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DAVIS GOVT ALSO GAVE OUT NO-BID CONTRACT By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Tourism under the Davis administration gave a no-bid contract to Colina Insurance Limited to provide insurance services under the Bahamas Travel Health Visa programme. That ministry’s decision, which was made last Fall after the Davis administration came into office and flies in the face of its position when the PLP was in opposition came when it criticised the Minnis administration for similarly giving a no-bid contract to Kanoo Pays for payment processing services for the health visa. Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper confirmed

BAHAMIAN consumers and businesses were yesterday warned to brace for gasoline prices to hit $6 per gallon next month after the Ukraine crisis sent oil prices soaring to seven-year highs. Vasco Bastian, the Bahamas Petroleum Dealers Association’s (BPDA) vice-president, told Tribune Business he was monitoring Russia’s actions towards its western neighbour closely after fears of military

- SEE PAGE EIGHT

yesterday there was no tendering process for the insurance contract because of time constraints. He said the previous provider, CG Atlantic, was not forthcoming with details about the performance of the programme and was not willing to extend its services until ministry officials could analyse the scheme. Just last week, however, Auditor General Terrance Bastian’s report into the visa programme was released and it criticised the lack of competitive bidding associated with the programme since its inception. Mr Bastian’s report covered November 2020 to August 2021, before Colina was given the insurance contract. SEE PAGE THREE

UKRAINE CRISIS MAY SEE GAS PRICE AT $6 A GALLON By YOURI KEMP and NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Reporters

ALICIA WALLACE: WE LIVE IN A ZOOM WORLD

conflict - and its potential disruption on world output and supply chains - sent oil prices soaring to almost $100. Mr Bastian, also owner/ operator of Esso’s East Street South and Soldier Road gas station, added that “if war breaks out” then oil prices could possibly go up by another 50 percent. “Right now is a scary time for dealers,” he said. “Oil is going up but our margins are not going up. The dealers now have to spend more money on buying gasoline with our margins at the same place. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

WHEN THE SHARK BITES BACK

A 51-year-old man is winched to safety by the United States Coast Guard on Monday after being bitten by a shark while fishing aboard a vessel near Bimini. See PAGE TWO for the full story. Photo: United States Coast Guard

BURGLARY LEAVES CHARITIES BRAVE HINTS AT LEGAL MOVE STILL STRUGGLING TO COPE ON MARITAL RAPE THIS TERM By PAVEL BAILEY REV C B Moss says higher food costs have made it challenging to continue providing meals to people in need through the Feeding Bain and Grants Town Project. He also made an appeal

for donations after one of his storage facilities was broken into late last year. In an interview in late November, Rev Moss said the thieves had stolen food items and equipment from the facility. SEE PAGE FOUR

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said it is possible the issue of marital rape could be dealt with legislatively by his administration during this term in office.

He said following a recent Social Services and Urban Development conference that examined the inequalities between men and women in law, Attorney General Ryan Pinder was given the mandate to act on SEE PAGE TWO

BAY OF PIGS BATTLE PART TWO By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS were yesterday demanding that planning authorities close two New Providencebased “swimming with the pigs” attractions that have “totally changed our neighbourhood”. Multiple inhabitants of Beach Drive, located on the island’s south-western

A PICTURE posted to Da Pig Beach’s Facebook page last July. shore at Adelaide Village, told Tribune Business they want both Da Pig Beach

and Beyond Da Village Pig Experience relocated to an area zoned for commercial use. And they questioned when the regulators, especially the Town Planning Committee, Department of Physical Planning and Ministry of Works, will finally “clamp down on enforcing the law and stop businesses opening in residential areas” such as theirs. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

TECHNOLOGY: POLAND HITS RECORD FOR WIND ENERGY

- SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

When the shark bites back By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A 51-YEAR-OLD man was rescued by the United States Coast Guard on Monday after he was bitten by a shark while fishing aboard a vessel near Bimini. According to a Coast Guard press statement the motor vessel Shear Water’s crew contacted Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders at approximately 12.50pm and reported a man on board had been bitten by a shark while fishing. Additionally, details were that a tourniquet had been put on the man’s arm to prevent further blood loss. “A Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew arrived on scene, hoisted the man and transferred him to awaiting emergency medical technicians at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami reportedly in

stable condition,” the statement said. “An Air Station Miami HC-144 airplane and crew assisted with communications efforts with the Dolphin aircrew.” The statement also said: “Sector Miami watchstanders, Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders and a District Seven duty flight surgeon conducted a conference call, recommended a medical evacuation and directed the launch of an Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and an Air Station Miami HC-144 airplane crew to the scene.” Sean Connett, command duty officer at Coast Guard District Seven, said: “This was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation.” “This individual was fortunate a fellow crew member was able to render aid prior to the Coast Guard’s arrival which, allowed for a quick extraction from the vessel.”

THE MAN who was bitten by a shark being rescued by the United States Coast Guard.

Photo: United States Coast Guard

BRAVE HINTS AT LEGAL MOVE ON MARITAL RAPE THIS TERM from page one recommendations coming out of that event. Mr Davis made the comment following the announcement of two new ambassadors yesterday at the Balmoral Club. “Thursday and Friday of last week the Minister of Social Services and Urban Development held a conference to examine what I call the inequalities in the discriminatory laws to determine a way forward as to what adjustments we have to make to our laws on the issue that are inequitable between the genders and any other discriminatory laws,” Mr Davis told reporters. “The issue of rape came up as well whether you call it marital or otherwise. Rape is rape. “I don’t want to get into the description of rape and I’ve given the Attorney General (Ryan Pinder) the mandate to follow the recommendations that were given through that conference that was held last week. “You’ll see what the recommendations are from there and we’ll move to enact what laws that were recommended by them to the Attorney General that is deemed appropriate by the Cabinet.”

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis yesterday. Asked if this could happen within his term in office, Mr Davis said: “It could come up in this case, yes.” Mr Davis also responded to critics of his administration’s legislative agenda. “What is the legislative agenda? Not everything is achieved through the parliamentary or legislative regime. There are many initiatives that don’t require what I call parliamentary intervention for the purposes of enacting laws. So, it is important to understand what do they mean by legislative agenda. What legislation that they think

we ought to have been producing, or presenting, or laying on the table that has not been laid. “We have our agenda and we are moving by our agenda where our initiatives require parliamentary intervention by legislation, then there is legislation that will be laid, tabled debated and passed.” Last November, Press Secretary Clint Watson said a national conversation that reflects the public’s will could drive the issue of marital rape to the forefront of the Davis administration’s legislative agenda. His comment followed a tweet on Mr Davis’ Twitter account saying marital rape is wrong and that the country remained one of the few in the world where this was not recognised in law. His tweet also noted that should there be a change in this regard he supported a national conversation. Asked by The Tribune about the issue in November, Mr Watson was adamant that the will of the people would be best articulated through nationwide discourse on marital rape. He said people should not just look to the government for a decision, but seek to learn the positions of groups like the Bahamas Christian Council, as well as human rights and civic groups.

MAN FOUND DEAD AFTER ABACO CRASH By PAVEL BAILEY

A MAN was found dead in Abaco mangroves early Monday morning following a traffic accident. According to police at around 7am, officers from the Marsh Harbour Police Station received a report of a traffic accident on Ernest Dean Highway. When officers arrived

at the scene, they discovered a black 2005 Honda Fit vehicle and the body of a lifeless male in the mangroves south of a local resort. Initial investigations of the accident revealed the driver of the vehicle was travelling north down the highway when he lost control of the vehicle and veered off the eastern side of the street.

This resulted in his vehicle overturning several times off the road with him being ejected from the vehicle. The victim, who has yet to be identified, was later taken to the Marsh Harbour Clinic where examination by a doctor led to him being pronounced dead. Police are continuing their investigations into this latest traffic fatality.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 3

Davis Govt also gave out no-bid contract from page one Mr Cooper, the Minister of Tourism, Aviation and Investments, told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday: “The health insurance was granted to CG Atlantic originally. That did not go through a formal tendering process and there is a view that the Ministry of Tourism is a corporate sole and in effect because we negotiate large scale contracts abroad that has to be done swiftly and expeditiously, the Tourism Act, which many persons

should familiarise themselves with, authorises the Ministry of Tourism to enter contacts outside of the normal frame of what you would find in the public service. So, let me be clear about that in the first instance.” He added: “There were inquiries in relation to the performance of the health insurance with CG Atlantic. The information was not forthcoming. We were approaching a deadline by which we needed to enter a new contract otherwise the contract would have expired with there being

no insurance in place. Because we did not receive the information and the claims experienced and the utilisation of the plan in a timely manner, we were unable to determine whether the pricing was appropriate. “Subsequent to that we made inquiries of other insurance companies. Colina responded in a timely manner with a rate that was better than what we had with CG Atlantic and with a profitsharing component. In other words, if the plan makes excessive amounts

of money for the insurer, they will pay some back to the government so we thought it was a much better deal than the one we had. CG Atlantic refused to extend the policy to allow us to do the appropriate analysis and we took the decision to move to another carrier.” Asked what was different about the no-bid contract to Colina and the no-bid contract to Kanoo, Mr Cooper declined to compare the two. “I will speak to the decision making of my administration and me as

a minister and defend my stewardship,” he said. “I am not going to get into the politics of Kanoo and the Bahamas Travel Health Visa.” In his audit report, Mr Bastian acknowledged the time pressures officials faced in originally executing the visa programme, but said the Ministry of Tourism should still have gone out to tender, particularly for the insurance contract because of the significant costs associated with that service. “The Ministry of Tourism failed to comply

with the regulatory requirements for the procurement of goods and services,” Mr Bastian wrote. “Seeking competitive bids is a mechanism intended to provide some assurance to the reasonableness of costs of goods and services. Considering the cost of the travel insurance to CG Atlantic of $16,782,895, representing 48.7 percent of total revenue, it would have been prudent to test the marketplace by seeking at least one other quote despite the pressing time limitations.”

SMITH AND RAHMING APPOINTED AS AMBASSADORS

STAN Smith being sworn in as Ambassador Designate and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, left, and Dr Elliston Rahming, right, being sworn in as Ambassador to the Republic of China. Photos: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net DR Elliston Rahming was announced ambassador to the Republic of Cuba while Stan Smith was appointed Ambassador Designate and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations yesterday. In remarks at the Balmoral Club, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis noted that Dr Rahming takes up his third diplomatic appointment as Ambassador to Cuba, according to the Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis. “He carries with him the accumulated skills of the balancing act that is required in the context of the Americas,” Mr Davis said. “We have opposed the embargo against this country. “We’ve also spoken to our own values but this had

never interfered with our practical cooperation. Our citizens travel there in the hundreds every year for tourism, health care and education. Unfortunately, scores have been and are imprisoned there. It is also a hardship post given the ideological rifts between themselves and our neighbours to the north. You will have to manage all of this.” Dr Rahming spoke about the relationship between the two countries while continuing to ensure the welfare of Bahamians. He said: “It is the government’s mandate as I understand and the Prime Minister just enunciated that we are about to deepen and strengthen the level of cooperation between our two countries as it relates to such things as manufacturing, pharmaceutical developments and import substitution technologies. “At the same time, we must continue looking after the welfare of scores

of citizens who go to Cuba each year for healthcare, education, vacation, and those few who end up on the wrong side of Cuba’s legal system.” Mr Rahming has served as Consultant Advisor on Crime within the Ministry of National Security, as Commissioner of Corrections and previously as Ambassador to the Organization of American States (the OAS) and Bahamas Ambassador to the United Nations. As for Mr Smith, he served as Bahamas Ambassador-at-Large 2015 to 2017, and headed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Legal Division during that time. He also contributed to the ministry’s UN teams on Human Rights; and provided general foreign policy development support. Mr Smith said: “In my appointment, support will continue for our local agencies like the social services department together with our multilateral

BAHAMAS CALLS FOR DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION TO UKRAINE TENSIONS THE Bahamas government is appealing to all sides involved in UkrainianRussian tensions to seek a diplomatic solution that respects the rules-based system of international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This position was articulated yesterday in a brief statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell as he noted The Bahamas is advocating for a peaceful solution to the situation. “The Bahamas has and maintains its commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations including at this time Ukraine,” Minister Mitchell said. “We deplore the escalation of tensions and the attendant loss of life along the UkrainianRussian border. We support the statement of the Secretary General of the United Nations. “We call on all actors to seek a diplomatic solution to the current conflict that respects the rules-based

system of international law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “We encourage all relevant actors to turn their efforts toward an immediate cessation of hostilities, the preservation of human life, and the prevention of any action that may intensify an already dangerous situation; so that a peaceful and sustainable resolution can be achieved.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered troops into two Russiabacked separatist territories in Ukraine and has hinted at the possibility of a wider military campaign and laid claim to all of Ukraine as a country “created by Russia” in an emotional and aggrieved address to the Russian people. Russian state television showed Mr Putin signing decrees late Monday recognising the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics and directing the Russian Defence Ministry to deploy troops in those regions to carry out

“peacekeeping functions”. The order was condemned as a violation of international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty by several nations at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday night. “He calls them peacekeepers,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations. “This is nonsense. We know what they really are.” It was not immediately certain whether the Russian troops would remain only on the territory controlled by the separatist republics, or whether they would seek to capture the rest of the two Ukrainian enclaves whose territory they claim. And so it was unclear if a long-feared Russian fullscale invasion of Ukraine had begun. The separatists might have invited Russian forces in, but neither Ukraine nor the rest of the world views the so-called republics as anything but Ukrainian territory.

counterparts on such matters as the need to address social exclusion in our domestic space and on in the UN context the disaster risk reduction agenda for the empowerment of all women and girls. “In the UN debate context, we are concerned about climate change policies, something that again the prime minister has engaged (in) Glasgow and programmes to address our environment, our institutions, and our communities.”

PAGE 4, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

‘Govt must not be held hostage by employees’ By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net A SICKOUT by finance and accounting officers last week will prompt officials to examine the organisational structure of government to ensure no group of employees can hold the state “hostage”, State Minister for the Public Service Pia GloverRolle said yesterday. The Ministry of Finance estimates $7.5m in revenue could be lost after the sickout, which was held from Monday to Friday and has continued this week, but with fewer employees. “About a week ago this was just unfolding,” Mrs Glover-Rolle told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “We didn’t really understand what numbers looked like on that particular day, but by the end of the day we found out it’s about 100 finance officers that would have sat out. “After the story - and they understood that we

probably didn’t know quite why they were sitting out - a few did return so by Friday there were about 70 that were still out. As of yesterday, there are a few still out, but what we have done is asked the permanent secretaries from every ministry to provide a report of what is happening in their ministry in regards to financial officers so those reports are coming in slowly.” Mrs Glover-Rolle suggested disciplinary action against the employees is unlikely because they obtained sick slips. “From what we can tell, there’s minimal impact,” she said. “Salaries don’t seem to have been impacted, but special payments would have been impacted, that means deductions or any special payments that employees would have had facilitated through their salaries. “In terms of how it has impacted the nation, of course finance is a critical part of what we need in running a country so revenue

collection would have been impacted and that doesn’t only mean from the perspective of cashiers - because they were finance officers that are sitting out - but in terms of producing purchase orders, allowing the government to collect funds that are due, etc. “Additionally, we understand that outside of the payments to employees that may have been minimally impacted that some of the finance officers that returned to work are able to facilitate some of the tasks that would have been left out last week. In a time like this where there is a crisis, it provides opportunity, which means we’re now looking at the organisational structure of the government and ensuring that no group of employees is able to hold the government hostage if you want to use that word or put us in a precarious position where there is only a certain number of employees that can facilitate certain tasks,” Mrs Glover-Rolle said yesterday.

PIA GLOVER-ROLLE, Minister of State for the Public Service, yesterday. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

BURGLARY LEAVES CHARITIES STILL STRUGGLING TO COPE

from page one

At the time, he said, he faced a $10,000 bill to cover the cost of the damage, stolen items and food the culprits made off with. Rev C B Moss, of Mt Olive Baptist Church on Meadow & Augusta Streets, spoke to The Tribune yesterday saying the joint project between Mt Olive Church and the Bains Grants Advancement Association continues its food and social outreach programme despite the loss of some of their benefactors amid rising food prices has proved to be trying. “We provide food

packages,” he said. “In fact, since the pandemic hit, we have provided well over 18,000 food packages and we also provide prepared meals like lunches and breakfast. And so, we have been doing this now at this level from the pandemic hit in March of 2020, but we are finding it a little more difficult because we purchased some things and with the cost of foodstuff going up and some of our benefactors have reached their limit it is becoming more difficult. But we are very hopeful that we will be able to maintain the level of assistance we have been giving in the last few years.” Even as Rev Moss is

hopeful the project can continue to help those in need, he admitted the break-in was still proving to be yet another setback. He mentioned that while they were able to replace some of the merchandise that was stolen, the event was still significant. “We had a brand new 18 cubic inch freezer filled with meats of various types; they stole the freezer with all the contents. They stole a number of other pieces of equipment, including an over-the-top microwave and some other things and they stole some foodstuff. We had the freezer replaced by Fidelity Bank that certainly filled that gap. And

so, we had for example they stole things like fans, other things, we had a refrigerator that they were clearly intending to steal, but they couldn’t get it through the door they busted in.” Rev Moss mentioned that while he is still waiting for an official police report into the incident, police had not connected the crime to any members of the local community. “We are still waiting for an official police report. They’ve given us a couple of burglary reports which state that they have not established any clear links to anybody in the community so that is where it is.” As the Feeding Bain

and Grants Town Project continues to face these difficulties, Rev Moss asked the public to donate whatever they can, as his charity provides more than just food to those in need. “Right now (we need) food stuff. Various food stuff, cans or cash or whatever. We not only feed but we also have giveaways where we receive from donors anything that they wish to donate as long as it is usable. Clothing, furniture, furnishings, anything and we hold periodic giveaway days where people just come and take what they want. “We, of course, ask for a donation for things like

equipment because we don’t want people to feel that everything is free. We do not request any donation for the foodstuffs since that’s basic but things like furniture that we giveaway we invite them to leave a donation.” Rev Moss added that the public could also contribute to the Feeding Bain and Grants Town Project by opening accounts out to the charity at any of the local wholesalers. “Whatever they would like to donate, whether it’s finance or foodstuff, they can open an account for us at any of the wholesalers and we just draw down on it,” he said.

13 NEW CASES OF COVID-19 CONFIRMED By PAVEL BAILEY

Funeral Service for

Jefferson Ronald Albury, 73 of Nassau, The Bahamas, will be held at Ebenezer Methodist Church, Epworth Hall, East Shirley Street, Nassau on Friday, 25th February, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. Reverend Milton Lightbourne will officiate and interment will follow in Ebenezer Methodist Cemetery, East Shirley Street, Nassau Jeff dedicated his life to family, work and baseball. Outside of the office his time was spent at the JBLN fields serving as commissioner where he made it his mission to give back without any expectation of recognition. He is survived by his wife Margo, son Christopher, Daughter-In-Law Cecelia, Grandson Carter and expected Grand Daughter on the way. As well as a host of other close relatives and friends including the JBLN, Island Wholesale, Purity Bakery/Snack Food Wholesale, Nassau Yacht Club, Palmdale Golf Club Family. In lieu of flowers the family request donations be made to Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN) - Royal Bank Of Canada Branch - 05745 Account No. 1328731 in memory of Mr. Jefferson Ronald Albury. Relatives and friends may pay their respects at Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited, 19 Palmdale Avenue, Palmdale, on Thursday, 24th February, 2022, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.

