outdated assessments and fails to reflect the country’s regulatory strength.

“We are a model jurisdiction in financial services regulation,” he said. “There is a clear need for global consistency in standards, and it’s critical that The Bahamas’ efforts are fairly assessed.”

To bolster the country’s case, Mr Pinder said regulators will accompany the prime minister to provide firsthand insight into enforcement practices, rather than relying solely on elected officials to carry the message.

Press secretary Keishla Adderley also confirmed that Prime Minister Davis will also address the issue of Cuban medical workers during the visit.

“As you know, the issue as to how the salary payments to Cubans was allocated was one raised by the Secretary of State Mr Marco Rubio,” she said. “The Prime Minister intends to travel to Washington sometime next week; that will likely be one of the matters that they discuss. He will also discuss other matters of mutual interest, border protection and related matters during those talks as well. Those discussions will take place, but I would not want to pre-empt the outcomes.”

The United States has warned of potential visa restrictions for foreign officials involved in Cuba’s labour export programmes, which critics liken to forced labour.

Documents published recently by the Free Society Project (Cuba Archive) suggest The Bahamas pays thousands of dollars monthly for each Cuban healthcare worker, yet allows only a small fraction — between $990 and $1,200 — to go directly to the professionals. The balance reportedly goes to the Cuban state agency Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, SA (CSMC).

Despite calls for transparency, no Bahamian official has disputed that Cuban professionals receive less than 20 percent of the amount paid for their services.

Mr Rubio is also now acting as national security advisor to President Trump in addition to his role as Secretary of State.