Local News

Henfield questions cost of London worker

FORMER Foreign Affairs Minister Darron Henfield said a young male emoployee posted to London by the Davis administration is costing taxpayers more than $200,000 a year, as he questioned whether future administrations should be bound to maintain such contracts under newly proposed foreign service reforms.

Nurse beaten after leaving shelter pleads for extended victim stays

A REGISTERED nurse who said she was forced from a government shelter is calling for longer stays for domestic violence victims, claiming she was beaten “black and blue” after leaving the facility and encountering her husband again.

Frustrated workers protest over delayed promotions and pay

WORKERS from the Department of Information and Communications Technology staged their third protest in less than three months outside the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday, citing continued delays in promotions, reclassification and regularisation, with no update following a single meeting with Economic Affairs Minister Michael Halkitis.

Sands calls for police probe over Abaco gift certificate

FNM candidates seized on the gift certificate controversy at a rally last night, suggesting the distribution of more than $200,000 in vouchers to Abaco residents could amount to a misuse of public funds and warrant a police investigation.

Three Haitian men jailed over fraudulent NIB cards

THREE Haitian nationals were sentenced to prison after admitting to possessing fraudulent National Insurance Board cards at Bimini International Airport last weekend.

Man granted bail over indecent assault charge

A 42-year-old man accused of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old girl was granted bail.

18-year-old faces court over threat to life

A TEENAGE male accused of endangering another man’s life with a handgun earlier this month was remanded to prison yesterday.

Teen jailed, three remanded over court parking lot gun

A 19-year-old man who admitted possessing a prohibited weapon in the Magistrate’s Court parking lot on Nassau Street last week was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Minister defends privacy amid controversy over public officer’s political clothing

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell yesterday refused to comment on the controversy surrounding a senior public officer photographed in political paraphernalia, insisting that “personal conduct is one’s personal conduct” and that personnel matters should remain private.

Customs flags six fraud cases a month as 103 recruits join

CUSTOMS officials are uncovering up to six fraud cases a month, many involving importers understating the value or quantity of goods to reduce duties, Comptroller Ralph Munroe said yesterday, as the department inducted more than 100 new recruits to strengthen enforcement.

PM warns Pintard to drop 'crazy antics' ahead of vote

PRIME Minister Philip Davis warned Opposition Leader Michael Pintard to abandon what he called “crazy antics” and avoid disrupting the election process, as tensions rise ahead of the April 30 advanced poll.

Dominican faces court over fake passport and voter card

A DOMINICAN man was charged yesterday with fraudulently obtaining a Bahamian voter’s card and passports, the latest in a series of such cases in recent months.

Candidate slammed on crown land deeds

A PLP candidate’s declaration that she had Crown Land deeds in hand and had been told to distribute them has drawn fire and questions about how such allocations are handled.

PLP hands out over $200k in gift cards

GIFT certificates worth more than $200,000, currently being given to Abaco residents in the names of PLP election candidates and officials as ‘Hurricane Dorian relief payments,’ were paid for by the Ministry of Finance, according to Chris Lleida, chief executive officer of Premier Importers, the company that issued them.

Bahamas Foreign Affairs minister unveils landmark reforms to modernise Foreign Service

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said new Foreign Service orders will be gazetted by the end of the week, introducing reforms to make most contract officers permanent and pensionable while protecting non-political staff from dismissal.

The Tribune