THE Ministry of Health and Wellness has reported 13 new cases of COVID-19. Of the new cases, nine were in New Providence,

three in Exuma, and one in Long Island. Of the reported New Providence cases only one of them has been confirmed to have travelled in the past 14 days. Additionally, 35 people in total are in hospital with

four of those in intensive care. There are now 5,983 active cases in the nation. To date, there have been 33,081 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic first hit The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 5

BOYS TO MEN CONFERENCE STARTS TODAY By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE 15th annual Reach Out Ministries Boys to Men Conference will kick off today at the Tabernacle Baptist Academy, the first in a series of school visits throughout Grand Bahama. Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Mario Bowleg will be the keynote speaker and officially open the conference. Grand Bahama Minister Ginger Moxey

will also speak. Dudley Seide, the founder of Reach Out Youth Organization (ROYO), said the conference has reached the 15th year mark and has touched the lives of thousands of young boys on the island. “Our theme this year is, ‘The Sky’s the Limit,’” he said. “We want young boys to know their true potential and let them know their lives have a purpose.” Because of COVID health protocols, the conference - which usually catered in the past to

some 500 young men at one venue - will now be held at individual schools. At Tabernacle, there will be some 90 participants at the school. Mr Seide said participants will hear from three presenters, including Pastor Bruce Russell of Calvary Temple Assembly of God Church, Mr Norris Bain, Police Assistant Commissioner of Police Theophilus Cunningham, and Dudley Seide Jr. “We normally cater to 400 to 500 young boys, but because of the

COVID-19 health and safety protocol we will go school,” he said. Mr Seide, a well-known community leader, is determined to reach as many young boys as possible to prevent them from joining gangs and participating in criminal activity. “The objective of this conference is to change their mindset because some kids don’t take school seriously. They don’t know the importance and value of school. And what we find is that even in the private schools, they

too find a way into gangs,” he said. Mr Seide said the conference encourages young boys to recognise their worth and value. “We want them to believe in themselves.” The conference, he said, continues to have a positive impact on boys in the community. “We hold this conference every year. Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 came, and we still had the conference. It is one programme we think is valuable to young men,” Mr Seide said.

Legislation ‘quickly’ to deal with land ruling By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder said his office is looking to quickly pass legislation that will remedy the consequences of a new Privy Council ruling so the matter does not become a “vexing problem” for Bahamians. Since January 2011 it has been unlawful to convey land without subdivision approval, but the Privy Council ruled this week that conveyances without subdivision approval are null and void as well. The ruling followed a dispute between an American citizen and a developer in Exuma and it hinged on the interpretation of Section 62(1) and (2) of the Planning and Subdivision Act which replaced the Private Roads and Subdivision Act in 2010. “We wouldn’t know in the first instance how many properties have been conveyed since 2011 which is when the court said the operative date was without

subdivision approval although we have to assume that certainly there is a material amount of conveyances that may fall into that bucket which according to the court ruling would make them void,” Mr Pinder said. “We are looking at the court ruling and looking with respect to possible legislative amendments in the very short term to be able to address this situation. Certainly, this is not something that we would want to leave open ended for the Bahamian people. There are many conveyances that have occurred over a decade now that are legitimate, that are material, that are bargained for that need to be preserved, so we’re looking at our legislative options to see if we can have a legislative remediation of this issue so it doesn’t become a vexing issue for Bahamians.” Mr Pinder said the law reform commission is spearheading the drafting of legislation. “We’re weighing whether we proceed with one

amendment or we proceed with a full planning and subdivision replacement legislation to make it more transparent and easier and facilitate developments and preserve Bahamians’ rights, but if that is not viable in the short term, we’ll certainly bring an amendment if we think it’s appropriate to fix the situation. There’ll be no criminal prosecutions as a result of this ruling,” he said. On Monday, Christina Galanos, lawyer for the respondent in the case, foreshadowed legislation because of the ramifications of the ruling. “From what I understand there are some subdivisions that were not granted subdivision approval and many, many persons bought properties in those subdivisions from 2011 and on without subdivision approval. All of those conveyances are null and void. It also affects banking transactions because every bank that is holding land as collateral or those conveyances as collateral, all of that is null and void,” she said.

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ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder yesterday.

Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

PAGE 6, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

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Inconsistency over no-bid contracts? IN the build-up to the last election, the company given the contract to handle the Travel Health Visa payments, Kanoo, was very much in the spotlight. In June, the then Tourism Minister, Dionisio D’Aguilar, defended the award of the no-bid contract to Kanoo, in the wake of a PLP press conference which highlighted the company’s association with Dr Nigel Lewis, the co-manager of the FNM general election campaign. Mr D’Aguilar said: “I don’t know why all this attention is being brought to Kanoo.” Both the PLP and the FNM have issued no-bid contracts in the past for the sake of expediency, but in that press conference in June, then Opposition leader Philip “Brave” Davis accused the Minnis administration of helping FNM insiders with its contract awards. Social media was abuzz with criticism of the deal too – so once in office, presumably the PLP wouldn’t follow the same path of giving a substantial no-bid contract, right? Well, it seems that’s the very thing that has been done in giving a no-bid contract to Colina Insurance Limited to provide insurance services under the very same Travel Health Visa programme that was much criticised for giving a no-bid contract to Kanoo to serve. Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper yesterday confirmed there was no tendering process, saying it was because of time constraints. Asked what was different about the no-bid contract to Colina and the no-bid contract to Kanoo, he declined to compare the two, saying: “I am not going to get into the politics of Kanoo and the Bahamas Travel Health Visa.” This comes despite the Auditor General, Terrance Bastian, providing a report just last week which broadly praised the Travel Health Visa scheme, but which did criticise the lack of competitive bidding associated with the programme since its inception. That report was ordered before Colina was given the insurance contract. Mr Bastian acknowledged the time pressures officials faced in executing the visa programme initially, but said it should still have gone out to tender, particularly for the insurance contract because of the significant costs associated with that service. Despite that, here we are with another contract going out on a no-bid basis. There is no suggestion, we should add, that Colina has done anything wrong in this, it has merely provided a quote for services and been accepted. But after being so critical in opposition, is the new administration showing consistency in offering no-bid contracts itself? Is this do as I say, not as I do? If the government now says there was no time so they had to award the

contract without a tender process, does that not apply the same for the contract awarded by its predecessor? How is one different from the other? This is the kind of frustration that those in the business market face when dealing with government – finding any kind of consistency in government, and the frustration of being caught in the middle of the political push and pull when just trying to provide the services requested. The public needs to have faith that whichever party is governing, contracts are being awarded fairly and bringing the best value for money. If that means a clampdown on no-bid contracts, so be it – but live up to your words when in office. If you don’t, then don’t be surprised if you open yourself to easy criticism. And after all the politics that got us here, don’t cry off commenting now because you don’t want to “get into the politics”.

Pig attractions Imagine waking up in your residential neighbourhood to suddenly find businesses bringing busloads of visitors in from cruise ships to go swimming with the pigs at not one, but two attractions. That’s the situation in Adelaide Village, where residents are complaining that they want both Da Pig Beach and Beyond Da Village Pig Experience relocated? Where to? Well, an area properly zoned for commercial use. Residents of Beach Drive have sent a petition wanting to know when regulators will finally “clamp down on enforcing the law and stop businesses opening in residential areas”. Fair enough – after all, what’s the point of zoning if it isn’t followed and enforced? There will be those who say this is bringing jobs to a very deprived part of New Providence, but why can’t they take that business to an area that is properly zoned for it? It appears the businesses have opened up without the required Town Planning sign-off. One local resident is Sam Duncombe, the environment activist, who said that the entire neighbourhood is “being bombarded by tour buses, cars and allterrain vehicles, and boats and jet skis… pigs are screaming, staff are screaming and the tourists are screaming”. A Town Planning meeting is now to take place for Da Village Pig Experience – despite it apparently operating already for eight months. It is excellent to see new enterprises starting up – but let’s make sure they’re in places designated for them, or what’s the point of the regulations in the first place?

Environmental education EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE lack of proper environmental education in Bahamian school systems is preposterous. The systematic oppression of Bahamian students in that we have to pay for private curated education in order to learn information that is vital to our future is a representation of where our country stands on the issue of climate change. Countless times have I heard from young Bahamians that they need well-paying jobs to be successful. There is an idea put in young dreamers’ minds from the brink of education that they need to be an accountant or doctor or lawyer. Bahamian education systems

are unfortunately outdated. BGCSE exam papers are the same as they were in 1999. Additionally science, especially environmental science, has changed since then. What happened to learning about climate change, ocean acidification, rising sea levels? Why don’t we learn how to impart real world change? Instead, we send our government officials to climate and world events on our behalf to read pre-written scripts on issues they aren’t even particularly concerned about. How are we to allow those who do not particularly care for an issue to lie to the faces of this country and to impart false hope in the smallest minority of Bahamians who actually

long for the change they speak of. Empty words are blasted at us every election season to win over the environmentalists in us all. The issue of politics should be put aside in matters of the climate crisis and climate safety. For there will be no Bahamas left to vote if we do not act fast in preserving our nation. We are already at risk being a low lying country and the children of this country do not even know this. The youth are the very change makers we depend on to save our country, and they aren’t educated as to the risks that lie ahead. HEATHER BROCKBANK Grand Bahama, February 22, 2022.

THE FAMILY of Ahmaud Arbery raise their arms in victory outside the federal courthouse in Brunswick, Georgia, after all three men involved in his killing were found guilty of hate crimes yesterday. Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan were found guilty of violating Arbery’s civil rights and targeting him because he was Black. Photo: Lewis M Levine/AP

Bahamians continue to use Obeah EDITOR, The Tribune. I WAS fascinated by a February 22 front page Tribune article titled “Sacrilege.” The article was about the alleged desecration of several graves at the Spikenard Graveyard off Cowpen Road. What I found interesting was a funeral official alleging that witchcraft was one of the motives for unscrupulous individuals desecrating the graves. The word witchcraft is a synonym of Obeah, which is a system of belief among Black people of the West Indies, that is characterised by the use of magical ritual to ward off misfortune and to cause harm, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Obeah is a spiritual derivative of Myalism, and is similar to Santeria in Cuba and Brazil; Voodoo in Haiti and Shango in Trinidad and Tobago. Other well-known synonyms of Obeah are necromancy, sorcery, wizardry, black magic, divination and Satanism. Anton Lavey played a pivotal role during the twentieth century in the popularisation of Satanism in the US, while Aleister Crowley popularized it in England. I believe the case can also be made that the Jamaican spiritual religious traditions of Pocomania, Revival Zion and Revivalism are similar to Obeah, despite all three having a few elements of the JudeoChristian tradition. I have arrived at this conclusion after reading Jamaican anthropologist Dr. Barry Chevannes’ “Rastafari.” An uninformed observer would typically mistake Revivalism for Pentecostalism, as its practitioners also practice glossolalia. According to British historian Diana Paton, the European colonialists’ attempts at suppressing the religious beliefs of the Black slaves in the West

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Indies was to “reinforce class and race hierarchies.” By mentioning the historical fact of Obeah being legalized in Jamaica after the Tacky Revolt between 1760-1761, Paton view laws against Obeah as being deeply rooted in prejudice against Black Jamaicans and their Afro-Caribbean counterparts. Obviously sympathetic to the practice of Obeah, Paton wrote that prior to the 1950s, Rastas, Revivalists and Garveyites were regularly prosecuted under Jamaica’s 1898 Obeah Act. In her History Workshop write-up titled “The Racist History of Jamaica’s Obeah Laws,” Paton observed that Obeah was decriminalized in the Caribbean countries of Barbados (1998); St. Lucia (2004); Anguilla (1980) and Trinidad and Tobago (2000). Apparently oblivious to its destructive nature, Paton sees nothing wrong with the religious practice. Fortunately for Bahamians, Obeah is legally prohibited in our penal code. Its illegality does not mean that it is not being practised, however. I believe that the Obeah practitioners who desecrated the Spikenard graves were in search of Obeah instruments, such as blood, bones, images and other articles necessary for their dangerous religion. They may have also been attempting to communicate with the dead. Those who practice necromancy believe that the dead are communicating with them, when it is actually evil spirits masquerading as dead human beings. By evil spirits, I mean reprobate angels who were thrown out of heaven after Satan’s rebellion. Those who engage in

this ritual mainly do so to obtain a job, win the lottery, win over a spouse, attain physical healing or to harm an enemy. I have heard of business persons who have consulted the Obeah man or woman in order to save their struggling businesses and to pay off massive debts. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were politicians who practised Obeah in order to win an election. We have all heard of the popular Bahamian song The Obeah Man by the late Tony McKay. McKay’s music and stage act were both imbued with the West African Obeah tradition. How widespread is Obeah in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas? No one knows for obvious reasons. What one can accurately deduced is that, like the overwhelming majority of Black Caribbeanists, Black Bahamians’ navel strings are buried in West Africa, which is the home of the main source of Obeah. In closing, the Bible condemns Obeah in 2 Chronicles 33:6; Galatians 5:19-21; Malachi 3:5; Deuteronomy 18:10-12 and Revelation 18:23. In fact, God threatens eternal damnation to Obeah practitioners in Revelation 21:8 and 22:15. One of the reasons God expelled the Canaanites from the land of Canaan in the Book of Joshua was because they were deeply engrossed in sorcery. I am for celebrating our African heritage and culture, just as long as it does not include any religious tradition that runs counter to the Bible. I am also a champion of religious liberty under our constitution. But that liberty should not entail consulting evil spirits, whose sole purpose is to destroy this nation and its citizens via the practice of Obeah. KEVIN EVANS Freeport, Grand Bahama February 22, 2022.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 7

MAN TELLS HOW HE WAS SCAMMED IN SCHEME By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net AN Eleuthera man yesterday testified about how he was scammed out of several thousand dollars after falling victim to a vehicle fraud scheme nearly four years ago. Devon Stuart’s testimony came during the fraud trial of convict Shane Mackey, who is accused of defrauding Stuart of $6,800 in April 2018. Magistrate Kendra Kelly is presiding over the case, while Sgt Vernon Pyfrom is prosecuting. On the witness stand yesterday, Stuart recalled that he saw a jeep being advertised for sale in the newspaper sometime in late April of that year. Stuart said he called the number listed in the paper to conduct further enquiries. However, the witness said he was told by a man who gave his name as “Ashwood Bodie” that the jeep was already sold. He said Bodie then explained he would be able to get a new vehicle for him

at the end of the month at a cost of $9,000. Stuart said he was then instructed to make payments through the Post Office under the name Kayla Cartwright, which he did. Stuart testified that after making several payments, he was left with a remaining balance of about $2,000. However, he said, despite the payments, he never received the vehicle. Stuart said he tried to find Bodie online and even spoke to a man with the same name on Facebook. However, the Eleuthera resident said the man told him he was the second person who had called in reference to a similar matter. “He said he had replied to a job in the paper in Messenger and had sent documents with his passport and police record, which were the same items that were sent to me to prove that the person I was getting the jeep from was Ashwood Bodie,” Stuart told the court. Stuart said after being

made aware of the situation, he later requested police action. However, he said to date, he still hasn’t received the vehicle or the funds he paid out. During cross-examination, Mackey, who was not represented by an attorney, asked Stuart if he had ever seen him before or personally gave him money. To which he replied, “No”. The next witness to take the stand was police Detective Jared Turnquest, who is attached to the RBPF’s Financial Crime Investigation Branch. Sgt Turnquest testified to receiving several complaints about a vehicle scam while on duty in October of 2018. He said as a result of the information received, he conducted several inquiries that resulted in Mackey becoming a suspect. Sgt Turnquest said after issuing a wanted poster of Mackey, he turned himself in and later denied the allegations during an interview with police. The trial will continue on May 11.

Officer says woman kicked him in groin By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A POLICE officer yesterday claimed he was kicked in the groin by a woman he attempted to arrest. Corporal Deangelo Rolle gave the account while testifying against Miralda Adolphe during her trial before Magistrate Kendra Kelly. The 34-year-old is accused of behaving in a disorderly manner, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest on May 31, 2020. Rolle testified that he was on mobile patrol when he received information about a disturbance in the Wulff Road area. The officer said upon arrival in the area, he spoke to the accused’s landlord who gave him information about her tenant, Adolphe’s

husband. He said sometime later, the accused came outside the home and began shouting and shoving her hands at officers. The witness said while he could not understand everything Adolphe was saying due to language difficulties, he said he heard the accused say “y’all don’t mess with me” and “she is lying”. The police officer said she was warned about her behaviour several times, but continued to act in a disorderly manner which led to her arrest. Corporal Rolle said while he tried to arrest the accused, she pushed him away from her. He also claimed the accused later kicked him in the groin after she was put in the police vehicle. Police Constable Alex Rolle also gave testimony

yesterday. Constable Rolle testified about his role in interviewing the accused after her arrest. The police officer told the court the accused admitted to being loud during her interview with police. However, the police said she denied the assault allegations. As a result of the prosecutor’s request, Constable Rolle identified the written record of interview in court, which was later entered in as evidence in the case. However, during crossexamination, Adolphe’s attorney, Alfred Grey asked the officer if he had informed the accused of her right to get a lawyer. Rolle said he had. However, Grey suggested that Rolle was not being truthful in his claims. The case continues on March 22.

