The Tribune

THE murder of Giovani Rolle was a shocking one, even amid the many murders that have affected our country.

He wanted to spend the evening of Father’s Day with his two children – a 12-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl.

He planned to get them ice cream and take them to the movies.

So he got up early on a Sunday morning to work an early morning shift at his workplace at Jet Nassau.

When he got there at about 6am, he was approached and shot multiple times.

Later, a man was arrested in the departure lounge at Lynden Pindling International Airport in connection with the murder – but he was released pending further investigations.

That man, officials have confirmed, was Donald Ferguson, who has now been named in an indictment in the United States as part of a wide-ranging conspiracy to smuggle cocaine through The Bahamas and into the United States.

Ferguson is a pilot – accused in the indictment of carrying drug proceeds to and from The Bahamas.

Another member of the alleged conspiracy is Chief Superintendent Elvis Curtis, who has been arrested in Florida, and will face charges in the Southern District of New York.

Curtis is accused of facilitating the transportation of narcotics and the proceeds of drug trafficking. This includes providing safe passage for the traffickers and their cocaine loads through the airport and elsewhere in The Bahamas.

Curtis’ role with the Royal Bahamas Police Force sees him supervising airport locations throughout The Bahamas.

The family of Giovani have now asked whether the investigation into his death was in some way compromised, given that the officer in charge of aviation operations was part of the same alleged conspiracy as a suspect in the murder at an airport location.

That concern will not be an isolated one, we expect.

Two police officers have been accused in the indictment – Curtis and a pensioner with the force, Sergeant Prince Albert Symonette.

There has been little said about what tangible responses will be carried out in the wake of the accusations levelled against a number of Bahamians in this case – but most pertinent here is that there should be a concerted effort to review the case managed by both of the accused officers.

The cases reviewed should be both those that went on to be prosecuted and those that did not reach that stage.

There are other questions to be answered too about other individuals on the list.

There appears to be some mystery over Riccardo Adolphus Davis, for example, who is described in the indictment as being purported to be an official in the Bahamian government. The word purported is interesting. Is he, or isn’t he?

The Tribune has made inquiries of government sources about his situation – but without confirmation one way or the other.

If he is a government official, it should be made clear. If he is not, then the government should disavow him. That should not be a difficult task.

And then there is the matter of the “high-ranking politician” who Curtis named to investigators who for $2m would direct armed police officers to protect drug smugglers.

The government must do all it can to identify that individual – if the name is not already known.

As it stands, the rest of government is allegedly sitting alongside this person, who was willing to betray the nation and protect cocaine smugglers to line their own pockets.

If the name is known, then why protect them?

These are the questions over just a few of the names on that list. There are many more names. There are many more questions.

This must be investigated openly. Action must be taken. If it is not, people will ask why.