The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis is reviewing names for the Independent Commission of Investigations, the government is considering recruiting its commissioners from overseas, and Attorney General Wayne Munroe says he has put forward two candidates of his own.

Yet more than a year and a half after Parliament passed the law creating it, the anti-corruption watchdog still has no commissioners and no timeline.

The government hailed it as a cornerstone of its fight against corruption after a US indictment alleged wrongdoing in the police force. It received $30,000 in its first budget and $100,000 in this one.

“This commission will be truly independent, not even a prime minister can direct this commission,” Mr Davis said when the bill was debated in February 2025.

Senator Latrae Rahming, director of communications and government strategy in the Office of the Prime Minister, said yesterday that Mr Davis is reviewing a list of recommendations submitted by former Attorney General Ryan Pinder. He gave no timeline for the appointments. He said the choice between local and international commissioners would depend on the expertise needed, and that he hoped progress would be made in the coming year.

Mr Munroe told The Tribune yesterday about his two recommendations.

The commission is meant to investigate serious allegations against members of the police force, defence force, Department of Corrections, Customs and Immigration, as well as specified public officials, including parliamentarians. It would look into allegations of misconduct, abuse of power, corruption and breaches of trust. It would be able to summon and question witnesses under oath, and recommend to the Director of Public Prosecutions whether charges should be brought.

Under the law, the commission must have three members, appointed by the Governor-General on the Prime Minister’s recommendation after consultation with the Leader of the Opposition. Two must be qualified to hold high judicial office. The third must be a chartered or certified accountant and a member of The Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants. The Act comes into force on a date the Attorney General sets by notice in the Gazette.

The Davis administration released the bill on December 5, 2024, after a US federal indictment made explosive corruption allegations, mainly against members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force. The indictment also alleged that an unnamed Bahamian politician was expected to authorise law enforcement to facilitate a cocaine trafficking scheme into the United States. Parliament passed the law in early 2025.

Mr Pinder defended the legislation at the time, calling it a comprehensive and effective solution to corruption.

In January this year, while he was still Minister of National Security, Mr Munroe said the government would not rush to implement the Act. He warned that haste had historically cost the public treasury millions of dollars in lawsuits. Citing his own experience of litigating against the state, he said he would not support a system that could later collapse under legal challenge. He was responding to St Anne’s MP Adrian White, who had accused the government of deliberately delaying the commission.

In May’s Speech from the Throne, the re-elected government promised to make the commission fully functional and properly resourced this term.

The question came up again during the 2026/2027 budget debate in June. East Grand Bahama MP Kwasi Thompson asked when the commission would be fully operational. Mr Davis declined to give a date, saying implementation was the responsibility of the Office of the Attorney General.

The Free National Movement has repeatedly attacked the government for failing to get the commission running, arguing that the silence fits a wider pattern of broken promises.

During the 2025 budget debate, Mr Thompson accused the administration of making a “big show” of passing the law.

“But in a year where the government boasts about achieving a budget surplus, how much was allocated to the Independent Commission of Investigations? $30,000. And we suppose to take you serious?” he said.

The Office of the Ombudsman received $40,000 in this year’s budget.

Government officials have previously said the commission must be properly resourced, staffed and structured to protect its independence and effectiveness before it begins work.