PAIR ORDERED TO TAKE DRUG COUNSELLING CLASSES By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net TWO men were ordered to attend drug counselling classes yesterday after they were found on separate occasions with small quantities of marijuana. Kedrick Johnson, 27, and Brendan Smith, 25, were both charged with drug possession during their hearings before Magistrate Kendra Kelly. Police said they arrested Johnson after they found 14 grams of marijuana at his Kemp Road

home while searching the residence on February 15. After pleading guilty to the charge yesterday, Johnson asked the court for leniency, describing himself as a father-of-two who worked hard to support his family. In response, Magistrate Kelly said she took into consideration the defendant had no previous convictions and ordered him to attend drug counselling classes and complete 200 hours of community service. He was told failure to comply with the conditions of his release would result in him spending

three months behind bars. Smith was also granted a conditional discharge after he was found with 1.25 ounces of marijuana on February 15. Police said sometime around 3pm that day, they proceeded to a structure near Landshark hotel where they observed two men who began to act suspiciously. As a result, officers approached the men and asked them for their reason for being in the area. One of the men replied that they lived in the nearby hotel and claimed they were hiding in the structure to avoid their sister to

whom they owed money. A search of both men was subsequently conducted which resulted in the discovery of a clear plastic bag in Smith’s pocket. The bag contained a grass-like substance which was suspected to be marijuana. The accused was then taken to the police station and interviewed, where he admitted the drug possession. In court, Smith said he used drugs to help him remain calm, adding he was sorry for his actions. His sister – who was present

in court - also confirmed Smith’s story to police, saying the family was put in the hotel by social services after their home burned down. The sister also told the magistrate the family was unable to financially help Smith if he were fined. Having listened to their explanations, Magistrate Kelly ordered the accused to attended drug classes and also complete community service. Failure to comply will result in him spending five months in prison.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

NOW WE LIVE IN THE ZOOM WORLD LET’S MAKE SURE WE GET THE MOST OUT IT WE have all attended far too many Zoom events over the past few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From meetings and workshops to birthday parties and weddings, many people have had to figure out new ways to host events. As with in-person events, there is a significant amount of planning and management that goes into a successful virtual event. Unfortunately, it seems it is often assumed virtual events are easy, and any inperson event can be made virtual simply by setting up a Zoom session or using another online platform. This is one reason many online events do not have the effect the organizers or attendees expect. When planning a virtual or hybrid event, it is important to choose the right platforms, tools and teams. The purpose of the event and expected participants should help to guide the decision-making and eventplanning process. It is not enough to set up a smart phone on a tripod, post the link and hope for the best. There are ways to host an event that meets most people’s needs and facilitates productive, meaningful

By Alicia Wallace

engagement. Here are eight tips to get you started. • Share the options. If you are hosting a hybrid event, ensure potential participants are aware of the options available to them. Some people may want to attend in person. As there is a limit to the number of people who can gather in a physical space, make the restrictions clear. Do people need to register by a certain date? Should they expect confirmation that they can attend in person by a certain date? Will there be an overflow room on site for those who do not fit into the main venue? For those who prefer not to attend in person, do they need to download an app or register on a particular website to gain access? Is it available on both Apple and Android devices? For those without internet access, will it be available on television or radio? Can people watch

live on a social media platform? For some, it is easiest to watch on Facebook while others would prefer to be on a platform that makes it easier to interact with other attendees. If there are multiple points of access, let everyone know whether or not they can expect direct engagement or for any comments they make to be read, considered, and/or shared with others. • Test the internet connection. When streaming an event, be sure your internet connection is stable. Especially if you are using an unfamiliar venue, test the internet connection. Ensure you can launch the platform you plan to use for the stream, set up a test link, and ask colleagues to log in. Test the sound in the room, cameras, clarity of any media played in the room, and angles for the camera(s) you will use. Connect multiple devices

in the room and test the everyone, in-person and internet connection on each online, know how the event one. Test the limits and put will be managed, who is back-up plans in place. available to offer assistance, • Set appropriate security and when and how they will settings. Complete a risk be able to engage. Can they assessment and determine unmute themselves? Should your security needs. Most they use the chat feature? platforms for virtual events Do they need to turn their have options for the host videos on? Do they need to to control people entering share their names and affilithe room and/or a password ations when they speak and, option to help you ensure if so, why? Will anonymous only the people invited or contributions be accomregistered are able to join. modated? If so, how, and if You can also disable videos not, why not? If there will and microphones or have be breakout rooms online, them automatically turned take the time to explain off upon entry to minimise how participants get to the disruption of correct rooms the event. ‘At the beginning and what is • Prioritise supposed to accessibility. If of the event, set happen when you were not the stage and set they get there. thinking about expectations. When there accessibility are different before, now is Let everyone, activities taking the best time in-person place in-person to start. Ensure and online, than online, the faces of the this needs to be speakers are know how the explained and on the screen event will be the online parto help people managed, who ticipants need who read lips. to be made Make the sign is available to aware. Be espelanguage inter- offer assistance, cially careful preter visible. and when and to announce Ahead of the the times of event, you will how they will be all breaks and need to set up able to engage.’ use the chat to the interpretlet online parers and at the start of the ticipants know when breaks event, you need to let par- start and when the session ticipants know how they is expected to resume. This can access interpretation is especially helpful for in each language. Enable people who may step away live transcription and close from the session and miss captioning. Do everything the announcement. you can to make your event • Provide relevant docuaccessible to people with ments in advance. What disabilities. This includes do people need in order requiring the use of a to fully participate in your microphone by people in event? Think of all of the the physical meeting room. documents you will referPeople often insist they ence and the questions you are loud enough. This is will ask them to consider. not true, and they need to Imagine what you would be corrected and directed put in a registration pack. to use the microphone. Some of it is probably The microphone increases unnecessary, so focus on the accessibility to people in parts that they will search the room and those attend- for as people present or flip ing online. through and write on during • Set guidelines for par- group sessions. If there is ticipation. At the beginning no real reason to wait until of the event, set the stage the moment you reference and set expectations. Let them during the event to share them, make them available at the time of registration or confirmation. Give people time to read and annotate documents. Give them the opportunity to increase the text size and print it out. Remember that everyone is not able to absorb new information quickly or work with multiple documents while paying attention to a presentation. Send the documents in advance.

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• Assign someone to provide technical support. Someone has to be online throughout the event, solely focused on the platform. This person needs to respond to people who are typing into the chat that they cannot hear anything. They need to contact the technical team in the physical space to let them know the slides are not visible online. They need to quickly eject anyone who is sending inappropriate messages from the room. This person is always watching, knows who to call for what, and is quick to act. • Get permission to record and/or stream. It is now common for organisers to record and stream their online and hybrid events. For those who attend these kinds of events frequently, it is almost expected, but everyone does not know this. Regardless, it is necessary to obtain consent. If you intend to record or stream your event, ensure this is made clear. Reiterate it at times when it is especially relevant such as question and answer periods. Where possible, provide an opportunity for people to contribute anonymously and/or pause the recording. If chat messages are being saved, this information also needs to be provided to online participants. Ensure everyone knows if and when their contributions are being shared with the public. This is, of course, not an exhaustive list of recommendations. It is a place to start. One of the best ways to ensure you meet people’s needs is to ask them to share those needs with you. Certain times of day or days of the week may be better than others. One social media platform may be more accessible than others. Anonymity may be important to some people. Others may want to ensure they have the same opportunity to speak as the people in the physical meeting room. Once you know their needs, consider them alongside the purpose of your event and ask for help. To do it well, you will need support, and the sooner that team is in place, the better for everyone. Don’t try to do it the quick and easy way. Put in the extra effort to make it a positive experience for everyone, and don’t forget to ask for feedback to help you make the next one even better.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 9

STORM HELPS POLAND HIT WIND ENERGY RECORD: 30% OF POWER By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Deadly high winds that struck Northern Europe last week generated a record level of wind energy for Poland, covering some 30% of the demand in a country where most of its electricity comes from coal, Poland’s power distribution operator said Monday. On Wednesday evening when gale-force winds hit “we registered a record level of power generation from wind farms of some 6,700 megawatts,” Maciej Wapinski of the Polish Power System, PSE, told The Associated Press.

Demand The demand at that time in Poland, an European Union nation of 38 million, was nearly 24,000 megawatts, meaning that “wind farms covered almost 30% of the demand,” Wapinski said in an email. PSE ensures the distribution of electric energy across Poland. Janusz Gajowiecki, head of the Polish Wind Energy Association, says on average, wind farms supply some 10% of Poland’s annual energy demand and stressed

that the potential can be much higher. But as the storm intensified over the weekend, destroying power lines and causing some turbines to switch off automatically for safety reasons, power levels from wind farms fell to about half of the record level, Wapinski said. Renewable power accounts for 25% of Poland’s energy mix and is rising, especially in the wind and solar energy sectors. As a result, the role of black and brown coal is diminishing slightly but still accounts for 65% of Poland’s energy generation. Another 6% comes from gas, chiefly from Russia. Wind farms represent 42% of Poland’s renewable energy and another 45% comes from solar panels. In the gas sector, Poland has been taking steps to reduce its dependence on Russian imports. Its Baltic Sea LNG port, where shipments come from Qatar and the U.S., is being expanded, and a pipeline is being built to bring in gas from Norway. During the recent storms, four people were reported killed in Poland and at least nine were injured, as high winds felled trees and tore off roofs.

TONGA’S INTERNET FINALLY RESTORED FIVE WEEKS AFTER BIG ERUPTION By NICK PERRY ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASHWANI GUPTA, chief operating officer, speaks about how Nissan’s Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant will become a centre for electric vehicle manufacturing in the United States, and will be retraining and upskilling nearly 2000 jobs as well as building two all-new electric models at the plant in Canton, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Altima, Frontier, TITAN and TITAN XD models are made there. The state of Mississippi is providing assistance for building

CONSUMERS ENERGY TO ADD ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — Consumers Energy plans to add 200 new electric vehicle charging stations — including 100 fast chargers — across Michigan by the end of the year. The Jackson-based utility said Monday that the stations are part of its commitment to powering one million electric vehicles in its service areas by 2030. Consumers Energy has installed more than 1,500 electric vehicle chargers for homes, businesses and along roads across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The utility says its Clean Energy Plan calls for eliminating coal by 2025, eliminating energy waste and adding renewable energy sources. Consumers Energy provides natural gas or electricity to 6.8 million people in the Lower Peninsula.

WIND turbines stand on a field in Budy Mszczonowskie, Poland, Monday. Deadly high winds that struck Northern Europe last week generated a record level of wind energy for Poland, covering some 30% of the demand in a country where most of its electricity comes from coal, Poland’s power distribution operator said Monday. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

NISSAN TO PRODUCE NEW MODELS OF ALL-ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN MISSISSIPPI CANTON, Miss. (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. officials announced last week that the company will manufacture two new models of all-electric vehicles in Mississippi. The company said it will invest $500 million in its Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant and will improve the skills of nearly 2,000 employees there. Production of the new Nissan and Infiniti EV vehicles is scheduled to begin in 2025. “Today’s announcement is the first of several new investments that will drive the EV revolution in the United States,” Ashwani Gupta, chief operating officer, Nissan Motor Corp., said in a news release last Thursday. “Nissan is making a strong investment in Canton’s future, bringing the latest technology, training and process to create a truly best-in-class EV manufacturing team.” The Canton plant employs about 5,000 people. Workers have assembled nearly 5 million vehicles since the plant opened in 2003. The

TECHTALK

improvements, equipment installation and workforce training for Nissan’s electric vehicle project. Electric vehicles

currently make up only a small percentage of the U.S. market, but major automakers believe electric vehicles will dominate

their industry in the years ahead as costs fall, battery technology improves and more charging stations are created.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Tonga’s main internet connection to the rest of the world has finally been restored more than five weeks after a huge volcanic eruption and tsunami severed a crucial undersea cable. Three people in Tonga were killed by the Jan. 15 tsunami, dozens of homes were destroyed and drinking water was tainted. The fiber-optic cable is now fully operational again after being reconnected Tuesday, said Samiuela Fonua, the chairperson at Tonga Cable Ltd., the state-owned company that owns the cable. “It’s a huge relief when you know things have come to the end and are working well,” Fonua told The Associated Press. “It’s one step forward for the country.” Fonua said the crew aboard a repair ship replaced about 90 kilometres (56 miles) of cable that had been damaged by the tsunami. His company didn’t have enough spare cable, Fonua added, and needed to borrow some from other companies. The fix means that Tonga Cable can now focus on repairing a second severed cable that connects some of the outer islands to the main island, Fonua said. That cable runs close to the undersea volcano. Fonua said that entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX company had also been helping restore connections through its network of loworbit satellites called Starlink. Fonua said his company had been testing the satellite connections this week and they had been working well. He said that now the main cable was restored, he hoped the SpaceX connections could be used for reconnecting people on some of the outer islands.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

West hits back with sanctions for Russia’s Ukraine actions BRUSSELS Associated Press

RESPONDING swiftly to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order sending troops to separatist regions of Ukraine, world leaders hit back with nonmilitary actions yesterday in hopes of averting a fullblown war in Europe. Germany made the first big move, taking steps to halt certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia — a massive, lucrative deal long sought by Moscow but criticised by the US for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies. And in Washington, US President Joe Biden announced financial sanctions on banks and oligarchs as punishment for what he called “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine”. He said the US would impose “full blocking” on two large Russian financial institutions and “comprehensive sanctions” on Russian debt. “That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western finance,” Biden said. “It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.” Biden promised that more sanctions would be

A MAN holds a poster in support of Ukraine as he attends a demonstration near the Russian embassy in Berlin, Germany, yesterday. Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP coming if Putin proceeds and it will hurt a lot,” EU hit with sanctions yesterday. foreign policy chief Josep further. And if Putin pushes furThe European Union Borrell said after chairing a ther into Ukraine, NATO announced sanctions taking meeting of EU foreign min- chief Jens Stoltenberg aim at the 351 Duma legis- isters in Paris. insisted, “there will be even “We will make it as dif- stronger sanctions, even a lators who voted in favor of recognising separatist ficult as possible for the higher price to pay”. regions in Ukraine, as well Kremlin to pursue its The US and other Westas 27 other Russian officials aggressive policies,” said ern nations have pressed and institutions from the EU Commission President daily for diplomatic efforts defense and banking world. Ursula von der Leyen. to head off a dangerous Outside the EU, British military confrontation. But They also sought to limit Moscow’s access to EU cap- Prime Minister Boris John- the failure of that effort was son named five Russian underscored yesterday as ital and financial markets. “This package of sanc- banks and three wealthy Secretary of State Antony tions… will hurt Russia individuals whom the UK Blinken cancelled plans for a Thursday meeting in Geneva with his Russian counterpart, saying Russia’s actions showed there was no point. Western powers have long made clear the fate of Ukraine must not lead to a direct military confrontation with Russia and the potential of a world war, so sanctions were the limited option. “No lows too low, no lies too blatant, no red lines too red to cross,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in summing up the political disgust a resident of Charles Vincent Street & for Putin’s actions felt by Homestead Avenue & formerly of Chester’s nations from Europe to Bay, Acklins, will be held at St. John’s Native North America and the Baptist Cathedral, Meeting Street, on Thursday, democracies hugging RusFebruary 24, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Officiating will sia’s borders in Asia such as be Rev. Dr. Richard Hanna, assisted by Rev. Japan and South Korea. Wellington Collie & Rev. C. B. Moss. Interment However, Putin continfollows in St. James Native Baptist Church ued to knock the world off-kilter with a strategy Cemetery, St. James Road. that has led to confusion

Service of Thanksgiving for

LEADER ELIZA JANE JOHNSON, 93

Left to cherish her memories are, Daughters: Nurse Charlotte Johnson, Corene Curry, Sandra Johnson, Woman Reserve Inspector Eleanor Johnson and Dorinda Hanna; Sons: Dr. Eldon Johnson, J.P. and Glen Johnson; Son-In-Law: Vernal Johnson; Daughter-In-Law: Dr. Lydia Johnson, J.P.; Grand Children & their Spouses: Pandora Brown, & (Steve McCray) of Miramar, Fla., Yvette & (Clarence) Williams, Jarvis & (Olivia) Deleveaux, Kenrick Curry, Demitri, Jacquia, Lydera, Lakeisha, Antonio, Glenderia, Kimanie, Ryan Johnson & Jeremy Pople, Lisa & (Barron) Musgrove; Great Grand Children: Anfernee, LeBron, Clarence Jr., Victoria Williams, Jervin, Jada and Jayden Deleveaux, Robert Gomez, Tatiana Musgrove, Trae’ Smith, Randolph Newry, Baron Musgrove Jr., Tabori Dean Jr., Tristan Dean and Dami Curry; Travaeh Ferguson; Brothers-In-Law: Bishop Sherwin Smith, Ret. Sgt. Evans Moss J.P.; Sisters-InLaw: Icilda Moss, Sis. Dorothy Smith, Louise Bowleg, and Janet Daley; Nieces and Nephews: Natalie, Jarvis, Alvida Daley (Coco Beach, Florida), Melvern Smith, Genevieve Collie, Karen and James Knowles, Bernard & Francis Collie, Admiral & Cara Collie, Janet & Stanley Deveaux, Tracy Charlow, Monique, Tanya, Pheron & Suzette and Dino Moss, Eugene Collie, Ricardo & Williamae Smith, Floyd & Marilyn Smith, Winnifred & David Longley, Vandette Smith, Shanricka & Clyde Rolle, Dedrick Smith, Brucelee and Ronald Darling, Katrin, Dellerese, Rosie Darling, Ruthlyn Hall, Beltina & Simeon Anderson, Delores and Carl Stubbs, Glen & Gwendolyn Sands, Joseph Butler, Jennifer Johnson, Michael Darling, Jeffery Daley, Pedro Collie, Andrew Russell, Francio Collie, Jacquelin Rose, Cynthia, Valarie, Christine, Joe Johnson, Nurse Fredamae Mills, Maxwell, Vernice, Veronica, Dellerese Johnson, and Iveraine Cooper. Cousins: Amos Johnson, Rev Daniel and Beverly Beneby & family, Wendal Deveaux & Family; Althea Moss & Beryl Ferguson & Family; Celcia Perotti & Family; Admiral Ferguson Jr. Fredrick, Katurah Ferguson, Valderine Gardiner, Min. Jacqueline Frazer, Bishop Nelson & Juliamae Johnson, Dudley, Leona, Maureen, Reno & Parmala Taylor, Roberta Deveaux and Doretha Smith, Betty & Val Daley, the family of the late Eneas Deveaux, Coco, Fl., Brenda Virgil, Alvita Black, Bell, Jackie, Adrian, George Jr., and Jason Collie and Family, Rev. Newton Williamson & Family, Goldie Miller & Family, Florie Bain & Family, David and Ivis Moss, Vermal & Verelmae Black and the entire Moss and Black Family, Loreen Burg, Linsay and Leslie Williamson and Family, Errol Johnson and Family (Lowe Sound Andros). God Children: Rev. C.B. Moss; Attorney-At-Law Obie Ferguson; Prince Jr. Johnson, Rev. Claudimae Hepburn and Beverly Collie. Other Relatives and friends: Myrtle Deveaux and Family, Sylvannus Curry, Beckley Williamson, Jackie, Leonette Ferguson, the Zonicles, The Chisholm’s, The Collie’s, Cox’s, Ferguson’s, Lenard Johnson and Family, Jeffery Deleveaux & Family, Berkley Williamson & Family, Gracey Ferguson and Family, The Hon V. Alfred Gray and Family, The Hon Glenys Hanna-Martin, M.P. for MACAL The Hon. Basil McIntosh, Keith Lockhart & Family, the Family of the late Ivadelle Strachan (deceased), Carmen Jones, The St. John’s Native Baptist Church, Dr. Michael C. Symonette & Family, The Ebenezer Mission Baptist Church and Sister Inez Symonette and Family, Rev. Dr. Richard Hanna and family, Pastor Sylvia Collie, Rev. Julius Chisholm and The Pilgrim Baptist Church Chester’s Bay, Acklins, Jubilee Singers, The Community of Charles Vincent Street, The entire Acklins Community, The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Paul Rolle and the entire Royal Bahamas Police Force, The Marshall Family of Andros, Bahamas Faith Ministries family, Filipino Association of the Bahamas, Christian Boaters Association (CBA) of America, The Bahamas Postal Service, The Permanent Secretary- Luther Smith & Sharon Pratt-Rolle (Ministry of Works & Utilities) The Hon. Alfred Sears, M.P. Ministry of Works & Utilities. A host of other relatives and friends, all of whom we love and appreciate but are far too numerous to mention. We apologize to any family, relatives and friends, who were not mentioned. We are truly grateful for your support and appreciate all that you have done for us during this time of bereavement.

