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Volume: 123 No. 41, Thursday, January 22, 2026
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‘BAHAMAS INFECTED WITH CORRUPTION’ Former RBDF chief petty officer Darrin Roker sentenced to 4 years prison as his lawyer slams police and govt corruption By TRIBUNE STAFF REPORTER AS a former chief petty officer with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force was yesterday jailed for four years for facilitating cocaine smuggling to the US, his lawyer launched an astonishing attack on the Bahamian government, claiming the 'entire system is infected with drug money and corruption'. “The entire system in The Bahamas — the police, defence officials, government personnel — is corrupted,” said Darrin
Roker’s lawyer, Martin Roth, before US District Judge Gregory Woods told the 56-year-old defendant, who had begged for mercy because of his terminal cancer, that his conduct warranted a prison sentence because he had used a “position of trust” to “enrich himself”. Prosecutors also revealed that although Roker’s involvement in the case for which he was sentenced — involving 1,000 kilograms of cocaine — was in its latter stages, they believed he had in fact been involved in drug trafficking
DARRIN ROKER “previously for many years prior to that”. Ultimately, the judge spared Roker, whose tearful wife Nicole was in the public gallery, from a jail term of up to 20 years because of his terminal prostate cancer diagnosis — a “powerful mitigating factor” that otherwise would have seen him CORRUPT - SEE PAGE FIVE DARRIN ROKER’S LAWYER, MARTIN ROTH
DAVIS TO OUTLINE GRAND BAHAMA’S FUTURE ‘How much will Bahamians GOVT $30M AS GRAND LUCAYAN UNCERTAINTY GROWS save from VAT cut on food?’ PLAN FOR NEW HOUSING SUBDIVISION By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell said the
government will travel to Grand Bahama later this month, with Prime Minister Philip Davis expected to make a national announcement outlining the future
direction of the island amid renewed uncertainty surrounding the Grand Lucayan resort. FUTURE - SEE PAGE SEVEN
GIRL WHO SAW FATHER KILLED FINDS COMFORT IN SENIOR OFFICER’S VISIT SEE PAGE 3
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Chief Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
FREE National Movement deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright yesterday challenged the Davis administration to clearly say how much Bahamians will actually save when its recent VAT cut takes effect, as opposition criticism over the measure intensified in the House of Assembly. Mr Cartwright raised the issue during debate yesterday, pressing the government to explain the real-world impact of its decision to zero-rate VAT on unprepared food and accusing it of failing to provide meaningful detail to the public.
The VAT cut quickly became a central flashpoint during the morning session, with opposition members questioning whether the relief would deliver tangible benefits for households
THE Government is planning to invest $30m in developing a new 147-home affordable housing subdivision called Premier Estates 1 in New Providence’s Perpall Tract district, it has been revealed. A just-released Environemental Impact Assessment for the proposed subdivision asserts that the project will provide continuous employment for “up to 100 Bahamian construction workers” over a two to three-year period.
SAVING- SEE PAGE SEVEN
SEE BUSINESS FOR STORY
FNM deputy leader Shanendon Cartwright.
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