US alarm over gaps in law that raise risk of corruption

As of Thursday, April 1, 2021

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE United States has released a human rights report that once again highlights the legislative gaps in The Bahamas that allow for possible political and government corruption.

“The campaign finance system was largely unregulated, with few safeguards against quid pro quo donations, creating a vulnerability to corruption and foreign influence,” the report by the US State Department says. “The procurement process was susceptible to corruption, since it contains no requirement to engage in open public tenders. Nevertheless, the government routinely issued open public tenders. The government encouraged value added tax-registered businesses to sign up for the electronic bidding platform, which the Ministry of Finance introduced in 2019 to increase public procurement transparency.”

The Minnis administration passed public procurement legislation earlier this month, which, once enacted, will mandate that all government contract awards will be published online and in newspapers. The public procurement legislation was debated with a compendium of finance bills that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis previously said will boost transparency and accountability in government operations.

Meanwhile, the US State Department also noted there were claims of bribery of officials last year.

“The law provides criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government generally implemented the law effectively,” the report said. “There was limited enforcement of conflicts of interest related to government contracts. There were isolated reports of government corruption during the year where officials sometimes engaged in corrupt practices, including accepting small-scale ‘bribes of convenience’ with impunity.”

The report also notes that “the long-standing lack of a fully implemented Freedom of Information Act continued to limit citizens’ access to information necessary to inform their political decision making.”

The report says: “The government reported no new cases of corruption in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The trial for a bribery case against a former high-level government official, scheduled to begin in March (2020), was delayed due to COVID-19. A second trial for a money-laundering case against a former official was also delayed due to the pandemic. The trials had yet to be held by year’s end.

“Corruption in the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services and the Carmichael Road Detention Centre was a long-standing problem, with allegations by both detainees and officials.

“The Public Disclosure Act requires senior public officials, including senators and members of Parliament, to declare their assets, income, and liabilities annually. The government gave extensions to all who were late to comply. The government did not publish a summary of the individual declarations, and there was no independent verification of the information submitted.”

The 2020 report was released yesterday.

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

This US State Department report is about as condemningly damning of the Minnis-led FNM administration as diplomatic relations will permit. It even politely goes out of the way to state that our government (as opposed to the US government) reported no new cases of corruption in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

rosiepi 3 years, 1 month ago

Corruption in the Bahamas is a well oiled machine that's existed for centuries, there's no new news here, just a sad tale of a society that refuses to say no.

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago

"reported no new cases of corruption"

There's only one explanation for that. Hubert Minnis has wiped it all out. The sole delivered promise of the FNM. I bet you they claim it the campaign! "The United States has said in their report that we had not one case of corruption discovered over all of our 5 year term! This is all thanks to the bold initiatives of your FNM govt"

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

LMAO

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 1 month ago

The US needs to look at its own stuff and stop being the biggest hypocrites on the planet...

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago

the problem is they don't need us. Is like you telling your daddy to pick up his dirty underwear or else

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

Bingo! LOL

FreeUs242 3 years, 1 month ago

The entire world government is built for corruption to feed the needs of the upper class billionaires, masonic families.

FreeUs242 3 years, 1 month ago

The way our government is running the country, we will never ever have cash in the National Treasury for a world wide crises. The same tourism income flowing inside the country goes directly back to government for their fancy lifestyles, family own businesses and funding projects that will benefit them in the long run. A lot of lies promised for years, false information given to the public and tax increase on the poor.

FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 1 month ago

So....we are expected to give every Haitian that lands on our shores a passport, or our children hormones/mutilation surgery to turn them into a "boy" or "girl", just to appease some idiot from the State Department?

I have a better idea America, go fix your own corruption before you try to talk about ours. Yeah, we are corrupt and we know it, have been for hundreds of years, but you have no room to talk when you have destroyed entire countries just to grab oil/play geo-politcal kingmaker and just finished having the most scandal ridden, integrity lacking Presidential election since 1876. A case of pot calling the kettle black if I have ever seen it.

Take a hike.

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

But the new Biden-led administration fully expects our small nation to open its borders to illegal immigrants in the same way they have done along the US-Mexico border. After all, that's the anti-Trumpian thing to do.

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 1 month ago

No. We need to fix the problem. We need to clear up the illegal immigration racket. It's fixable, someones doesn't want it fixed. The same ones who likely going into the community now promising citizenship for a vote and taking a couple hundred to pass out fake documents. We need to create the law that says in plain english, children born to illegal immigrants are not Bahamian, simple. Nobody wins if the current state persists.

FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 1 month ago

It would be such a help if we could start enforcing the existing ones before trying to write new ones. The State Department is extremely misinformed if they believe that any of these individuals are "stateless".