Friends may pay their last respects at Demeritte’s Funeral Home, Market Street, from 10-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday & at the church from 9:00 a.m. until service time.

about his plans and possible actions. Russia said it was sending what it called “peacekeepers” into eastern Ukraine, but EU foreign policy chief Borrell stressed they were “troops” on sovereign Ukrainian territory. “I wouldn’t say that’s a fully fledged invasion, but Russian troops are on Ukrainian soil,” Borrell said. British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace didn’t mince words. “Russia has already invaded Ukraine. They did it in 2014, occupied illegally Crimea and Donbas. This is a further invasion of their sovereign territory,” Wallace said. Whatever the description, the latest developments were enough to push the 27-nation bloc into a mode of high alert, and the EU’s foreign ministers stressed the sanctions announced yesterday were done in close consultation with the United States and other Western allies. They stopped short of the “massive” package threatened by the EU and Washington for a full military invasion into national territory that Kyiv still controls. “The way we respond will define us for the generations to come,” Simonyte said. Too much too soon, though, could hurt the international response, said Britain’s Johnson. “This the first tranche, the first barrage of what we are prepared to do, and we hold further sanctions at readiness to be deployed,” he told British lawmakers. “This is a first step,” agreed French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. “We have more ammunition.” Biden’s announcement appeared to hold in reserve some of the broadest and toughest of the penalties considered by the United States. Those include an export ban that would deny Russia US high technology for its industries and military, and more sweeping financial bans that could cripple Russia’s ability to do business with the rest of the world. Still, US Secretary of State Blinken said the sanctions announced are in line with “start high, stay high”

approach. White House deputy national security adviser Daleep Singh added that the initial sanctions send the message that “no Russian financial institution is safe if the invasion proceeds”. “No one should think that it’s our goal to max out on sanctions,” Singh said. “Sanctions are not an end of themselves. They serve a higher purpose, and that purpose is to deter and prevent.” The two major Russian banks targeted by the US sanctions are Vnesheconombank (VEB) and Promsvyazbank Public Joint Stock Company (PSB). VEB is crucial to Russia’s ability to raise funds, and PSB is critical to Russia’s defence sector. The two hold more than $80 billion in assets combined and will be cut off from carrying out transactions in the US and European banking systems. Ukraine Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba said after a meeting with Blinken in Washington yesterday that US and Western sanctions against Russia in escalating waves can work, but he urged allies to be aggressive. Kuleba argued that Putin should not have a “single moment” when he feels sanctions have reached a ceiling. Among the oligarchs and others close to Putin cited for sanctions are Denis Bortnikov a deputy president of Russian-state owned VTB Bank, and Petr Fradkov, chairman and CEO of PSB. The VTB official’s father Aleksandr Bortnikov, director of the Federal Security Service and a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, was also cited in the sanction lists. Fradkov is the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former Russian prime minister and former director of Russia’s foreign intelligence service. Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin’s first deputy chief of staff, and his son Vladimir Kiriyenko, who is the CEO of the parent company of Russia’s top social media platform, VKontakte, were also designated.

ARBERY KILLERS GUILTY OF HATE CRIMES BRUNSWICK, Georgia Associated Press

THE three white men convicted of murder in Ahmaud Arbery’s shooting were found guilty of federal hate crimes Tuesday in a verdict that affirmed what family members and civil rights activists said all along: that he was chased down and killed because he was Black. The verdict — handed down one day before the second anniversary of Arbery’s death on February 23, 2020 — was symbolic, coming just months after all three defendants were convicted of murder in a Georgia state court and sentenced to life in prison. But family and community members viewed the hate crimes trial as an important statement. The case also became part of a larger national reckoning on racial injustice after graphic video of Arbery’s killing leaked online. “Ahmaud will continue to rest in peace. But he will now begin to rest in power,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, told reporters outside the courthouse. Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery Sr, bowed his head and shook his fists in quiet celebration as the guilty verdicts were read in the courtroom. He then pressed his hands together in front of his face as if saying a silent prayer. Arbery Sr and CooperJones emerged from the courthouse holding hands with their attorney Ben Crump, then raised their clasped hands to cheers from supporters. But Cooper-Jones did not describe the outcome as a victory. “We as a family will never get victory because

Ahmaud is gone forever,” she said. Arbery Sr noted that his son used to call every day, even if just to tell his family that he loved them. “Ahmaud was a kid you can’t replace, because of the heart he had,” he said. “I’m struggling with that every day,” he said. “It hurts me every day.” Defendants Greg and Travis McMichael sat stoically at the defence table as the guilty verdicts were read. When called one-ata-time before the judge to discuss next steps in their cases, the father and son answered with hushed voices. The McMichaels and their neighbour, William “Roddie” Bryan, were also found guilty of attempted kidnapping, and the McMichaels were also convicted of the use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. Weeks prior to the hate crimes trial in the Arbery killing, the McMichaels had both agreed to enter guilty pleas to the hate crimes in exchange for being able to serve their sentences in federal, rather than state prison. Judge Lisa Godbey Wood rejected the deal, however, saying it would tie her hands at sentencing, and after Arbery’s family vehemently opposed it. “What we got today, we wouldn’t have gotten if it wasn’t for the fight by the family for Ahmaud,” Cooper-Jones said Tuesday, reiterating her anger at Justice Department prosecutors, who she said “chose to ignore the family’s cry”. The facts of the case were not disputed during the hate crimes trial. The McMichaels grabbed guns and jumped in a pickup truck to pursue Arbery

after seeing him running in their neighborhood outside the Georgia port city of Brunswick. Bryan joined the pursuit in his own pickup and recorded the cellphone video that later leaked online. To back the hate crime charges, prosecutors showed roughly two dozen text messages and social media posts in which Travis McMichael and Bryan used racist slurs and made derogatory comments about Black people. The FBI wasn’t able to access Greg McMichael’s phone because it was encrypted. In 2018, Travis McMichael commented on a Facebook video of a Black man playing a prank on a white person: “I’d kill that f----ing n----r.” A woman who served under Travis McMichael in the U.S. Coast Guard a decade ago said he called her “n——r lover,” after learning she’d dated a Black man. Another woman testified Greg McMichael had ranted angrily in 2015 when she remarked on the death of civil rights activist Julian Bond, saying, “All those Blacks are nothing but trouble.” Crump remarked after the verdict that “for many of us, there was never any doubt that Greg McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan targeted Ahmaud because of his skin colour”. “But because of indisputable video evidence, disgusting messages sent by the defendants, and witness testimony, their hate was revealed to the world and the jury,” he said. “We hope and demand that the severity of their crimes are reflected in the sentencing, as well.”

SPORTS PAGE 11

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2022

U-14 girls triumphant Bahamas nets 2-1 win over Suriname at ITF North Central American Caribbean Under-14 PreQualifying World Junior Tennis Tournament By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A

fter watching the thrilling victory of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association boys’ team on Monday, the girls prevailed with a 2-1 decision over Suriname yesterday at the International Tennis Federation’s 2022 North Central American and Caribbean Pre-Qualifying World Junior tennis tournament. Coming off a day’s rest on Monday as they watched the boys’ team secure a 3-0 sweep over Honduras, the girls took to the courts on Tuesday in Santa Tecla, El Salvador in their first match in Group C of the under-14 tournament that featured two singles and a doubles per match. The boys’ team, with the day off, watched as Sarai

Clarke pulled off a 6-1, 6-2 win over Faith Bab in one hour and 30 minutes in the first match. But top seed Breann Ferguson was not as successful, falling 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in a gruelling 1hr:54min match to Sarah Marhe. With the tie scored tied at 1-1, it came down to the exciting doubles competition and the duo of Clarke and Ferguson needed just 1hr:92 for a 6-2, 6-1 win over Bab and Marhe to seal the deal. Team coach Paula Whitfield, who also has the use of Rachel Thompson on the team, was quite thrilled by the performances of Clarke and Ferguson in the series of matches they played. “We had a great day today,” Whitfield said. “In the first match, Sarai Clarke had a pretty good match. She won easily and she felt great about

BAHAMAS girls’ team, from left to right, coach Paula Whitfield, Rachel Thompson, Sarai Clarke and Breann Ferguson. her match. In the second match, our number one seed Breann Ferguson had a very tough match. She fought very hard in a threesetter. “After that, we had

to really fight in the doubles, so we came out very strong. We got the win for today.” BLTA president Perry Newton had nothing

but praise for the team. “Whenever we send a team we always expect the players to do well. Our players

SEE PAGE 15

Red-Line athletes post personal bests at annual meet in Kentucky SOME top 10 performances were posted and personal best times achieved by athletes from the Red-Line Athletics, Swift Athletics and Star Trackers Track Club as they participated in the 28th annual Kentucky High School Indoor Track & Field Meet over the weekend in Lexington, Kentucky. This was the second indoor meet this season for the Red-Line Athletics, who took nine athletes and produced 12 individual personal records, six top eight finishes, including a third and fourth place finish in the girls and boys 400 metres respectively. Highlighting the performances at the Nutter Fieldhouse from the athletes competing from the Bahamas was Swift Athletics’ Carlos Brown Jr, who sped to second place in the boys’ 60 metres in 6.82 seconds. Corey Royster won the event in 6.79.

Brown Jr had the second fastest qualifying time of 6.93. Red-Line Athletics’ Sean Marshall just missed the cut when he finished 19th overall in 7.23. The top 18 competitors advanced. The final spot went to Kobi Mensah in 7.20. Brown Jr was also third in the 200m in 21.96. Will Sumner of Woodstock Track Club won in 21.58. Red-Line Athletics’ Shimar Bain was sixth in 22.00; Jaydin Plakaris was eighth in 22.19 and Sean Marshall was 19th in 22.75. The top performance on the girls’ side came from Lacarthea Cooper of the Red-Line Athletics, who picked up a third place finish in the 400m in 56.53. Sidney Green of Allen High School won in 55.52. Nya Wright came in sixth in 58.15, Kennedi Knowles was 21st in 1:00.52, AariAja Barnett of Swift Athletics was 38th in 1:06.34 and Shanai Sweeting of Red-Line Athletics followed in 39th in 1:06.36. In the girls’ 200m, Cooper was fourth in 24.99.

DEVYNNE CHARLTON PULLS OFF BIG VICTORY, NAIRN ERASES HIS NATIONAL RECORD By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

RED-Line Athletics’ players and coaches with University of Kentucky’s head coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene.

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Formula One, Page 12

DEVYNNE Charlton, preparing for the World Athletics’ Indoor Championships next month, pulled off a big victory yesterday at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, while LaQuan Nairn erased his own Bahamas national record at a meet in Arkansas over the weekend. Competing on the World Athletics Indoor Tour, Charlton clocked a season’s best of 7.90 seconds to take the women’s 60 metres hurdles title in a race she dominated from start to finish. Finland’s Reeta Hurske trailed in second place in 7.96. In securing the win, Charlton fell shy of her Bahamian national indoor record of 7.89 that she posted at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England, on March 3, 2018. Charlton, coming off her sixth place finish at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in August, will be returning to the World Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 18-20 in Belgrade, Serbia. She surpassed the qualifying standard of 8.16. Nairn, who is hoping to also qualify for his first World Indoor Championships, soared 26-feet, 10-inches or 8.18 metres at the Arkansas qualifier in Fayetteville, Arkansas for a new Bahamian and meet record. His previous national record was 26-9 3/4 (8.16m) that he set at the Tyson Invitational on February 7, 2021, and the meet was 25-9 1/2 (7.86m) that was jointly held by Keniel Grant of Texas Tech and Travonn White of Arkansas. Nairn, however, fell shy of the World Indoor qualifying standard of 26-11 ¾ (8.22m). He was followed by Rayvon Allen, a senior at Oklahoma, with 25-10 (7.87m) at the meet in Arkansas.

CARIFTA GAMES: 2 QUALIFYING PERFORMANCES ARE REVOKED By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

girls’ 60m in 7.71. Autumn Wilson of Leander Spartans won the event in 7.35, surpassing the previous two winning times of 7.36 by Killebrew Semira in 2019 and 7.41 by Anthaya Charlton in 2020. She had the sixth fastest qualifying

TWO CARIFTA-qualifying performances, posted in the under-20 boys’ shot put at Roadrunners Track Club’s Dianna Lynn Thompson Time Trials over the weekend at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, have been revoked. The official results sheet had both Xtreme Athletics’ Leonardo Taylor and Noble Preparatory Academy’s Leon Williams as automatic qualifiers with their winning and second place finishes with distances of 9.94 metres and 9.35m respectively. Based on the scoresheet, they both surpassed the qualifying standards of 7.07m. But after careful review, it was discovered that the officials submitted the wrong qualifying standard. The actual standard is 17.07m and not 7.07m, so

SEE PAGE 13

SEE PAGE 13

UNIVERSITY of Kentucky’s head coach Rolando Greene talks with Red-Line Athletics’ athletes. Amari Pratt of the Star Trackers Track was eighth in 25.44, Nya Wright of the Red-Line Athletics was ninth in 25.48. Kennedi Knowles of the Red-Line Athletics was 26th in 26.55 and Aari-Aja Barnett of Swift Athletics was 46th in 28.67. In the boys’ 400m, Jaydin

Plakaris of Red-Line Athletics was fourth in 49.12. Will Sumner of Woodstock TC won in 46.7. Shimar Bain of RedLine Athletics was eighth in 49.92 and Leonardo Johnson of Red-Line Athletics was 39th in 56.40. Star Trackers’ Amari Pratt placed sixth in the

PAGE 12, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

IndyCar opens with bright new stars, big expectations By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (AP) — The stars of IndyCar crowded into Indianapolis Motor Speedway to celebrate an upcoming season of opportunity for America’s open-wheel racing series to further cement its legitimacy and expand its popularity. The party to mark the 100-day countdown to the Indianapolis 500 went off course amid word Michael Andretti was again trying to acquire a Formula One team. Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, wrote that Andretti Global had applied for an expansion team to launch in 2024 — news so very indicative of IndyCar’s pecular dilemma. IndyCar has weathered the pandemic under Roger Penske, who had the misfortune of purchasing the series and IMS about two months before the global shutdown. Despite the challenges, Penske enters his third season at the top with all critical metrics trending upward. IndyCar’s growth can be attributed to a crop of young stars — a Dutch driver, a Mexican, a Spaniard and 21-year-old Colton Herta of California — who won races and new fans. IndyCar’s growth has made it a respectable and even desirable landing spot for top drivers around the globe, but the bright young lights of IndyCar’s resurgence all happened to grow up dreaming of F1. If Michael Andretti ever does get an F1 team, he is almost certain to take Herta from Andretti Autosport with him as the next American driver. Herta was a central figure in last year’s failed Andretti talks to purchase Sauber, and as he prepares this Sunday to defend his St Petersburg victory from a year ago, he’s again in the headlines for the wrong series. “It’s the same as how I was with

the Sauber stuff, it doesn’t really make too much of a difference to me,” Herta told The Associated Press yesterday. “My main goal this year is IndyCar and that’s what I’m focused on. If something were to happen with Formula One, I’d have to take a good look at it. But when I’m contracted to drive something, that what I put 95% of my energy into.” Pato O’Ward, a 22-yearold Mexican, races for McLaren in IndyCar and seems to already have one foot out the door. He tested the F1 car for McLaren in December and could be the team’s reserve driver at select 2022 races. Herta and O’Ward, teammates in January on a class victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, have established themselves as motorsports’ new guard. Losing them to F1, the hottest property in motorsports right now, hangs over an IndyCar community banking on all the new faces to carry the series forward. “I want people to enjoy me in IndyCar, I want them to know what IndyCar has to offer, the racing,” O’Ward said of the line he must toe. “Whenever I go to Formula One, or if I ever go to Formula One, just for now enjoy me in IndyCar.” For all the attention on a pair of drivers who both fell short of the IndyCar championship, they are still scraping together the points the FIA requires to get an F1 drivers license. Of all the emerging stars, the one to finally dethrone six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon last season was Alex Palou — Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate. Palou was new to Ganassi last season but in his second year of IndyCar, and the 24-year-old Spaniard has a remarkable steeliness and relentless thirst to understand every element of his craft. He won his debut race with Ganassi last season, finished second to Helio Castroneves in the Indy

NTT IndyCar Series winner Alex Palou, centre, celebrates with the trophy after taking 4th place in an IndyCar auto race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, on September 26, 2021, in Long Beach, California. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

COLTON Herta prepares to drive during a practice session for the IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) 500 and rebounded from consecutive DNF’s to win at Portland and reclaim the championship lead for good with two races remaining. With the attention always seemingly elsewhere, Palou’s season was somewhat under the radar. “We didn’t surprise people last year, but they didn’t really talk about us either,” Palou said. “We need to be consistently part of the conversation so that people understand clearly this team is for real.” BACK FOR MORE Rinus VeeKay, who turned 21 last fall, was another one of IndyCar’s breakout first-time winners and returns with Ed Carpenter Racing. The

Dutchman’s on-track results weren’t the same after he broke his collarbone in a bicycle crash, and there’s a ton of young talent looking for IndyCar seats. Some of the new faces in IndyCar came from F1 as curiosity in the IndyCar Series has been piqued since Alexander Rossi defected in 2016 and Fernando Alonso has entered the Indy 500 three times. Marcus Ericsson left F1 for IndyCar in 2019 and returns for a fourth season (third with Ganassi) after two wins last year The fourth guy in the Ganassi lineup is seventime NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, back for a second season and this time full-time with an Indianapolis 500 entry. NEW FACES There’s so much new talent that reigning Indy Lights champion Kyle Kirkwood, a 23-year-old American, nearly found himself without a seat. He has been developed by Andretti Autosport but his path with that team required Herta to move to F1; when Andretti didn’t complete the Sauber deal, Kirkwood became available to AJ Foyt Racing.

David Malukas, the 20-year-old Indy Lights runner-up, moved with his father’s backing into a Dale Coyne Racing ride and the driver from the Chicago area gives IndyCar two new Americans. Devlin DeFrancesco, who races under the Canadian flag, moved up alongside Kirkwood and Malukas to put three graduates of the Road to Indy ladder system into the big leagues. The trio enters IndyCar at the same time as three completely new faces: — Tatiana Calderon with Foyt will be IndyCar’s only fulltime female driver; at 28, the Colombian will be the oldest rookie in the class. — Christian Lundgaard spent the last two seasons racing Formula 2 before the Danish driver committed to Rahal Letterman Lanigan. — Callum Illot, an F1 test driver for Alfo Romeo, was so inspired by Romain Grosjean’s renewed energy as an IndyCar rookie last year that he signed on with new team Juncos Hollinger Racing, which gives IndyCar its largest entry list in a decade with 26 full-time cars.

New generation of F1 cars set to hit the track in Barcelona By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer FORMULA One will get a glimpse of what the season may look like when its new generation of cars hits the track in a test session in Barcelona today. It will be the first preseason session following one of the biggest regulation changes in the series, and the first time drivers and teams will get a real feel about what to expect in 2022. F1 implemented major changes to improve racing and try to make the series more competitive, with new aerodynamic and tire requirements that will make the cars look and feel different from previous years. They will be sporting new rear and front wings, as well as bigger wheels, to allow drivers to race closer together and hopefully increase the number of overtakes. The older cars used to lose downforce — and their ability to go through turns faster — the closer they got to the cars ahead. The changes were aimed at reducing that loss of downforce and give the trailing drivers more chances of overtaking. “Every decision we have made has been towards not dumbing down the sport but making it more achievable for more of the teams and to get a closer competition going on for the future while still leaving it a meritocracy so the best teams still win,” F1 motorsport boss Ross Brawn said. The last time F1 underwent drastic rule changes

was in 2014, when the turbo-hybrid era started. In 2017, F1 had already introduced design changes that made cars wider and faster to try to make the series more exciting, though that didn’t keep Mercedes and Red Bull from dominating. “I honestly don’t think the regulations will change the general order of things dramatically,” Brawn said. “It will bring it a lot closer and I think we’ll see some of what were the mid-field teams challenging. I think we’ll have a bigger group of competitive teams.” F1 is coming off one of its greatest seasons as Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton battled for the title to the end, with Verstappen winning with Red Bull on the last lap of the last race to end Mercedes’ seven-year dominance. “I’m optimistic about the coming season,” Brawn said. “The good teams will always do a good job. They’ve got the expertise and the experience. Although I’d love to see it, I don’t think we’re going to see teams further back all of a sudden dominating this year.” Because of the regulation changes, preseason testing was divided in two parts, with the first sessions taking place from Wednesday through Friday in Barcelona and three more scheduled for March 10-12 in Bahrain ahead of the season-opener on March 20. “Now with the new regulations, you have to get used to the car. It’s not like you just jump in and it’s an upgrade from last year,” Verstappen said. “A lot is unknown about the car

RED Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, left, celebrates with Red Bull team chief Christian Horner, right, and his team in the pit lane after becoming F1 driver world champion after winning the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 12. 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) ... I’m very curious to see how the car is behaving on track.” Cars will also use a higher ratio of sustainable fuel, and new safety features. There will be a lower budget cap for teams, and adjustments have been made to the race weekends to allow drivers and teams to arrive later to tracks. Both practices on Fridays will take place in the afternoon so media availability can be held in the morning instead of on Thursdays. There will be some changes to the sprint race weekends as well, with more points awarded through to the

eighth-place finisher and the top qualifier on Friday being attributed with the pole position for statistical purposes and not only to start up front in the Saturday sprint race. It will be the longest F1 season yet with 23 races, with the Miami Grand Prix debuting in May on a street course. Races in Japan, Canada, Australia and Singapore have returned after dropping out because of the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Masi was dropped as race director in fallout from the controversial ending to the final race last season. Niels

Wittich and Eduardo Freitas will act alternately as race director with the assistance of permanent senior advisor Herbie Blash. George Russell was promoted to Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas, who will be with Alfa Romeo alongside Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese driver in F1 history. Russell’s place at Williams has gone go to Alex Albon, while two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is back with Alpine at age 40 — the oldest driver on the grid following the retirement of Kimi Raikkonen.

