The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Cuban detainee abuse trial resumed at the Defence Force base yesterday, Defence Force Public Relations Officer Lt Origin Deleveaux told The Tribune.

Mr Deleveaux said earlier this month that the trial may not resume until next year because of various unresolved issues, but he said those “issues” have been resolved.

He declined to discuss what happened during yesterday’s session, however, and said he could not yet confirm whether the three independent observers 
National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage appointed in September to “observe the conduct of the hearings” are being permitted to do so.

Dr Nottage had announced that Madam Justice Cheryl Albury (retired), Commander Leon L Smith (retired) and Rev Dr Ranford Patterson, President of the Bahamas Christian Council, had been appointed as independent observers to observe the conduct of proceedings called by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

His appointments were criticized by lawyer Wayne Munroe who represents the marines accused of abusing Cuban detainees who attempted to escape the Detention Centre earlier this year.

Mr Munroe has maintained that no provision in the Defence Force rules permits such observers. Yesterday morning he told The Tribune that if he showed up to the hearings and found that the observers had been permitted to observe, he would “take the objection” and approach a Supreme Court judge to have the decision overruled.

Mr Munroe said that ahead of yesterday’s session he was led to believe that at least one of the detainees alleging to have been abused by Defence Force officers was going to attend.

The resumption of the trial came just a day after Cuban exile protest group leader Ramon Saul Sanchez told The Tribune that his group Democracy Movement would relaunch its protests against the Bahamas early next year if the trial did not resume in January.