The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

FIVE weeks after a woman filed a complaint accusing an elected official of rape and abuse, Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander said officers are still scrutinising the investigation file.

He said when their review is finished, they will consult the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on what to do next.

Police officials have been silent and hard to reach to discuss the matter recently.

However, Commissioner Fernander told The Tribune yesterday: “We are still tidying.”

“Grand Bahama was viewing the file,” he added. “Now it is here, so we are going now to view it and then now we will consult with our DPP office.”

Commissioner Fernander did not give a timeline when he expects police review to be complete.

“The investigation is going well,” he said. “The investigators are moving, dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s and then we will address it with our DPP office.”

A woman filed a complaint against a sitting MP on April 7 in Grand Bahama. She claimed the man became increasingly violent over the months of their relationship. According to a police document she showed The Tribune, she accused the MP of rape and death threats and said he needed professional help. She said she had difficulty sleeping and eating and feared for her family. She said she would seek to bind him over to keep the peace.

The woman and her family have been sceptical about the willingness of police to aggressively investigate the matter, which involves a sitting MP from the governing Progressive Liberal Party.

The woman’s lawyer, Bjorn Ferguson, could not be reached for comment yesterday.