FURY SAYS HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE DEFENCE VS WHYTE ON APRIL 23 LONDON (AP) — Tyson Fury’s world heavyweight title defense against Dillian Whyte will take place on April 23, the WBC champion said Tuesday while announcing a social-media blackout until after the allBritish fight. Details of the fight haven’t been announced by either boxer’s promoter. However, Fury took to Twitter to reveal the date of the bout, hours after saying Whyte had signed a contract. Accompanying the announcement by Fury was a video in which he said he was “out of bounds until May.” “Gonna go into training camp to give Dillian Whyte all the respect in the world that he needs,” Fury said. “I’ll never underestimate anybody in my life, and I’ll give this man all the respect he deserves.” The fight is set to be held in Britain. Fury (31-0-1, 22 knockouts) hasn’t fought since his dramatic 11th-round knockout of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas in October, which completed their entertaining trilogy. After months of drawnout negotiations, Frank Warren, Fury’s U.K. promoter, won a purse bid for the bout at just over $41 million. That’s the richest purse bid in boxing history. Whyte is the mandatory challenger for Fury’s belt and is getting his first world title shot.

BRITAIN’S CHAMPION JOCKEY BANNED FROM RACING FOR 14 MONTHS LONDON (AP) — British horse racing’s champion jockey was banned for 14 months yesterday because of a variety of offences, including two positive tests for alcohol at racecourses. Oisin Murphy faced an independent judiciary panel in relation to five charges — two relating to failed tests for alcohol and separate counts of misleading the British Horseracing Authority about his whereabouts, accessing a racecourse in breach of COVID-19 restrictions, and conduct prejudicial to the good reputation of the sport. Murphy did not contest any of the charges and was given three 11-month suspensions — to run concurrently — along with two bans, totaling 100 days, for the positive alcohol tests. The suspension period was backdated to December, when Murphy decided to relinquish his license and seek “serious help.” He is ineligible to reapply for his license until Feb. 16, 2023. He was also handed a fine of 31,111 pounds ($42,290). The 26-year-old Irishman has been crowned flat-racing champion in Britain for the last three seasons. The panel heard Murphy went on holiday to the Greek island of Mykonos, which was on the COVID red list at the time, for 10 days in September 2020. He later attempted to convince racing officials he had been to Lake Como in Italy. Murphy subsequently failed two breath tests for alcohol at Chester in May and Newmarket in October. They were his second and third breaches within the allotted time period to trigger a lengthy ban. In a lengthy statement to the BHA panel, Murphy said: “Now that I’m sober, I’m a different person and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made those errors sober, but I can’t go back in time and I’m afraid they were grave issues.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 13

CARIFTA FROM PAGE 11

RED-Line Athletics’ Nya Wright, Lacarthea Cooper and Kennedi Knowles.

RED-Line Athletics’ Sean Marshall, Shimar Bain and Jaydin Plakaris.

RED-Line Athletics’ coach Michael Armbrister and Megan Moss.

ATHLETICS FROM PAGE 11

time of 7.77. In the girls 60m hurdles, Shanai Sweeting of the Red-Line Athletics just missed advancing with a 19th place in 9.70. The 18th and final spot was 9.69 by Jayda Watson of the Motor City Track Club. On the field, Zaria Stapleton of the Star Trackers Track Club was ninth in the girls’ long jump with a leap of 4.94m 16-feet, 2 1/2inches or 4.94 metres on her third attempt. Amari Pratt was 11th with 15-11 (4.85m) on her first attempt. Evie Culbreath of Kindersport won with 18-01 (5.51m) on her second attempt. Reanno Todd of the Star Trackers Track Club was 12th in the boys’ long jump with 5.78m 18-11 3/4 (5.78m) on his second attempt. Jaden Stevenson of Greeneville Track Club did 22-04 ¼ (6.81m) on his fourth and final jump. Todd was also fifth in the boys’ triple jump with 41-3 3/4 (12.59m) on his second jump. Javon Adams of Lafayette popped 44-07 (13.59m) on his second jump to secure the win. Following their performances in the Texas A&M Indoor High School Track Meet in February, Red-Line Athletics’ head coach Tito Moss said he was pleased with the performances they got in Kentucky. “The meet was a phenomenal meet,” Moss said.

UNIVERSITY of Kentucky’s head coach Rolando ‘Lonnie’ Greene, centre, with the Red-Line Athletics’ track team.

RED-line Athletics’ track team. “As the season heads into CARIFTA, the club is expecting to have six to eight athletes, who we feel have a really good chance of qualifying and making that team. “In addition to that, our focus is also to get our 12 seniors off to college and a number of them have some very positive feedback that

they are getting from colleges. We have about six of them pretty much sorted out, so we just want to lock up scholarship funding for the remainder.” During the summer, Moss said they will put their attention on the younger athletes as they compete in the AAU meets before they close

out the year with some of their athletes qualifying for the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. With the Bahamas Government starting to loosen up the COVID19 restrictions, Moss said they will also prepare to reschedule their Red-Line Athletics track meet for May, which had

to be postponed in January. But Moss said they intend to continue to make the international trips to compete in meets like the Texas A&M and Kentucky High School track and field meets to provide them with the opportunity to compete against the high level of competition in the United States.

the performances by Taylor and Williams were not anywhere near the mark for CARIFTA. So far, according to Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations statistics, 13 athletes have attained the qualifying standards so far for CARIFTA, the top regional track and field meet that will be making a return during the Easter holiday weekend in Kingston, Jamaica, after a two-year hiatus because of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. However, there are an additional 12 athletes who have attained the B standard, which will only apply if there are no automatic qualifiers in their events once the BAAAs final trials is held next month before the team is selected. Grand Bahamian Shatalya Dorsett has produced a pair of automatic qualifying times in both the under-17 girls’ 100m of 11.94 and 24.50 in the 200m. The automatic standards are 11.96 in the 100m and 24.58 in the 200m. Kianna Henchell has gone under the 100m B standard of 12.20 with her time of 12.16. Terell McCoy has surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 12.63m in the under-17 shot put with 12.76m, while both Kamara Strachan (37.25m) and Dior-Rae Scott (36.86m) have both inked their names on the javelin qualifying mark of 34.39m. Lanaisha Lubin rounds out the divisional qualifiers in the triple jump with her leap of 11.62m. The automatic mark is 11.60m. In the under-17 boys division, Aiden Kelly and Roshane Tucker ran 10.95 and 10.96 respectively to qualify in the 100m, which has an automatic time of 11.02. Andrew Brown (11.08), Turmani Scott (11.21) and Ishmael Rolle (11.24) have done the B standard of 11.24. University of Kentucky’s freshman Anthaya Charlton is the only automatic qualifier in the under-20 girls division, having popped 5.94m in the triple jump, surpassing the standard of 5.66m. Paige Archer has done the B standard of 11.92 with her time of 11.80 in the 100m. The A standard is 11.69. And Javonya Walcourt‘s time of 55.05 is better than the B standard of 55.85 in the 200m. The A standard is 54.76. And in the under-20 boys division, Zion Campbell (10.20), Lynden Johnson (1-0.25) and Antoine Andrews (10.39), have all clocked below the automatic qualifying time of 10.50 in the 100m. Shamar Smith (10.40), Carlos Brown (10.44), Albert Leathern (10.53), Michael Styles (10.64) and Deangelo McKie (10.70) have all ran faster than the B standard of 10.71. Andrews has also ran 48.25 in the 400m hurdles to surpass the B standard of 48.28. The automatic time is 47.34. Keyshawn Strachan, increasing his Bahamian national record to 75.41m, has surpassed the automatic qualifying standard of 60.94 in the javelin. This weekend, coaches in New Providence and Grand Bahama are hoping to increase the number of qualifiers when they take their athletes to compete in the Speed Capital Track Commission in Miramar, Florida. More than 100 athletes from various clubs are expected to compete in the meet, which they hope to use as a qualifier for CARIFTA.

Indiana transgender athlete ban on fast track to governor By CASEY SMITH Associated Press/ Report for America INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Senate yesterday refused to amend a Republican-backed bill that would ban transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity, putting it on the fast track to passing. If the full Senate approves the bill, which could happen as soon as Thursday, it would head to the governor for consideration. The Indiana House already passed it. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb has not publicly said what he thinks of the proposal. A spokesperson for the governor’s office did not provide additional comment yesterday. Lawmakers in the Senate are moving forward with the ban — making no changes to its language — after the House advanced the bill last month, largely along party lines. Five Republican senators joined the 11 Senate Democrats yesterday in an

unsuccessful effort to prevent the ban from moving forward by sending the issue to a special study committee that would meet after this year’s legislative session ends. Those Republicans were Ron Alting of Lafayette, Eric Bassler of Washington, Vaneta Becker of Evansville, Chip Perfect of Lawrenceburg and Kyle Walker of Indianapolis. Another failed amendment offered by Democratic Sen. J.D. Ford, of Indianapolis, would have required the the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) to maintain policies regarding athlete eligibility based on gender. A separate defeated proposal offered by Ford would have established a scholarship fund for transgender athletes and required the Indiana Attorney General’s Office to contribute money equivalent to what is spent annually fighting lawsuits against the potential new law. Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union have maintained that the group will file a

lawsuit if the “hateful legislation” is signed into law in Indiana. Corrine Youngs, policy director and legislative counsel to Attorney General Todd Rokita, has testified at the Statehouse in support of the bill, noting that Rokita’s office sees the bill as a way of protecting “the amazing progress made for women” in athletics. She added that the bill is “constitutional,” and if it’s challenged, “we will defend it in court.” Ford said defending such a law would be “terrible” for Indiana’s image and a “waste” of taxpayer dollars. “Senators, these are kids that we are actively attacking,” Ford said Tuesday. “To me, we can have debate on the LGBTQ-plus community, but we do not and should not have a debate on human existence for these kids.” Rep. Michelle Davis, a Republican from Greenwood who authored the bill, said its purpose is to “maintain fair competition in girls sports.” Opponents maintain that the bill is unconstitutional,

PEOPLE gather to protest against HB1041, a bill to ban transgender women and girls from participating in school sports that match their gender identity, during a rally at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, on February 9. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) sexist and bigoted, empha- as female or transgender girls the same age. If the sizing that it targets already men from playing on men’s bill passes the Legislature, vulnerable transgender sports teams. Indiana could be the 11th It also would not apply Republican-dominated Hoosier youth. They also say it amounts to a solution to sports at the collegiate state to adopt such a ban to a problem that doesn’t level. on transgender women or Former Indiana Republi- girls. Federal judges have exist. Emma Vosicky, executive can Rep. Christy Stutzman halted enforcement of the director of GenderNexus, proposed similar legisla- laws in two of those states, an Indianapolis-based tion in 2020, although the Idaho and West Virginia. social service agency for bill did not advance from The U.S. Department of House education Justice has challenged bans trans and nonbinary people the and their families, empha- committee. in other states, slamming Democrats have main- them as violations of fedsized that transgender students in Indiana already tained that such bills are eral law. and participate in school sports “discriminatory” • Casey Smith is a corps “harmful to kids.” “without issue.” member for the Associated They also contend that Press/Report for America The proposal would prohibit K-12 students who the IHSAA already has Statehouse News Initiative. were born male but who a policy that requires Report for America is a identify as female from transgender girls who want nonprofit national service participating in a sport or to play sports to show program that places jouron an athletic team that is they’ve completed hor- nalists in local newsrooms designated for women or mone therapy, and that to report on undercovered girls. But it wouldn’t pre- their muscle mass or bone issues. Follow Smith on vent students who identify density is typical of other Twitter.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

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Morant, Grizzlies look for strong finish, playoff success By TERESA M WALKER AP Sports Writer JA Morant’s goal is to give Memphis Grizzlies much more than the memorable highlight 360-degree dunk during his first AllStar Game. The third-year point guard plans on delivering Memphis an NBA title. “Our goal is to win the championship, and I feel like as long as we stay locked in, continue to grow together, play together, that goal can be achieved,” Morant said. “We just got to stay the course, take it day by day and let it play out.” After having to play their way into the postseason last season, the surprising Grizzlies have the NBA’s third-best record overall with 22 games remaining. They trail only Phoenix (48-10) and Golden State (42-17) with Memphis (4119) just 1 1/2 games back of the Warriors. It’s an impressive turnaround after being 9-10 on November 27 with Morant first out with an injured left knee, then health and safety protocols that cost him 12 games. Since then, the Grizzlies are 32-9 and lead the NBA in several statistical categories. Memphis is tied with Charlotte as the NBA’s top scoring team averaging 113.8 points a game. The Grizzlies also lead the league in rebounds (48.9), steals (10.1) and blocks

(6.3) per game even with injuries limiting Dillon Brooks — their best perimeter defender — to 21 games. Golden State coach Steve Kerr believes the Grizzlies are solid on both ends of the floor. “A really good two-way team, creative on both ends,” Kerr said. “Even with the guys they have out, they’re really deep and flexible. They’re hot right now.” This is what the Grizzlies wanted when controlling owner Robert Pera shook up his front office in April 2019 and made Zach Kleiman general manager. Memphis already had Jaren Jackson Jr as the fourth overall pick in 2018, then nabbed Morant at No. 2 in 2019. Kleiman has assembled a very young and deep team with 12 Grizzlies in their third NBA season or less. Centre Steven Adams, a trade acquisition last summer, is the oldest in his ninth season. Rookie Ziaire Williams, the 10th overall pick, currently is a starter along with Desmond Bane, the 30th pick in 2020. Third-year coach Taylor Jenkins has gotten them to play stingy defence led by Jackson, third in the NBA blocking 2.17 shots per game. They turn blocks and steals into more fastbreak points than anyone else in the league with the Grizzlies finishing with lots of high-flying dunks.

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer

MEMPHIS Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, centre, is congratulated by teammates during a ceremony presenting Morant with a 2022 NBA All-Star jersey before an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers on February 16 in Memphis. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill) “When we do that, it’s a spark, and we’re really dangerous when we get out into the open court,” Jenkins said. Preparing for the Grizzlies requires a lot of attention to Memphis’ transition defense. Detroit coach Dwane Casey credits the Grizzlies with having excellent defensive hands and Jenkins and his staff putting them in a system that fits Memphis perfectly. “They’re a handful,” Casey said. “I don’t see a lot of weaknesses. You look at other teams in the West, and you see the Memphis

Grizzlies right there at the top.” The Grizzlies are 19-0 when scoring at least 120 points, and they started February scoring at least 120 points in six straight games, the longest streak by any NBA team this season. Morant is the reason for the Grizzlies’ high hopes as they begin the second half Thursday night at Minnesota. He’s the NBA’s seventh-leading scorer averaging 26.8 points a game. He’s also on pace to become the sixth player in league history to average at least 25 points, five

rebounds and five assists a game at the age of 22 or younger. The others are Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Giannis Antetokuonmpo, the Finals MVP who led Milwaukee to the title last summer, said Morant and the Grizzlies are another small market team that can compete for the championship. “He has an unbelievable team,” Antetokounmpo said. “They have great culture, a great coach. The sky is the limit for them.”

Ronaldo looks to pile more Champions League woe on Atletico By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer NO competition makes Cristiano Ronaldo come more alive than the Champions League. And no team makes Ronaldo come more alive than Atletico Madrid. So Diego Simeone and his players could be forgiven for feeling a certain amount of trepidation when Ronaldo arrives at the Wanda Metropolitano for today’s last-16 match between Atletico and Manchester United, despite the Portugal superstar — at 37 — not being quite the force of nature who caused the Spanish club so much pain in the Champions League over the past decade. From 2014-19, when Ronaldo played for Real Madrid and then Juventus, he was part of teams that ended Atletico’s Champions League title ambitions in five of the six seasons. In the other season, Atletico didn’t make it to the knockout stage. Ronaldo scored hat tricks for Real (in 2017) and Juventus (in 2019) against Atletico, and converted the clinching

penalty in the shootout between the Madrid rivals in the 2016 final. Don’t forget, either, his muscle-flexing celebrations after his late penalty in extra time of the 2014 final between the teams that killed off Atletico. Up until 2020, Simeone had only ever lost in the Champions League knockout stage to a team containing Ronaldo. Oh, and for good measure, Ronaldo grabbed hat tricks against Atlético in the Spanish league in 2012 and 2016. “He has caused us so much damage in our previous meetings,” Atlético forward Ángel Correa told Spanish sports daily Marca on Tuesday. Today’s game will be the first time Ronaldo and Atletico have crossed paths since a Champions League game in November 2019, when Simeone said of the then-Juventus striker: “He is No. 1.” Since then, Ronaldo has pulled clear as the all-time leading scorer in Champions League history with 140 — 15 more than Lionel Messi and 58 more than the next player on the list, Robert Lewandowski.

SUE BIRD SAYS ‘ALL SIGNS’ POINT TO ‘22 BEING HER LAST SEASON

And the fire burns inside Ronaldo as much as ever on Champions League nights. Goals haven’t been so easy to come by since his return to United last year, with the team enduring a turbulent season that has featured a change of manager. Indeed, Ronaldo has just one goal in his last eight games in all competitions, making it one of his leanest spells since becoming a scoring machine in the latter part of his first spell at United from 2003-09. Yet, Ronaldo scored in all five group games in which he played, including late winners against Villarreal and Atalanta at home and a stoppage-time equalizer at Atalanta. He lives for the big stage and the big moments, so he’ll relish a return to Madrid to play his favorite opponent. “Cristiano won this competition many times,” United midfielder Bruno Fernandes said in a video call on Tuesday, “and everyone knows that in this kind of competition he has that smell for goal, that smell for doing different things.”

MANCHESTER United’s Cristiano Ronaldo applauds during warm up before the English Premier League soccer match between Leeds United and Manchester United, at Elland Road Stadium in Leeds, England, on Sunday. (AP Photo/Jon Super) An injury to fellow striker Edinson Cavani and the continued absence of Mason Greenwood has meant Ronaldo has started in each of United’s last three games, playing 90 minutes in two of them and 85 in the other. United has been careful to avoid over-playing Ronaldo this season, leaving him out of some games. Starting four games in 12 days isn’t ideal for Ronaldo, even if his sharpness and fitness levels are staggering for a player his age. Don’t, though, expect him to be out of the team today, when Ronaldo and United will come up against a once-vaunted defence — the foundation of Simeone’s success for his decade in charge — that has shown a rare fragility this season. It has gone from leading the Spanish league in goals

conceded — 25 in 38 games in 2020-21 — to letting in 34 goals in 25 rounds so far, a big factor behind its 12 losses this season compared to only eight defeats in all of the last campaign. Its Spanish league title defence in tatters — the team is 15 points behind first-placed Real — and out of the Copa del Rey, Atlético’s only chance for a trophy this campaign is the Champions League. The same can be said of United, too, with the title out of reach in the Premier League and Rangnick’s team out of both domestic cup competitions. “Mentally, we need to be prepared for a very emotional, even hostile atmosphere in the stadium,” Rangnick said about today’s game. “Some of our players will not be received with a red carpet.” Especially Ronaldo.

