The Tribune

RIGHTLY or wrongly, there is a perception that some investigations are treated with greater urgency than others – depending on who is being investigated.

In today’s Tribune, we report on concerns in two such instances.

The first of these is the allegation of rape and abuse by a sitting MP. A lawyer representing the woman who has made the accusation has raised a concern about the length of the investigation.

Bjorn Ferguson spoke of an “obvious difference in the handling of this rape investigation when compared to others”. He said: “Seven weeks later and all that can be said is that we are dotting ‘I’s’ and crossing ‘t’s’.”

At this stage, he said he would have expected that the investigation file would be in the hands of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

This follows concerns at the start of the investigation that the alleged victim felt officers were reluctant to note her complaint and pursue the matter.

Also in today’s Tribune, we report on parents of children at Bimini Primary School, who are still waiting for so-called “swift and appropriate action” after a police officer reportedly beat the youngsters to discipline them.

The incident took place in March – and on Friday, Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said that police had not completed their investigations.

We are not sure how long investigations could take into a reported incident of discipline in a classroom – but one parent who asked officials for an update said she had heard nothing from police, social services or the education department.

As far as she is concerned, there is no sign of swift – or appropriate – action.

Another mother said: “I honestly feel like they’re trying to sweep it under the rug.”

None of this, you will note, speaks to the guilt or innocence of any of the accused parties – but rather that some investigations seem to progress faster than others, and when officials or senior figures are involved, there are greater concerns over whether such investigations are advancing at the pace they should, or even being advanced at all.

There are, of course, other investigations where concerns have been raised. When Commissioner Fernander concluded there was “insufficient evidence” to proceed with claims that Housing and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis over an alleged incident involving a police officer being struck by her vehicle, it took from May until January for such a conclusion to be drawn.

And three people who claimed they were tortured by police in Eleuthera were told that complaints they made had run out of time to be considered by police. They had complained in a timely fashion – it was the police who dragged their heels.

It does not inspire confidence in the public if there is a perception that there are two speeds of justice, depending on how well connected one is.

It is far worse still if that perception is the reality.

Justice should be equal for all – and that includes ensuring that innocence is established as well as guilt. Failure to conclude investigations leaves matters unresolved – and that is not fair for any of the parties involved, those who seek answers or those who seek to clear their names.

We need to have confidence that our authorities investigate all such cases fairly. Given some of the concerns expressed, there is little sign of such confidence among the public.