Minnis renews call for commission of inquiry into RBPF | News

FFormer Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said decisive action was needed to restore public trust in the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), two months after explosive allegations led to a senior officer being placed on gardening leave amid a corruption investigation.

Minnis reiterated his call for the government to set up a commission of inquiry, saying an independent inquiry was needed and not an open inquiry that could take forever.

His comments came in the House of Assembly on Wednesday during debate on the National Crime Intelligence Agency bill.

“The Bahamas remains deeply concerned that trust in the police has fallen to historic lows as a result of a voice memo scandal,” Minnis said.

“More than two months have passed since allegations of bribery, corruption and possible complicity in police-related killings became public. The Bahamas remains shocked and deeply concerned by the explosive allegations. As far as the public is aware, no one has been charged with any offense in relation to this matter.”

Chief Superintendent Michael Johnson, the former crime intelligence officer, was placed on leave in July after audio recordings were leaked on social media.

The recordings were allegedly made between a high-ranking police officer and a now-deceased gang member who was wanted by police.

One of the interviews detailed how the wanted man attempted to negotiate the circumstances of his surrender to the police and the cost of his release from custody.

The Facebook user who shared the voice notes over the summer also posted evidence that some police officers are passing on the GPS locations of men on bail who are under electronic monitoring while wearing ankle bracelets to hit men. The Facebook user claimed that the hitmen committed group murders of these men while out on bail.

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said the Security and Intelligence Branch (SIB) of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is leading the investigation into these allegations with assistance from investigators from the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, Minnis said that the investigation announced by Fernander was completely inadequate.

“If this is the only investigation, this scandal could get worse and trust in the police could continue to decline,” he said.

He added that the scandal is a major test for the RBPF and the government, which have failed so far.

“Any suggestion of a cover-up will not be well received by the Bahamian people and could have significant consequences,” Minnis said. “The police cannot initiate an investigation against the police if the allegations are against high-ranking police officers.”

Minnis asked why the government seemed afraid to set up a commission of inquiry into the allegations.

“Do they know something the public doesn’t know? Is there something special that remains hidden? Many fear that the Davis administration hopes that over time the public will forget this scandal and the growing crisis [with] a long, inconclusive investigation,” he said.

“This would allow the government to take no further action. If these investigations took forever and came to nothing, justice would not be served in the eyes of the Bahamian people.

“Those involved in alleged misconduct will not be held accountable. This voice note scandal must not be hushed up. We need to know who was involved and at what level of the force.”

Last week, Fernander said the investigation would be completed this year.

“[An] “The investigation is like a mystery,” he said. “As you move you put a piece here and a piece here and at the end of the day you have a perfect photo and they are close to that.”