SEATTLE (AP) — Sue Bird seemed a little uneasy sitting behind a microphone and listening to her coach and general manager shower her with praise. “I probably could have stayed in the other room for those comments. Gets a little awkward up here listening to people talk about you in that way,” Bird joked. Bird may need to get used to that kind of attention coming her way from around the WNBA for the upcoming season. She said yesterday that all signs are pointing toward the 2022 season being her last with the Seattle Storm, but she does not want the upcoming season to be a farewell tour. “I think it’s assumed to be my last and I do believe all arrows are pointing in that direction,” Bird said. “For some reason, I don’t necessarily want to operate in that space because I think for my personality ... it doesn’t necessarily fit for every game I go into to be, ‘This is Sue’s last game in this city. This is her last time putting her shoe on.’ I don’t really operate in that space well, but I understand that comes with it.” Bird, a four-time WNBA champion, 12-time All-Star and the oldest player in the league at 41, had previously announced she would return for one more season. She waited until Seattle finished its offseason manoeuvres — including bringing back Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart — before signing her deal with the Storm last week. Bird said she expected the first question to be about whether the upcoming season would be her last. “I feel really lucky that I get to be in this position to make this decision. It gets to be on my terms,” Bird said. “Not a lot of athletes are afforded that opportunity. Obviously, Lauren Jackson being one I witnessed firsthand having injuries and things like that being the reason for her decision. So I just feel really lucky.” Bird has spent her entire WNBA career with Seattle since becoming the No. 1 pick in 2002 following her storied college career at Connecticut. This season will be her 21st associated with the franchise, although just her 19th playing after missing two seasons due to injuries. She’s the league’s all-time leader in assists and the standard by which other point guards are judged. But she’s also at the stage where she’s playing alongside teammates who have parents her same age. Bird joked that her warmups take as long as her workouts now. And while Bird doesn’t want to close the book on the future, it’s clear all parties are viewing this season as the likely conclusion. “She’s been an amazing example for me, for women in general and for everyone who enjoys the sport of basketball,” Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said.

VLAHOVIC SCORES IN CL DEBUT, JUVE DRAWS 1-1 AT VILLARREAL VILLARREAL, Spain (AP) — Dusan Vlahovic needed just 31 seconds to show Europe why Juventus chose him to fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Serbia striker had a dream debut in the Champions League yesterday, scoring a superb goal after his first contact with the ball in a 1-1 draw at Villarreal. His goal had the elements of strikes that only players of Ronaldo’s calibre can pull off, combining power, a sense of the moment and that extra dose of confidence that means no scoring chance, however slim, should go to waste. After using his chest to control a long pass

from Danilo, the 22-yearold striker did not hesitate to immediately take on center-back pair Pau Torres and Raúl Albiol. He used one touch to prepare his shot taken with his weaker right foot while he spun toward the goal. The low effort grazed the foot of a defender before squirting in at an angle past goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli. It was his second goal with Juventus since the team secured his 70 million euro ($80 million) transfer from Fiorentina near the end of the January transfer window to find a top scorer after Ronaldo’s exit five months before in the

offseason. “It was huge to score on my debut. It was very emotional,” Vlahovic said. “However, I cannot be 100 percent satisfied because we have not won the game.” Dani Parejo leveled for Villarreal in the 66th minute, leaving the playoff poised for the decider in Italy with the away-goal rule scrapped this season. After Vlahovic’s opener, Villarreal tied to respond through its speed on the flanks. Alfonso Pedraza stole the ball and sped from the left side of the box before he laid off for Giovani Lo Celso, only for his scuffed

attempt to find the top of the left post in the 13th. Vlahovic also impressed with his ability to pull down more long balls for his teammates in the first half. But Parejo’s 66th-minute equaliser came just after Albiol made it his mission to start taking away that outlet. Following Albiol’s challenge to win a ball from Juventus’ new striker, the Italian team betrayed its defensive pedigree when it gave Etienne Capoue time to pick out a run forward by fellow midfielder Parejo. Juventus’ backline compounded that mistake by leaving Parejo free of a marker as he fired low to

make it 1-1. “When they score in the first minute, it ruins your game plan. But even so, we knew how to hang in there and go for the match,” Parejo said. “To draw 1-1 after starting from behind, I am satisfied with how we played and the chances we created against a giant like Juventus.” Vlahovic almost conjured up the winner with five minutes remaining with a powerful shot that Rulli did well to stop. United States midfielder Weston McKennie had to be substituted for Juventus in the 80th after he received a hard tackle into his lower left leg by substitute Pervis Estupiñán.

In London, defending champion Chelsea got goals from Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz to beat Lille 2-0. Juventus is trying to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018-19 after losing in the round-of-16 in the past two seasons. Unai Emery has Villarreal, last season’s Europa League champion, back in the knockout rounds of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time in 13 years. The Spanish team will hope to have striker Gerard Moreno, now injured, back for the second leg in Turin on March 16.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 15

RUBLEV BEATS EVANS, KHACHANOV FACES DJOKOVIC IN DUBAI

ALEXANDER ZVEREV, of Germany, returns a ball during a match against to Jenson Brooksby of the U.S. at the Mexican Open tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, yesterday. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

ANDREY RUBLEV, of Russia celebrates a point win over Daniel Evans of Britain yesterday. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Zverev wins Mexican Open match ending just before 5am By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ AP Sports Writer ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Defending champion Alexander Zverev outlasted Jenson Brooksby 3-6, 7-6 (10), 6-2 at the Mexican Open in a firstround match that ended at 4:55 a.m. — the latest-ever finish to an ATP match. Yesterday morning’s finish broke the record set at the 2008 Australian Open, when Lleyton Hewitt defeated Marcos Baghdatis in a match that ended at 4:34 a.m. “Right now, I’m just happy to have won,” the third-ranked Zverev said. “I don’t know how Jenson feels. Must be difficult but happy to be a part of history. It was an incredible battle.” Zverev’s victory in 3 hours, 22 minutes also set a record for the longest match in the 29-year-old history of the hard-court outdoor tournament in Acapulco, a popular beach resort. It was an odd first day at the Arena GNP because the previous two tournament records for

longest match were set earlier, when Stefan Kozlov defeated Grigor Dimitrov 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-3 in 3 hours, 21 minutes after John Isner beat Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) in 3 hours, 13 minutes. Matches started at 6pm due to the intense heat during the day in Acapulco. The second-seeded Zverev will play Peter Gojowczyk in the second round. Zverev is one of four Top 5 players in the draw alongside Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev, fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas and fifthseeded Rafael Nadal, who earned his record 21st Grand Slam singles title last month in Melbourne. The Mexican Open is an ATP 500 tournament. Since that category started in 2009, only Dubai in 2012 and Beijing in 2013 have featured four of the Top 5 players in the world. Kozlov overcame leg cramps and upset Dimitrov to move into a second-round match against Nadal.

JENSON BROOKSBY, of the U.S., returns a ball during a match against Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Mexican Open tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, yesterday. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Secondseeded Andrey Rublev beat Daniel Evans 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the Dubai Championships yesterday, just two days after winning his ninth tour title. The Russian, who defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final at the Open 13 tournament in Marseille on Sunday, next faces Soonwoo Kwan after the South Korean beat Ilya Ivashka 6-3, 6-2. The seventh-ranked Rublev also won the doubles title in Marseille with Ukrainian partner Denys Molchanov. “I arrived at the hotel maybe at 2am today,” Rublev said in his on-court interview yesterday. “I slept maybe six or seven hours. I was thinking that probably no chance for me to win, and here I am, I won my first round so I’m really happy. I cannot imagine a better start.” Karen Khachanov will face top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the second round after the Russian beat Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-7 (1), 7-5. On Monday, Djokovic won his first match of the year when he beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-3. The top-ranked Serb couldn’t defend his Australian Open title last month because he was deported from the country for being unvaccinated. Fourth-seeded Jannik Sinner outlasted Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 and will next face Andy Murray. American qualifier Mackenzie McDonald topped seventh-seeded Aslan Karatsev of Russia 7-5, 6-3 to set up a second-round match against Filip Krajinovic of Serbia.

GIRLS

FROM PAGE 11

INCREASING NUMBERS FOR BLTA PLAY TENNIS PROGRAMME DURING the first month of the spring edition of its developmental programme, The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) has employed a consistent and structured approach. A pivotal focus is the younger divisions, in particular the 4-7 year old group and the 8-11 year old group. These two groupings make up approximately 76 percent of the Play Tennis

registrants. The younger kids work on eye and hand coordination, forehands and backhands whilst the older kids add serves and are able to rally, playing from day 1. By building from the ground up the programme is laying a strong foundation in these age divisions for overall growth in junior tennis players.In the most recent session on Saturday kids between the ages of four and 16

years participated in a fun and productive session. This week, top junior Anthony Burrows Jr, who has represented the country on multiple national teams, was in attendance,

volunteering his talent and time. We are thankful for the seeds that are being planted into the next generation through the volunteers. Attracting players to the sport is one goal and

making the lessons fun and engaging is also a mission. The BLTA is pleased that this programme for beginners still garners so much interest. The programme is tailored in accordance with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Play and Stay campaign. We hope and pray that the participants not only play but stay in this awesome sport. All kids are welcome and can register via email at: pr@ blta.net

are all talented and have the potential to be the top finishers,” he said. “ It was good to hear that the girls were able to dig deep and pull off the doubles win. “My hope is that they remain focused and continue with all their heart. Representing your country is one of the greatest privileges and not everyone has that opportunity.” Newton said the BLTA is very proud of the teams and look forward to their continued success. The key, he said. is for them to take it one day at a time and face the challenge of that day. Both the boys and girls teams will be back on the court today. While the boys will return after a day’s rest to take on Barbados, the girls will face Costa Rica. If successful, the two teams will advance as the top seeds out of group C into the playoffs, scheduled to start on Thursday. The boys’ team, coached by Bradley Bain, consisted of William McCartney, Jackson Mactaggart and Grand Bahamian Jerald Carroll. Both McCartney and Mactaggart won their singles matches, while Mactaggart and Carroll pulled off the doubles in their opening match against Honduras. The winner of the tournament will advance to the next round in Mexico in May where they get a chance to play against the United States, Mexico and Canada for two qualifying spots to play in the World Championships for Under14s in Europe.

TO ADVERTISE TODAY IN THE TRIBUNE CALL @ 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 17

PLANNING ROW ERUPTS ON ‘SWIMMING WITH THE PIGS’ FROM PAGE 22

“Consequently, we request that the Department of Physical Planning cause the entities to cease and desist operations and to restore the properties to ‘Residential 1’.” Both Da Pig Beach and Beyond Da Village Pig Experience opened last year, and each told Tribune Business they have the necessary Business Licences and other permits to operate. However, the evidence suggests neither yet has the required Town Planning sign-off and that both are trying to obtain this retroactively. A virtual meeting on the Land Use Approval application by Beyond Da Village Pig Experience for its attraction, as well as a beach bar and grill, is due to be held on March 10. And Da Pig Beach revealed that it, too, “is currently before Town Planning” although it declined to provide further details when asked by this newspaper. There are also prominent names behind at least one of the ventures. Robert Pantry, chief executive of Simplified Lending, the finance firm that recently arranged private Jamaican funding for both the Government’s Eight Mile Rock administrative complex, and the equity injection into My Ocean, confirmed to Tribune Business he is an investor in Da Pig Beach. Meanwhile, residents of Beach Drive, which sits on the Adelaide Village shoreline, bitterly complained that the surge in touristrelated traffic congestion as well as noise and other

irritants was “really out of hand” due to the presence of the two “swimming with the pigs” operations. The two businesses are four lots, or just hundreds of feet apart, and the Beach Drive homeowners voiced fears that the situation is dividing the community as they are being pitted against Adelaide Village residents who are obtaining jobs with Da Pig Beach and Da Village Pig Experience. Sam Duncombe, president of the reEarth environmental group, whose property sits in between the two attractions, immediately next door to Da Village Pig Experience and two lots over from Da Pig Beach, told Tribune Business: “The thing is we are being bombarded; the entire neighbourhood is being bombarded by tour buses, cars and all-terrain vehicles, and boats and jet skis... “Pigs are screaming, staff are screaming and the tourists are screaming. The staff are yelling from one end of the property to the other. The tourists are having a great time and are screaming in delight, which is wonderful for them, but not so much for the people who have to endure constant noise. They are both operating their generators all day=y” Voicing bewilderment as to how the two businesses have been allowed to operate in an area zoned for residential use, Mrs Duncombe said she never received a response from Adrian White, then-Town Planning Committee chair and now the FNM’s St Anne’s MP and candidate

vying for the party’s leadership, when she raised the matter under the former Minnis administration. Asserting that Da Pig Beach opened in “early 2021”, and Da Village Pig Experience in June/July of last year, she alleged that the Davis administration had proven similarly unresponsive until the March meeting for Da Village Pig Experience was published in the newspapers. “We’re trying to understand the process here,” Mrs Duncombe added. “After Da Village Pig Experience was operating for eight months, they’re having a Town Planning meeting. Is this to address zoning or the concerns of the neighbourhood? There are lots of concerns as to what is going on here. “Our residences should be our sanctuary, a place where we can unwind and not be harassed, and have peace and harmony. That’s not happening. When we have 50-60 people coming at a time that’s a problem. It completely changes the complexion of the neighbourhood. “The reality is that I have not spoken to one person who lives on this road who thinks this is a good idea. I want them gone. They don’t belong here. They are a disturbance, they are a nuisance and I want them gone.” Mrs Duncombe was backed by Rudy Stuart, another Beach Drive resident, who told this newspaper: “It’s now really out of hand. Traffic has increased tremendously, the noise level from generators running all day, and boats coming in. There’s too much traffic. This is a deadend street, and people that live here want peace and quiet. “These four-wheelers, 30-40 at a time, screaming down the street and making noise, the tourists on them don’t care how much noise they make. It’s really, really out of hand.” Mr Stuart also voiced suspicion and mistrust over the upcoming Town Hall meeting, suggesting it could provide a

platform for the two pigs’ operations to get outsiders to call in and voice support for the businesses. Fearing that this could create a false impression, and ease the planning approvals process, Mr Stuart added: “We want them closed down. Closed down completely. They cannot be in this area... I cannot see the Government changing the zoning for them. They need to enforce the laws. “Most of the people out here are retirees, and to have these all-terrain vehicles coming through with all sorts of noise, and to have outriders telling people to get to the side as if they are police officers... We really want them closed, no if’s, and’s and but’s about it.” Leslie Vanderpool, principal organiser of the Bahamas International Film Festival and another Beach Drive resident, called for the Government to start enforcing regulation and the planning laws. She added that Adelaide residents had voted against a zip-line proposal for the area in 2017 as well as other projects, and questioned why both pigs operations had been approved. Mr Pantry, when contacted by Tribune Business, confirmed he was an investor in Da Pig Beach but added that he was not involved from an operational perspective. He also argued that the controversy had more to do with Beyond Da Village Pig Experience than the project he was involved with. “I’m really just an investor in it. Some people throw my name out. I don’t know why. I’m not involved in the day-to-day operations,” Mr Pantry said. Similarly, Paul Neely, who owns the property from which Da Pig Beach operates, said he was the landlord and had leased it to the attraction. He added that he had forwarded residents concerns to Da Pig Beach, and had been told the operation had “made a lot of changes in what they do” before referring this newspaper back to Mr Pantry, who

he described as the “lead owner”. Anwar Bastian, Da Pig Beach’s operations manager, eventually called this newspaper to confirm that the company was seeking to emulate the success of swimming pigs attractions on Rose Island, Exuma and Abaco on mainland New Providence. “This provides jobs for the people of Adelaide who are happy to have employment,” he said, adding that seven jobs have been created. Mr Bastian said the operation’s presence “also provides a great view of the historical village of Adelaide”, and it had received “numerous positive reviews on Facebook”. “It’s a private tour, a private property. The matter is currently before Town Planning. We await their decision and will follow their guidance. As the matter is before Town Planning we do not intend to comment any further,” he added. Da Pig Beach, Mr Bastian said, had also saved its pigs from going to the slaughterhouse. Charles Johnson, operator of Beyond Da Village Pig Experience, would similarly not go into detail on the Town Planning hearing. Confirming that he had been operating since June 2021 at his Beach Drive property, he added that he has a Business Licence to provide private tours and the venue was already a well-known location for private parties. Beyond Da Village Pig Experience is understood to have been started after Mr Johnson split from Da Pig Beach. Asserting that he had all the necessary Ministry of Agriculture permits for the pigs, he added: “I have six people employed, and have two taking care of the animals 24 hours a day. A vet is on call.” Mr Johnson said the Beyond Da Village Pig Experience was conceived in response to tourism’s call for fresh, exciting new attractions to be made available to visitors so that the country’s product was improved. He added that

he already has a letter from the Royal Bahamas Police Force approving him for the activities he is carrying out. “This is a small, controlled tour that operates from 11pm to 4pm,” Mr Johnson said. “I had this application in from eight months ago for the property itself so I can operate a restaurant and bar for a private tour.” He also said he had met with his Beach Drive neighbours in an attempt to resolve any concerns they have. Mrs Duncombe, though, voiced fears that Beach Drive residents are “being painted as the villains” because of the need for jobs among Adelaide residents. However, she told Tribune Business: “We’re not the only neighbourhood dealing with these issues. “I want to know when the Ministry of Works is going to start clamping down and enforcing the laws, and stop businesses operating in residential areas..... If we continue to ignore all the laws the country breaks down because there is no law and order, and if every time an issue comes up we have to go to court that’s unsustainable. “The Government, laws and regulatory bodies are there to protect citizens of this country and they are not doing their jobs. At what point in time are we going to be protected from predatory businesses in this country that have no regard for the community, no regard for their neighbours and no regard for the rule of law?” Mrs Duncombe asked. “They should not be taking advantage of the extremely lax regulatory system that does not properly have the resources to deal with all that is happening. At some point in time the Government has to do the right thing and stop making citizens incur hundreds of dollars in legal fees to deal with their issues. Nobody gets justice and the country continues to fall into a mess.”

MARKET REPORT www.bisxbahamas.com

TUESDAY, 22 FEBRUARY 2022

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX: BISX LISTED & TRADED SECURITIES 52WK HI 6.70 40.05 2.05 2.90 2.60 6.05 10.05 3.60 9.02 3.10 7.01 13.00 2.71 10.10 11.06 10.75 15.00 4.00 10.00 16.50

52WK LOW 4.50 32.12 1.46 2.20 1.30 5.50 6.00 2.82 4.25 2.27 5.00 9.75 1.99 6.50 9.50 8.40 13.10 3.42 8.00 15.50

SECURITY AML Foods Limited APD Limited Benchmark Bahamas First Holdings Limited Bank of Bahamas Bahamas Property Fund Bahamas Waste Cable Bahamas Commonwealth Brewery Commonwealth Bank Colina Holdings CIBC FirstCaribbean Bank Consolidated Water BDRs Doctor's Hospital Emera Incorporated Famguard Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited Focol Finco J. S. Johnson

PREFERENCE SHARES 1.00

1.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

1.00 10.00 1.00

Bahamas First Holdings Preference Cable Bahamas Series 6 Cable Bahamas Series 8 Cable Bahamas Series 9 Cable Bahamas Series 10 Colina Holdings Class A Fidelity Bank Bahamas Class A Focol Class B

CORPORATE DEBT - (percentage pricing) 52WK HI 100.00 100.00

52WK LOW 100.00 100.00

SECURITY Fidelity Bank (Note 22 Series B+) Bahamas First Holdings Limited

CLOSE

CHANGE

%CHANGE

YTD

YTD%

2244.60

-1.37

-0.06

16.36

0.73

SYMBOL AML APD BBL BFH BOB BPF BWL CAB CBB CBL CHL CIB CWCB DHS EMAB FAM FBB FCL FIN JSJ BFHP CAB6 CAB8 CAB9 CAB10 CHLA FBBA FCLB SYMBOL FBB22 BFHB

BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT STOCK - (percentage pricing)

Abaco only.