The nationalities are the mother and father are all you need to know in order to determine the citizenship of the child. If the parents are Haitian, the child is Haitian as well.

John 3 years, 1 month ago

Many Bahamians would like to know just how involved the US, vis a vis its state department and other agencies are involved in and/or interfering in Bahamian politics. How much, if any does the US contribute to political campaigns in The Bahamas? Do they offer campaign and strategy advice on their favorite candidates or parties? And as is done in the US so frequently, do they help dig up dirt and scandal on parties and candidates who they do not favor?

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

US government meddling, interference and influence in the internal (sovereign) affairs of The Bahamas is insignificant in comparison to the stranglehold Communist China now has over our corrupt politicians, our two major political parties and what little remains of our economy at this time.

John 3 years, 1 month ago

that is strictly your opinion. Stick to it! Chinas motives are economically driven.

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

Your ignorance beguiles your naivety. Don't let yourself be easily fooled by ChiCom propaganda. The sinister motives and ruthlessness of the evil Xi Jinping led Communist Chinese Party make Hitler and his Nazi party seem like church choirboys. The internet link below might help you see the bigger picture of what's really motivating Communist China's great interest in the Caribbean region and our country in particular.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/wo...">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/wo...

John 3 years, 1 month ago

BTW isn’t this the third US president under which (immigrant) children are being kept in cages and some knowingly away from parents or immediate families?

FreeUs242 3 years, 1 month ago

Who's bringing in drugs and guns....

John 3 years, 1 month ago

Diplomats and criminals

John 3 years, 1 month ago

Maybe the US State Department can explain why the United States, despite not having the largest population in the world, has the largest population of prisoners in the world. Maybe they can explain why 1 of every 3 Black babies born in America will end up behind bars in America and others gunned or somehow killed by police or law enforcement. And is Marvin acting as an agent of the United States or out of ignorance when he is stupidly and dangerously trying to implement the racist, yes racist policing tactics of America in this country.. Marvin Dames must NOT be re-elected! The US State Department has been at war with the Black population of The Bahamas, even since Sir Lynden Pindling was prime minister. And the majority of Americans do not support this stance.

C2B 3 years, 1 month ago

The majority of Americans don't have Passports and could give 2 S%&ts about what happens in The Bahamas. MAGA is defined by the statistics you quote. They are a badge of honour.

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

The perverse truth is statistics show that Trump as a disruptor was able to do more in his 4 years for the benefit of Americans of all colours and backgrounds than any US president since LBJ. He single handedly managed to open the eyes of many Americans to the deceitful and hideous forces at play in destroying America from the inside out.

Trump did not believe in American exceptionalism and individuals rights and liberties being 'trumped' by the New World Order or Global State ruled by elitist global bureaucrats annointed and controlled by the world's growing club of greedy billionaires and their evil corporate-partnerships with equally evil deep state actors including sinister authoritarian regimes like the CCP. Many Americans of colour have thankfully woken up to this fact.

C2B 3 years, 1 month ago

American exceptionalism is a myth crated by Americans. If there is an exceptional part to America it's that they thought a dimwit, conman, carnival barker, who bankrupted 3 CASINOS!!! would make a good President. In other words, they are exceptionally stupid. Since you are a fan, did you read this article? Grab a coffee and enjoy this exceptional story.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us...">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us...

tribanon 3 years ago

The New Times is a well-known consistent Trump basher. They need to do much more bashing of their state governor, Cuomo, than they have done so far.

tribanon 3 years ago

P.S. The New York Times bashes Trump almost as much as some of us bash Minnis. LOL

John 3 years, 1 month ago

Half of America was built on the proceeds of drugs. And the other half on the backs of slaves. And what did the White man do to the American Native Indians? So what is there in America to be proud of, much less bow down and worship? The moral fabric of the USA has been torn long time now. The skin of it’s true character is being revealed for the world to see.

tribanon 3 years, 1 month ago

You should educate yourself on what Communist China was really built on. And the Bahamas for that matter. LOL

John 3 years ago

Communist China did not hold almost 1/4 of the Black population of the world as slaves and kill or cruelly mistreat millions. Neither did Communist China break up and separate families and force both Black male and female slaves to breathe as animals. And more than 100 years after slavery, a Black man is more safe from racial attacks by police whilst walking or driving in China than he is in many cities in the United States. And imagine the arrogance of the United States with its global power, if there were not a country, iike China, to give Economic competition and to provide goods and services to countries that find themselves on the wrong side of the United States. Yes China is now aggressively in Africa providing hoes and clean drinking water and electricity to millions of people. The previous invaders created civil strife and looted everything from gold, to diamonds to oil..and yes Slaves even!

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