Prime Minister Phillip Davis (left) and FNM chairman, Dr. Duane Sands (File Photo)
NASSAU, Bahamas, (CMC) -Prime Minister Phillip Davis has defended his statement alleging that the Bahamian law enforcement officers charged in a United States indictment in connection with a massive cocaine smuggling operation, were entrapped.
“Regarding the prime minister’s recent observation that the US case appears to rely heavily on actions in response to US government agents or informants, that is not a matter in controversy – it is clear from the text of the indictment itself,” according to a statement issued by the Office Prime Minister.
The statement followed criticisms of Prime Minister Davis by the main opposition Free National Movement (FNM) that his recent statements were “unsettling,” calling on him to explain what led him to this new position on the matter.
“When I heard the remarks, like other Bahamians, we were shocked, stunned, that the prime minister, who is no longer operating in the capacity of a defence attorney but as the chief executive officer of an independent country, would actually be making these kinds of statements,” Opposition Leader Michael Pintard told the Nassau Guardian newspaper.
“The statements seem contradictory immediately to me because the prime minister had claimed he had no knowledge of the details surrounding the matter and at no point has he come back to the public to indicate he had gotten additional information that would allow him now to come to the conclusion that he has drawn,” he added.
Earlier, FNM chairman Duane Sands told reporters that Prime Minister Davis’ latest “attempt to reframe a deeply troubling international drug trafficking scandal as mere entrapment is a joke.
“We can’t help but note the sudden shift in tone, from promising swift action and reform to casting doubt on the investigation’s legitimacy. Just who or what is this government trying to protect, Sands said, adding “we are talking about an indictment that alleges that corrupt officers were willing to facilitate the movement of cocaine through our islands”.
Last November, the US unsealed an indictment that named 11 Bahamians and two Colombians who are allegedly responsible for transporting tons of cocaine from South America into The Bahamas and ultimately into the United States.
The indictment names Chief Superintendent Elvis Curtis, then-officer in charge of the Airport Division; Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) Sergeant Prince Albert Symonette, who was later discharged; and Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Chief Petty Officer Darrin Roker, who was also discharged; as conspirators who helped facilitate the transshipment of cocaine.
According to the indictment, Curtis told a trafficker that a high-ranking Bahamian politician could, in exchange for US$2 million authorise law enforcement officers to assist with cocaine shipments.
The statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister noted that at the end of last year, an indictment filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleged that multiple Bahamian citizens, including a senior police officer, a police sergeant, and a defence force officer, were complicit in drug trafficking and related crimes that dated back to at least May 2021, a time period which precedes the current government’s term in office.
“From the moment the indictment was unveiled, the prime minister and his government have treated the allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency, and chose not to wait for what may be a lengthy legal process to play out before taking action.
“In the span of just a few months, the prime minister has received and accepted the resignation of the police commissioner, appointed a new commissioner with a mandate for reform, and developed and passed groundbreaking reforms in Parliament, including the establishment of new whistleblower protections and legislation enabling a new independent investigations commission, so that Bahamians will no longer need to rely on the police to investigate allegations of police misconduct,” according to the statement.
The statement said that Prime Minister Davis met on “multiple occasions” with US officials to discuss the matters and to express the government’s ongoing commitment to cooperation. It said within 24 hours of learning of the indictment, the ministry of foreign affairs formally requested that US Embassy officials in The Bahamas provide assistance contacting the Department of Justice in order to identify the unnamed senior Bahamian official in the indictment.
“The US Embassy advised at that time, and has since confirmed, that as a matter of practice they do not comment on ongoing investigations and judicial processes,” it said.
The statement said regarding Prime Minister Davis’ recent observation that the US case appears to rely heavily on actions in response to US government agents or informants,” that is not a matter in controversy , it is clear from the text of the indictment itself.”
The statement said that despite “stiff competition from his FNM colleagues, Duane Sands frequently finds himself winning the Most Desperate Award, and today is no different.
“The US indictment alleges criminal activity stretching back to the time when the FNM formed the government, yet no one can recall any steps he or his FNM colleagues took to substantively address concerns about wrongdoing in the security forces.
“Today, as on so many other days, Sands chooses fake outrage instead,” the statement added.