115.92 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 102.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.98 100.00

104.79 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 96.71 93.97 94.12 91.00 90.95 89.02 89.62 89.00 90.24 90.73

MUTUAL FUNDS 52WK HI 2.50 4.67 2.20 207.86 207.68 1.72 1.83 1.81 1.05 8.92 10.81 7.44 16.64 12.76 10.57 10.00 10.43 14.89

52WK LOW 2.11 3.30 1.68 164.74 116.70 1.68 1.73 1.75 1.01 6.41 7.62 5.66 8.65 10.54 9.57 9.88 8.45 11.20

Bahamas Note 6.95 (2029) BGS: 2014-12-7Y BGS: 2015-1-7Y BGS: 2014-12-30Y BGS: 2015-1-30Y BGS: 2015-6-7Y BGS: 2015-6-30Y BGS: 2015-10-7Y BGRS FX BGR106036 BGRS FX BGR117037 BGRS FX BGR118037 BGRS FX BGR125238 BGRS FX BGR127139 BGRS FX BGR127149 BGRS FX BGR129249 BGRS FX BGR131249 BGRS FX BGR132249 BGRS FX BGR136150

BAH29 BG0107 BG0207 BG0130 BG0230 BG0307 BG0330 BG0407 BSBGR1060361 BSBGR1170376 BSBGR1180375 BSBGR1252380 BSBGR1271398 BSBGR1271497 BSBGR1292493 BSBGR1312499 BSBGR1322498 BSBGR1361504

LAST CLOSE 5.30 39.95 2.04 2.39 2.49 6.05 9.50 3.30 7.99 2.82 7.00 13.00 1.94 10.06 11.28 10.75 15.00 3.93 9.85 15.51 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00 LAST SALE 100.00 100.00 107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 96.71 100.00 94.18 91.10 100.00 100.00 89.62 100.00 90.24 100.00

CLOSE 5.30 39.95 2.04 2.39 2.49 6.05 9.50 3.30 7.99 2.82 7.00 13.00 1.93 10.06 11.25 10.75 15.00 3.90 9.85 15.51 1.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1000.00 1.00 10.00 1.00

BISX ALL SHARE INDEX - 19 Dec 02 = 1,000.00 52wk-Hi - Highest closing price in last 52 weeks 52wk-Low - Lowest closing price in last 52 weeks Previous Close - Previous day's weighted price for daily volume Today's Close - Current day's weighted price for daily volume Change - Change in closing price from day to day Daily Vol. - Number of total shares traded today DIV $ - Dividends per share paid in the last 12 months P/E - Closing price divided by the last 12 month earnings

VOLUME

100

281

13,275

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

CLOSE 100.00 100.00

CHANGE 0.00 0.00

107.31 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 89.62 100.00 100.00 100.00

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3.29 0.00 5.82 8.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 9.76 0.00

FUND CFAL Bond Fund CFAL Balanced Fund CFAL Money Market Fund CFAL Global Bond Fund CFAL Global Equity Fund Leno Financial Conservative Fund Leno Financial Aggressive Fund Leno Financial Balanced Fund Leno Financial Global Bond Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Secured Balanced Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Targeted Equity Fund RF Bahamas Opportunities Fund - Prime Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Equities Sub Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - High Yield Income Fund RF Bahamas International Investment Fund Limited - Alternative Strategies Fund Colonial Bahamas Fund Class D Colonial Bahamas Fund Class E Colonial Bahamas Fund Class F

MARKET TERMS

CHANGE 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 (0.01) 0.00 (0.03) 0.00 0.00 (0.03) 0.00 0.00

(242) 323‐2330 (242) 323‐2320 EPS$ 0.239 0.932 0.000 0.070 0.070 1.760 0.369 -0.438 0.140 0.184 0.449 0.722 0.102 0.467 0.646 0.728 0.816 0.203 0.939 0.631 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

VOLUME

1,000 1,500 5,000 12,405 8,116 1,715 3,429 1,282 7,283 2,500 NAV 2.50 4.67 2.20 204.67 199.97 1.72 1.83 1.81 1.01 8.92 10.81 7.44 16.64 12.73 10.57 N/A 10.43 14.89

DIV$ 0.170 1.260 0.020 0.110 0.000 0.000 0.260 0.000 0.000 0.120 0.220 0.720 0.434 0.060 0.328 0.240 0.540 0.120 0.200 0.610 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

INTEREST Prime + 1.75% 6.25% 6.95% 4.50% 4.50% 6.25% 6.25% 4.50% 6.25% 4.25% 5.40% 5.20% 5.22% 5.00% 5.00% 5.50% 5.55% 5.60% 5.65% 5.69% YTD% 12 MTH% 0.34% 4.30% -0.06% 5.21% 0.21% 2.72% 1.37% 3.18% 8.18% 14.94% 0.26% 2.76% 0.36% 2.37% 0.28% 2.51% -1.31% -3.43% 5.11% 6.98% 7.77% 9.88% 2.28% 3.71% 19.64% 29.95% -0.81% -0.62% 5.19% 2.28% N/A N/A 3.00% 25.60% 7.90% 48.70%

P/E 22.2 42.9 N/M 34.1 N/M N/M 25.7 -7.5 57.1 15.3 15.6 18.0 18.9 21.5 17.4 14.8 18.4 19.2 10.5 24.6 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

YIELD 3.21% 3.15% 0.98% 4.60% 0.00% 0.00% 2.74% 0.00% 0.00% 4.26% 3.14% 5.54% 22.49% 0.60% 2.92% 2.23% 3.60% 3.08% 2.03% 3.93% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 6.25% 7.00% 6.50%

MATURITY 19-Oct-2022 30-Sep-2025 20-Nov-2029 15-Dec-2021 30-Jul-2022 15-Dec-2044 30-Jul-2045 26-Jun-2022 26-Jun-2045 15-Oct-2022 4-Aug-2036 14-Jul-2037 13-Oct-2037 15-Oct-2038 15-Jan-2039 15-Jan-2049 15-Apr-2049 15-Jul-2049 15-Oct-2049 21-Apr-2050

NAV Date 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 28-Jan-2022 30-Sep-2021 30-Sep-2021 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Jan-2022 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Aug-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021 31-Mar-2021

YIELD - last 12 month dividends divided by closing price Bid $ - Buying price of Colina and Fidelity Ask $ - Selling price of Colina and fidelity Last Price - Last traded over-the-counter price Weekly Vol. - Trading volume of the prior week EPS $ - A company's reported earnings per share for the last 12 mths NAV - Net Asset Value N/M - Not Meaningful

TO TRADE CALL: CFAL 242-502-7010 | ROYALFIDELITY 242-356-7764 | CORALISLE 242-502-7525 | LENO 242-396-3225 | BENCHMARK 242-326-7333

PAGE 18, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

BAHAMIANS WARNED: BRACE FOR $6 GAS PRICES BY MARCH FROM PAGE 22

is reduce our purchase quantity to try to offset the damage to our dealers. Prices have already started to go up. Gasoline at Shell is already at $5.37 and, if we keep rates up like this, we will be at $6 per gallon within a month.” Mr Bastian recommended that drivers and businesses prepare now for this scenario by filling their tanks to the maximum rather than getting $20 or less per day. He suggested this will help Bahamians conserving gasoline and incomes/purchasing power which are already coming under great strain from post-COVID inflationary pressures. “Bahamians are resilient. We have been here before,” he added. “We have gas

in reserves on the current prices, so we won’t see a dramatic rise in gasoline prices overnight. We have to sell-off the stock we have now within the next few weeks, but when the next shipment arrives, expect to see much higher gasoline prices.” Crude oil prices reached more than $99 a barrel at one point yesterday in response to the decision by Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to recognise the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and order in his military as “peacekeepers”. Prices later slipped back slightly after markets viewed the initial sanctions response by western countries as weak, but crude oil prices - as measured by the Brent Index - ended the

day 1.6 percent higher at just under $97 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude, the US benchmark and a yardstick more relevant to The Bahamas, jumped by more than 3 percent and touched a seven-year high on Tuesday as it peaked at $96. It ultimately closed at $93.30 a barrel. Russia is a major energy producer, especially in oil and gas. Rupert Pinder, a Bahamian economist who lectures at the University of The Bahamas (UoB), told Tribune Business that the Ukraine situation’s on oil prices and energy costs threatens to worsen the effects of the widespread increase in prices that this nation’s consumers are already experiencing.

“The whole world is interdependent,” he explained. “The long and short of it is energy prices feed into everything. What we’ll have is an exacerbation of inflationary pressures. We’ve seen some inflationary pressures from COVID, and how that created disruption in the supply chain, and now we have a situation with oil prices. “Oil prices feed into everything. Oil affects transportation costs, and not just ground transportation but air and sea transportation, which factors into the price of goods and services. It feeds into everything. “The main impact [from the Russia-Ukraine situation] is really in terms of energy, and for us we’re not an oil producing country, so

certainly it’s going to have some inflationary impact.” While rising oil prices will normally hike electricity costs, given that Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) relies on this as its sole fuel source, this impact may be mitigated - at least for the moment - by the utility’s fuel hedging strategy. The existing hedge, though, is due to expire in June 2022, but Pedro Rolle, BPL’s chairman, has indicated a desire to keep fuel hedging in place. No household or sector of the economy will be spared by rising oil prices. Besides raising the price of airline tickets, and tourist costs to access The Bahamas, any surge induced by conflict in eastern Europe will impact the price of a host of construction materials and

‘FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND’ DEAL FOR $111M FRAUD VICTIM FROM PAGE 22

Keiran Hutchison, the EY Cayman accountant and partner who is co-liquidator with Mr Wizman, alleged in a February 14, 2022, affidavit that Mosaic Financial and its investor clients were the main victims of what he described as “a serious fraud” involving the Income Collecting Fund. “Since their appointment, the joint official liquidators have engaged in continuous and productive discussions with the SEC and Mosaic in hopes of reaching an agreement on a range of issues, including with respect to the freezing order and the distribution of the fund’s assets to its stakeholders. “These co-operative discussions have resulted in a series of agreements among the fund, the SEC and Mosaic (all approved by the Cayman court) whereby a substantial majority of the fund’s assets currently subject to the freezing

order will be distributed to Mosaic as an interim distribution on its allowed claim in the Cayman liquidation.” Mr Hutchison revealed that the EY duo have accepted Mosaic Financial’s total $11.521m claim against the Income Collecting fund’s liquidation, meaning that some $34.521m remains outstanding once the interim dividend is paid. “The joint official liquidators have evaluated the claim of Mosaic in the amount of $111.52m and accepted the claim in full,” he added. However, the EY Cayman partner said it was critical that the duo obtain “discovery rights” via the southern New York federal bankruptcy court so they could properly probe the events and actions that led to the Income Collecting fund’s insolvency. This, Mr Hutchison said, would enable an “orderly and effective liquidation” given that most of the Income Collecting Fund’s books and records are

currently still in the US. Access to these documents, he indicated, would enable the liquidators to determine whether they had potential claims against those who acted for the fund including its Freeport-based chairman. Tribune Business reported earlier this week how Boisy Roberts, a partner at Independent Solutions Bahamas, signed the resolution placing the Income Collecting Fund into then-voluntary liquidation in June 2021. While he has not been charged by either the SEC or the US federal authorities, who have brought criminal proceedings against the alleged mastermind, Ofer Aberbanel, the US regulator has alleged that Mr Roberts’ actions enabled the fraud to take place. “During all relevant times, the fund’s director and chairman of the Board, Boisy Roberts, who oversaw the appointment of the

joint voluntary liquidators, also signed numerous documents on behalf of the fund that the SEC alleges caused or contributed to the ability of the fund to engage in its fraudulent course of operations,” the US capital markets regulator claimed. These documents included “a Board resolution signed by Mr Roberts giving Mr Abarbanel authority to ‘represent the Fund in all matters’”, and “a lending agreement between the fund” and one of Aberbanel’s shell companies that was also signed by the Income Collecting fund’s chairman. Mr Hutchison, serving notice that the liquidators plan to investigate some of these events, asserted: “Discovery of information from third parties will at the very least illustrate the possibility of potential claims, or lack thereof, that the joint official liquidators could raise against such parties in order to achieve returns for creditors and investors.

“As just one example, an April 28, 2020, letter apparently signed by a director of the fund and addressed to one of the fund’s brokerages references a ‘motion’ made by the fund that appears to grant Abarbanel plenary authority with respect to the business between the fund and this broker. “In discovery, the joint official liquidators may obtain additional information that could substantiate the indications in this letter that the fund’s director was aware of Abarbanel’s clandestine control of the fund,” he added. “Similarly, the books and records (or other fund documents) may provide a clearer picture of the scheme purportedly orchestrated by Abarbanel to ignore Mosaic’s redemption request and instead transfer tens of millions of dollars to entities outside the control of the fund.” Court filings by the SEC allege that Mosaic

ASIAN STOCKS REBOUND AFTER WALL ST FALLS ON UKRAINE TENSIONS By JOE MCDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets rebounded Wednesday after Wall Street slid on anxiety over President Vladimir Putin's authorization to send

Russian soldiers into eastern Ukraine. Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia advanced. Oil prices edged higher on concern about possible disruption to Russian supplies. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday. Global stock

prices sank Tuesday as traders tried to figure out the impact of Russia's moves and sanctions imposed by Washington, Britain and the 27-nation European Union on its banks, officials and business leaders. "Current U.S. sanctions on Russia are less-than-feared by the

market," said Anderson Alves of ActivTrades in a report. Alves noted American officials have more "acute options" including reducing Russia's access to the SWIFT system for global bank transactions. Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 index lost 1% on

Financial and its investors, between March 2019 and February 2021, pumped a total $191m into the Income Collecting fund which was supposed to be invested primarily in US Treasury debt securities and other relatively safe, liquid investments. However, the Income Collecting fund’s two principals, Israeli citizen, Abarbanel, and American, Victor Chilelli, have been accused by the SEC of misappropriating the monies invested by Mosaic Financial and its clients through instead diverting them via “unauthorised”, unsecured transactions into “nominee shell companies” that the duo controlled. Some $106m invested by Mosaic Financial and its clients was still retained by the Income Collecting Fund when it was placed into voluntary liquidation in June 2021, the other $85m having already been redeemed. By that time, Abarbanel and Chilelli had been repeatedly stalling for more than a month on the Bahamian financial provider’s request for the return of the remaining $106m. The Kospi in Seoul advanced 0.5% to 2,720.20 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 added 0.5% to 7,196.40. New Zealand rose after the central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by one-quarter point to 1% to cool inflation. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said its benchmark rate would be raised to more than 3% by next year.

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that NAVICENE JEAN NOEL of P.O. Box N-3623, Bar 20 Corner, New Providence, The Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twentyeight days from the 23rd day of February, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

Tuesday. That puts it 10.3% below its Jan. 3 all-time high and into a correction, or a decline of at least 10% but less than 20%. On Wednesday, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.6% to 3,476.15 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 0.7% to 23,682.90.

other goods that all include oil as an input. Mr Pinder, though, said it was too early to determine the extent of any oil-price led inflation and how long it will last given that much has to play out concerning the Ukraine confrontation. “In terms of the long-term knock-on effect it’s safe to say it’s going to have some dampening but the overall effect is too early to predict because we don’t have enough sample points,” he added. “My biggest concern is how this would impact in terms of the price of inputs for a country like The Bahamas which is fully dependent on imports. But in terms of the overall impact it’s still a little too early to determine the longterm effects.”

INTENT TO CHANGE NAME BY DEED POLL February Point Resort Estates in picturesque Great Exuma is seeking applications for the following positions: -Experienced Landscaping Manager -Irrigation Technician Qualified persons are asked to send their resumes to the following email address:

teneeshia@februarypoint.com

The Public is hereby advised that I, Charisma Tyrell Moss of #60 Mountrose Avenue, New Providence, Bahamas, intend to change my child’s name from FELICITY DESTINY ERICA MOSS to FELICITY DESTINY ERICA STIGGERS. If there are any objections to this change of name by Deed Poll, you may write such objections to the Deputy Chief Passport Officer, P.O. Box N-742, Nassau, Bahamas no later than thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that JUAN BAUTISTA LIRIANO of Sapodilla boulevard, Pinewood Garden, Nassau, Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 16th day of February, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that ALEXIS DEROSA of #51 Sunrise Drive, PO Box EE-17577 Nassau, Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 16th day of February, 2022 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

BANK FEES: CIBC AND FIDELITY ARE CHEAPEST FROM PAGE 22

The second “customer” was a retiree receiving pension income and making two transactions per month. They were assumed to maintain an account balance of just under $250. The final two “customers” were adults with chequing and savings accounts, each with monthly balances below 1,000 and four transactions per month. “For deposit account maintenance, given the scenarios, a profiled retail banking customer making maximum use of digital or electronic services options would, based on the June 2021 fee structure, incur average monthly charges from a low of $2.76 per

month to a high of $7.60 per month. Students, followed by retirees receive the most concessions,” the Central Bank said. The $2.76 fee applied to students, while the $7.60 was levied on adults with both chequing and savings accounts. “Conversely, profiled customers, either when preferring or constrained to accessing banking services through less efficient physical channels, inclusive of missed payments, would as of June 2021 incur, on average, charges from as low as $9.08 per month to as high as $21.23 per month,” the Central Bank said. This means the highest digital banking fee is smaller than the lowest physical

REALTOR: SUBDIVISION CHECKS NOT ASSURED FROM PAGE 22 With lot purchasers having subsequently built their home, only to find out their title is no longer any good because it is situated in an unapproved subdivision, the Morley Realty principal acknowledged that the Act’s intent - to prevent developers selling lots in subdivisions where there were no roads and utilities infrastructure - was correct. “But I don’t think it intended to unfairly put any buyer at risk,” he added. “If you built a home eight, 10 years ago and now find the conveyance is null and void, and find you have not title, who do you go to for recourse? If any developer has not put in infrastructure, what are your chances of getting your money back, and any recourse against the attorney who did not find out there was no subdivision approval? “If you look at our court system, if you were to initiate action against a developer for the same recourse, what is the likelihood of getting a court date in the near future and, if you get a judgment, when are you going to get payment or good title?” Suggesting that buyers who had purchased such lots “in good faith are the unfair victims in these circumstances”, Mr Morley added: “We’ll seed what happens and if the Government is going to move forward and do any amendments. “What’s also concerning is if any conveyance after 2011 is deemed null and void because subdivision did not get approval, it means any mortgage where the bank is holding that property against the mortgage is not worth the paper it is written on. You have a lot of Bahamians over the years who

built subdivisions without approval.” Developers are either supposed to finance the infrastructure works themselves or secure a performance bond that guarantees the necessary work will be completed and there is sufficient funding available. The issue arose after the highest court in the Bahamian judicial system ruled that an Exuma developer should not be granted “any further indulgence” when it came to returning almost $900,000 to a US citizen who had sought to purchase a lot in its project. The dispute, which revolved around the interpretation of the Planning and Subdivisions Act and the transition provisions for when it became law in 2011, was sparked when Mr Momin agreed to acquire lot 36 in Elizabeth Harbour Estates via a sales agreement that was executed on February 18, 2008. The $895,000 price was to be paid in installments, with an initial $350,000 deposit to be followed by a further $125,000 on August 1, 2008, and another $120,000 on February 1, 2009. The remaining balance was to be paid in monthly installments from March 1, 2008, carrying interest at 7 percent. February Point was “to retain rights and interest in the lot until all payments had been made”. The Privy Council added: “The full price had been paid as of February 2013. A dispute then arose between the parties. “The plaintiff purchaser argued that he was entitled to the return of the money he had paid because the defendant vendor [February Point] had not obtained the subdivision approval required by the 2010 Act

banking levy. “While each institution provides the lowest in-branch costs to customers who elected to maximise the use of digital services for deposit account transactions, the cost rankings still differed among institutions in the constructed scenarios,” the Central Bank said. “Overall, student and retiree account operations were simulated as being the least costly at First Caribbean International Bank (Bahamas) and RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) with similar estimates for the number of transactions under consideration, provided that customers were able to rely optimally on digital services channels. and, by reason of section 62(1), there could be no valid conveyance to him. “The defendant argued that it was able and willing to convey the property to the plaintiff and that, applying section 62(2), that conveyance would not be null and void even though there had been a failure to obtain the necessary approval for the subdivision. The plaintiff was therefore not entitled to the return of the purchase price paid.” The transaction between Mr Momin was caught in the transition to the Planning and Subdivisions Act. While the sales agreement had been executed prior to the Act coming into force, the conveyance - the legal instrument recording the transfer of title - did not occur until after the Act came into law. The Planning and Subdivisions Act’s section 62(1) treats all conveyances made after the Act came into effect as “null and void” if they involve lots in subdivisions where the latter have not been approved by the relevant government authorities. Given that the Act took effect for Exuma on December 1, 2011, Mr Malik argued that this provision meant February Point could not convey good title to lot 36 as the Elizabeth Harbour Estates subdivision had not been approved. Therefore he demanded his purchase price be returned. However, February Point argued that section 62(2) created a ‘carve out’. This, it asserted, said the failure to obtain subdivision approval did not make the conveyance to Mr Malik “null and void” because it upheld the validity of conveyances or sales agreements made before the Act came into effect - just as had occurred here. The Privy Council, though, ruled in favour of Mr Malik’s argument.

