Deborah Thompson and Shane Gibson.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Cabinet Minister Shane Gibson has written to the Police Service Commission, expressing his dismay over the promotion of a police officer who was heavily criticised for her role in his bribery trial last year.
Mr Gibson was acquitted during the trial after he was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands in bribes from Jonathan Ash so the contractor could receive the outstanding government cheques for the hurricane clean-up work he did.
Last week it was announced that Debra Thompson, a key investigator in his trial, has been promoted to superintendent.
Mr Gibson wrote to the PSC after his trial requesting the body investigate Superintendent Thompson for her conduct in his case.
In his letter to the PSC, Mr Gibson says: “The decision to promote her was made even though she received condemnation by Justice Indra Charles in a ruling dated 8th March 2019 (in my constitutional application to quash the indictment against me) where Justice Charles said: ‘Unkind as it may be, ASP Thompson struck me as an officer with very little investigative skills despite her impressive rank in the RBPF. I say this because prosecution witnesses should not be brought together to discuss their evidence, exchange their account and decide as to what to say and what they should omit to say in their statements and evidence.”
He further cited facts that arose during his trial about Superintendent Thompson’s work, like the fact that she initiated a meeting between the two main prosecution witnesses to synchronise their statements.
“She admitted that in hindsight she had acted improperly in arranging the meeting to ‘clear up the ambiguities’ in each of their statements” and “she altered the original statement taken from Jonathan Ash…,” he noted.
“What makes the decision to promote Debra Thompson more egregious is that she admitted that it is common practice for two witnesses to be brought together to synchronise their stories and accounts of matters in dispute. This leads one to believe that my case is not the first time she has been involved in this unethical and unlawful practice.”
“I write to advise if Debra Thompson’s promotion is not rescinded within fourteen days of the date of this letter, I will institute proceedings before the Supreme Court for Judicial review of the decision to promote Debra Thompson and seen an order of certiorari to quash this recommendation.”
PSC Chairman Reverend Phillip Stubbs said “no comment” when asked for a response to this matter yesterday.
Comments
hrysippus 3 years, 11 months ago
My goodness me, Shane Gibson is angry that some policeperson has got a promotion. Does anyone care what this person thinks after his behaviour during the corruption smeared years of the Perry Christie regime. Did he not reportedly get large sums of money from Peter Nygard? Hmm.
shonkai 3 years, 11 months ago
Not to worry, he is beginning to dig his own grave now by seeking publicity again. Old Chinese proverb goes "if you dig your own grave, use a teaspoon, not a backhoe"..
tetelestai 3 years, 11 months ago
I think I am with Shane on this one. The young lady has no justification for a promotion, having regard to her behaviour and unprofessionalism during the Gibson case. In any real country she would be fired, not promoted.
The Shane Gibson trolling about his past behaviour has nothing to do with the promotion, which again, she should not have received.
joeblow 3 years, 11 months ago
... agreed, but promotion based on integrity or meritocracy is not the Bahamian way!
themessenger 3 years, 11 months ago
Now he gettin to use alla dem shingles he gettin biggity an his mout big an juicy. If Thompson dem hadn't bungled, his tiefin ass woulda bin inside lookin out, he should be happy for her promotion, after all she was the one get him off, SMT.
CatIslandBoy 3 years, 11 months ago
Shane has a lot nerve. But so do most former thieving PLP's. He should be grateful to Ms. Thompson and ride quietly off into the sunset with his millions.
xtreme2x 3 years, 11 months ago
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Cabinet Minister Shane Gibson has written to the Police Service Commission, expressing his dismay over the promotion of a police officer who was heavily criticised for her role in his bribery trial last year.
Mr Gibson was acquitted during the trial after he was accused of accepting hundreds of thousands in bribes from Jonathan Ash so the contractor could receive the outstanding government cheques for the hurricane clean-up work he did.
Last week it was announced that Debra Thompson, a key investigator in his trial, has been promoted to superintendent.
Mr Gibson wrote to the PSC after his trial requesting the body investigate Superintendent Thompson for her conduct in his case.
In his letter to the PSC, Mr Gibson says: “The decision to promote her was made even though she received condemnation by Justice Indra Charles in a ruling dated 8th March 2019 (in my constitutional application to quash the indictment against me) where Justice Charles said: ‘Unkind as it may be, ASP Thompson struck me as an officer with very little investigative skills despite her impressive rank in the RBPF. I say this because prosecution witnesses should not be brought together to discuss their evidence, exchange their account and decide as to what to say and what they should omit to say in their statements and evidence.”
He further cited facts that arose during his trial about Superintendent Thompson’s work, like the fact that she initiated a meeting between the two main prosecution witnesses to synchronise their statements.
“She admitted that in hindsight she had acted improperly in arranging the meeting to ‘clear up the ambiguities’ in each of their statements” and “she altered the original statement taken from Jonathan Ash…,” he noted.
“What makes the decision to promote Debra Thompson more egregious is that she admitted that it is common practice for two witnesses to be brought together to synchronise their stories and accounts of matters in dispute. This leads one to believe that my case is not the first time she has been involved in this unethical and unlawful practice.”
“I write to advise if Debra Thompson’s promotion is not rescinded within fourteen days of the date of this letter, I will institute proceedings before the Supreme Court for Judicial review of the decision to promote Debra Thompson and seen an order of certiorari to quash this recommendation.”
PSC Chairman Reverend Phillip Stubbs said “no comment” when asked for a response to this matter yesterday.
AFTER READING THIS ARTICLE... WHY A US SPORT CELEBRITY COME TO MIND? AFTER BEING FREED ON 2 COUNTS OF MURDER. BUT WAS FIND GUILTY ON A MINOR OFFENCE AND SPENT 9YRS BEHIND BARS.
Porcupine 3 years, 11 months ago
There are two sides to this story, and both of them are rotten to the damned core. Both sides have been expounded on in the article and community comments above. Is there a clearer example of a lose/lose situation for the good people of The Bahamas? This loss to our nation's integrity is as clear as the clearest pane of glass. Do our kids have a future in a country such as this, when the real true problems are only just beginning?
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