“Cost at FirstCaribbean remained exclusively the lowest when the same customer profiles relied most heavily on physical channels for transactions. For non-preferential adult clients of banks, Fidelity alone offered the lowest cost for adults who made use of digital delivery channels,” the regulator added. “Fidelity’s advantage was maintained for simulated chequing services when the tilt was heavily towards physical services delivery. However, FirstCaribbean offered the lowest costs for savings.” As for the more expensive fee chargers, the Central Bank found: “On the upper end of costs, simulated customer profiles placed most account services at Scotiabank as costliest. This was the case for adults with both savings and chequing

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 19 accounts that fully exploited the digital channels, and a typical customer with heavy leaning towards physical transactions. “Meanwhile, RBC FINCO ranks at the upper end of costs for retirees and students who used digital channels, and adults operating chequing accounts were simulated at the highest end of cost for physical services options at RBC.” As for fees charged on missed or late loan payments, the Central Bank said: “While there was less variance across lenders for delinquency costs on personal loans, Fidelity Bank was simulated as being the least costly in all three categories, matching the estimated penalty for Bank of The Bahamas (BOB) in the case of late or missed credit card payments. “On the upper end of costs, RBC placed highest for credit card and mortgage penalties. Meanwhile, above certain thresholds of

principal and interest payments, Commonwealth Bank would have ranked highest for arrears or late penalties on personal loans.” Summing up what it all meant, the Central Bank said some Bahamians were bound by loan agreements to have deposit facilities with the same institution. “The ability of users to take advantage of digital channels to complete transactions reduces such costs in comparison to heavy reliance on physical or inbranch channels. “Banks also consistently offered concessionary arrangements for senior citizens and underage/student customers. The comparisons further underscore that financial institutions offer variable fee schedules against both deposit account operations and, in some cases, penalties for debt servicing arrears.”

PAGE 20, Wednesday, February 23, 2022

THE TRIBUNE

DPM: HEALTH TRAVEL VISA’S SPEED ‘NO EXCUSE’ ON LAPSES By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

THE deputy prime minister yesterday argued that the speed with which the Health Travel Visa had to be put in place to re-open the tourism economy was “no excuse” for governance failures. Chester Cooper, also minister of tourism, investments and aviation, told reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting that the former Minnis administration should have gone back and corrected the “lapses in judgment” that occurred with the processes involved with setting up the Health Travel Visa.

He said: “Let me first say that the Auditor General has reviewed the circumstances in relation to the Bahamas Health Travel Visa and there were many mistakes made, I would say lapses in judgment, from a governance administrative perspective. “The technical advice is that they wanted to be expedient in terms of getting the Health Travel Visa in place. This, of course, does not excuse the need to follow the protocols of the public service, the protocols of good governance, and whilst there were time constraints, they ought to have gone back and ensured that all of the rules were complied with.”

Mr Cooper added: “I want to commend the Auditor General for the work that he did in terms of a very balanced report. The report will be taken seriously and, where there have not been corrections of some of these mistakes, those will be fixed post-haste. “I want to emphasise that these matters relate to a period before August 2021 under the former administration. The ‘new day’ government has a low tolerance for these types of mistakes. And, therefore, we will ensure that they are corrected where they have not been in the shortest possible timeframe.” Declining to commit to holding specific persons accountable for these

mistakes, Mr Cooper stopped short by saying: “Let me just say that we are consistently following through on all of the points raised, and if we find that there was neglect, intentionally or unintentionally, then there will be consequences. Suffice to say the technical team is reviewing on an ongoing basis the tightening up of the areas that have been identified.” The Auditor General’s report raised concerns over the lack of competitive tendering for Health Travel Visa contracts; the fact vendors were not being paid directly by the Government; the use of verbal as opposed to written contracts; and delays in transferring fee income to the Public Treasury. “COVID necessitated some realities that are not reflected in the financial regulations,” the Auditor General’s Office said in its report. “The Ministry of Tourism failed to comply with the regulatory requirements for the procurement of goods and services. Seeking competitive bids is a mechanism intended to provide some assurance as to the reasonableness of costs of goods and services. “Considering the cost of the travel insurance to CG Atlantic of $16.783m (net of VAT), representing 48.7

percent of total revenue, it would have been prudent to test the marketplace by seeking at least one other quote despite the pressing time limitations.” The Government’s Financial Regulations 1975 require that all contracts for goods and services worth $250,000 and above be approved by Cabinet, but the Ministry of Tourism in its response to the Auditor General’s findings argued that the imperative of reopening tourism and the wider Bahamian economy meant some corners had to be cut. “The Ministry acknowledged the lack of competitive bidding, and the failure to execute contracts prior to the launch of the current version of the Bahamas Health Travel Visa,” it replied. “However, management strongly believed that there was simply insufficient time to develop a Request for Proposal, receive bids and negotiate contracts in the designated timeframe. “In addition, given the newness of the health visa product and the lack of any examples of how much time would be necessary to launch and manage it, management felt it was more prudent to allow the contractors at the outset to develop the Bahamas Health Travel Visa on a ‘time spent’ basis and

negotiate contracts three to four months after launch, once the scope of their work was better understood.” The Ministry of Tourism also asserted that the Promotion of Tourism Act’s section 3 (e) gave the minister the ability to enter into any contact he/she deems necessary, while it has always operated accounts that have received and paid out money. The Auditor General’s Office, meanwhile, noted that there was a $30,000 difference between Health Travel Visa spending recorded by the Ministry of Tourism in July 2021 and that noted by the Public Treasury’s systems. And the latter recorded some $23,955 less than the $10.784m that the Ministry of Tourism said had been sent to the Public Treasury in Health Travel Visa fees. #An overpayment to Ports International of $43,948 for rapid antigen test kits was also noted, although the Ministry of Tourism said this would be “netted out” by the contracts end. Concerns were also raised that the source code listings for the Health Travel Visa website were the property of the developer, Think Simple, and not the Government.

AML Foods targets $250 entry level wage growth By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net AML Foods yesterday said it will increase entry level wages to $250 per week by next year while aiming to retain 75 percent of its existing workforce. Kimberly Bodie, the BISX-listed food and franchise group’s vice-president of human resources, said it had recently increased its entry level weekly wage to $230 from the mandatory $210 minimum wage and, by 2023, plans to take this to $250 per week. She said: “Just recently we’ve honoured our employees by increasing our entry level minimum wage salary. So, as of January, our employees would have been able to benefit from an increase to $230 per week in their salary. “That is something that we are truly doing to say that we appreciate our employees. We realise that every day they come in and they give their best foot forward to serve as our communities.”

Ms Bodie added: “We will continue to do that to show our employees how much we appreciate them. So, from our executive team, our entire management team, we are definitely thrilled because today we’re honouring our employees. “But this is an everyday thing, just to show our employees that we truly appreciate all that they do for our communities, and servicing them on a daily basis. We were at minimum wage, which is $210 per week, and so as of January 1, 2022, salary increased to $230 per week, and in May 2023, we will increase our minimum salary to $250 per week.” This increase in the entry level wage comes as the Government eyes an increase in the minimum wage. AML Foods said its staff complement has been relatively stable, and Ms Bodie added: “We have retained about 75 percent of our employees throughout the pandemic. Last year our turnover rate was exceptionally high, but definitely over the past two

years we’ve been able to retain our employees. “We’ve done a considerable amount of recognition and awards and ‘thank you’ initiatives to prove to our employees that, through the past two years of them working hard during the pandemic, our company truly appreciates all that they’ve done. So we’ve definitely shown our employees over the past two years during this time that we truly care about them.” Ms Bodie said AML Foods was not immune from inflation’s impact with certain grocery items set for a price increase in the coming weeks. She said: “Definitely in some of our grocery items we’ve seen inflation. Grocery is our largest department in the store, and so we’ve definitely had a challenge with sourcing some of our branded grocery items in particular. “As you have a difficulty sourcing items, definitely some items will be a bit inflated, but we’re ensuring that we try to mitigate as fast as we possibly can on passing down that high rate to our customers.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, February 23, 2022, PAGE 21

DOCTORS HOSPITAL HITS 1M COVID TESTS MARK DOCTORS Hospital yesterday confirmed it has hit the one million mark for COVID-19 tests administered since launching the initiative in June 2020. The BISX-listed healthcare provider, in a statement, said it reached this milestone in early February 2022 through a programme that involves RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests being issued at multiple sites across New Providence, Grand Bahama and Exuma. Doctors Hospital began COVID-19 ‘drive through’ testing at Doctors Hospital West, and expanded

this to numerous other sites at Carmichael Road, Mackey Street and Winton. It also initiated testing at Baha Mar, and at former sites such as Town Centre Mall and the British Colonial Hilton. The healthcare provider added that its Rhythm of Testing initiative, launched in November 2020, further boosted the number of COVID tests it administered by introducing a system of testing vendors and employees every five to seven days in local hotels. Doctors Hospital said this, combined with other COVID mitigation

measures, allowed for early the identification and removal of positive cases and infected persons with mild or minimal symptoms, thereby minimising transmission risk in the workplace and guest spaces. It contributed to the successful re-opening of the Bahamian tourism economy. The likelihood of testing positive when taking a COVID-19 rapid antigen test was lower among clients who used the Rhythm initiative, coupled with daily risk screening (1.2 percent overall test positivity), than those in the general

population and clients who did not use this approach (2 percent overall test positivity). Doctors Hospital said that, according to internal laboratory data, the positivity rate for the RT-PCR tests was 15 percent, peaking at 43 percent in January 2022 amid the surge in COVID cases driven by the Omicron variant. The positivity rate for the rapid antigen tests was 2 percent, also peaking at 7.6 percent this past January. Dr Charles Diggiss, Doctors Hospital’s president and chief executive, praised

its staff as “the key to our continued success” in the fight against COVID-19. He added that Doctors Hospital had hired an extra 450 persons to provide the testing services. “Doctors Hospital continues to perform strongly in the testing and the treatment spaces for COVID-19,” he said. “We hope, like many, that COVID-19 becomes less of a challenge to our resources, and less of a burden on our healthcare delivery services in the future. “However, we remain positioned and committed

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 63° F/17° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Mainly clear

Partly sunny and breezy

Breezy in the morning; partly sunny

Comfortable with some sun

Beautiful with abundant sunshine

High: 80°

Low: 70°

High: 80° Low: 69°

High: 81° Low: 69°

High: 82° Low: 70°

High: 81° Low: 69°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

83° F

69° F

80°-66° F

82°-68° F

86°-72° F

89°-73° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 77° F/25° C Low: 71° F/22° C

7-14 knots

S

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 71° F/22° C

6-12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 73° F/23° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

uV inDex toDay

THURSDAY

N

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 68° F/20° C

MIAMI

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

6-12 knots

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 79° F/26° C Low .................................................... 70° F/21° C Normal high ....................................... 78° F/25° C Normal low ........................................ 64° F/18° C Last year’s high ................................. 81° F/27° C Last year’s low ................................... 68° F/20° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.00” Year to date ................................................. 4.31” Normal year to date ..................................... 2.54”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N

KEY WEST

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 73° F/23° C

tiDes For nassau High

E

W

8-16 knots

S

8-16 knots

Low

Ht.(ft.)

12:21 a.m. 12:36 p.m.

2.7 2.2

6:47 a.m. 0.2 6:51 p.m. -0.2

Thursday

1:24 a.m. 1:40 p.m.

2.7 2.1

7:55 a.m. 0.3 7:54 p.m. -0.2

Friday

2:31 a.m. 2:51 p.m.

2.8 2.0

9:06 a.m. 0.2 9:03 p.m. -0.2

Saturday

3:40 a.m. 4:02 p.m.

2.9 2.1

10:15 a.m. 0.1 10:11 p.m. -0.3

Sunday

4:44 a.m. 5:06 p.m.

3.0 2.3

11:17 a.m. 0.0 11:15 p.m. -0.4

Monday

5:43 a.m. 6:05 p.m.

3.1 2.5

12:12 p.m. -0.2 ---------

Tuesday

6:35 a.m. 6:58 p.m.

3.2 2.7

12:14 a.m. -0.5 1:01 p.m. -0.4

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:38 a.m. Moonrise 6:09 p.m. Moonset

12:07 a.m. 11:12 a.m.

Last

New

First

Full

Feb. 23

Mar. 2

Mar. 10

Mar. 18

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 71° F/22° C

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 71° F/22° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

8-16 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 79° F/26° C Low: 74° F/23° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures

H

Ht.(ft.)

Today

High: 78° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

N

S

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

CAT ISLAND

E

W

TO ADVERTISE TODAY IN THE TRIBUNE CALL @ 502-2394

| Go to AccuWeather.com

TONIGHT

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 67° F/19° C

to navigating through COVID-19 exacerbations with minimal morbidity and loss of life, and optimal opportunities for Bahamians to provide services.”

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 80° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 79° F/26° C Low: 72° F/22° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 83° F/28° C Low: 72° F/22° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

10-20 knots

10-20 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS NE at 6-12 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots E at 8-16 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots E at 8-16 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots

WAVES 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-7 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-7 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-6 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 5-9 Feet 5-9 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-7 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 77° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 78° F 78° F 79° F 79° F 76° F 76° F 77° F 77° F 78° F 78° F 76° F 76° F 80° F 80° F 77° F 77° F 76° F 76° F 80° F 80° F 77° F 77° F

business@tribunemedia.net

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2022

$5.37

$5.37

$5.19

‘First-of-its-kind’ deal for $111m fraud victim By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A CAYMAN judge has hailed a “first-of-its kind solution” that will enable a Bahamian financial institution and its clients to recover almost 70 percent of their $111m claim against “a serious fraud”. Justice David Doyle, in a February 4, 2022, ruling said the compromise agreed between Mosaic Financial, US capital markets regulators and the liquidators for the Income Collecting 1-3 Months T-Bills Mutual Fund “marks a significant and progressive step” in protecting international

• Bahamian provider to recover nearly 70% of claim • Together with clients was struck by ‘serious fraud’ • Actions of fund’s Bahamian chair to face probe creditors in cross-border insolvencies. Further details on the payout deal between the Bahamian financial services provider and the Income Collecting fund’s liquidators, one of whom is EY (Ernst & Young) Bahamas partner and accountant, Igal

Wizman, have been revealed on court filings that saw the Cayman-based insolvency case recognised as the main proceedings by the southern New York federal court. Under the terms of the threeway deal, which also involves the Securities & Exchange

Commission (SEC), the US regulator will arrange the lifting of an injunction that has frozen some $84m worth of Income Collecting fund assets held between three American broker/dealers and finance houses. Attorneys for Mosaic Financial, which is by far the fund’s largest creditor, will receive the $84m into their trust account and then send these funds to the liquidators within 48 hours. The Income Collecting fund will then return “at least” $76.945m - or 69 percent of Mosaic’s total claim - to the Bahamian provider as an interim distribution from the liquidation estate.

SEE PAGE 18

CIBC FirstCaribbean charges the lowest fees for student and retiree savings accounts, the Central Bank revealed yesterday, with Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) largely leading the field on adult facilities. The regulator, unveiling its first ever industry-wide comparison of bank fee scales that are widely loathed by many Bahamians, ranked Scotiabank (Bahamas) as having the most expensive levies in five out of the eight categories assessed. And, when it came to fees assessed for missed or late loan payments, the Central Bank found Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) was the most forgiving when it came to late personal loan and mortgage payments with a $22.40 charge for each. Bank of The Bahamas matched it on late credit card payments, with both institutions imposing a $33.60 fee. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and its mortgage lending arm, BISX-listed Finance Corporation of the Bahamas (FINCO), imposed the heaviest penalties for late or missed loan payments, while Commonwealth Bank “above certain thresholds of principal and interest payments would have ranked highest for arrears or late penalties on personal loans”. The Central Bank survey also confirmed that Bahamian commercial bank fees are less for digital transactions than for those conducted physically in-branch, again reflecting the industry’s desire to drive an increasing portion of its customer base to online and digital banking - a move that has only been accelerated by the COVID19 pandemic’s devastating impact. In developing its bank fee ‘league tables’ for deposit and savings accounts, the Central Bank created four different customer scenarios that it applied to both digital and physical banking. The first was modelled on a student account holder with less than $200 in their account and who performs just two transactions per month.

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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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AN ARMORED vehicle rolls down a street outside Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine, late Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022. Photo:AP then oil prices could possibly go up by another 50 percent. “Right now is a scary time for dealers,” he said. “Oil is going up but our margins are not going up. The dealers now have to spend more money on

• Adelaide residents demand two operators ‘closed’ • Say presence in residential zone ‘really out of hand’ • Companies await Town Planning hearing outcomes

buying gasoline with our margins at the same place. “We are between a rock and a hard place, but we are providing an essential commodity, so I guess the best thing we can do

By YOURI KEMP and NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Reporters

BAHAMIAN consumers and businesses were yesterday warned to brace for gasoline prices to hit $6 per gallon next month after the Ukraine crisis sent oil prices soaring to seven-year highs. Vasco Bastian, the Bahamas Petroleum Dealers Association’s (BPDA) vice-president, told Tribune Business he was monitoring Russia’s actions towards its western neighbour closely after fears of military conflict - and its potential disruption on world output and supply chains - sent oil prices soaring to almost $100. Mr Bastian, also owner/ operator of Esso’s East Street South and Soldier Road gas station, added that “if war breaks out”

Planning row erupts on ‘swimming with the pigs’

RESIDENTS were yesterday demanding that planning authorities close two New Providence-based “swimming with the pigs” attractions that have “totally changed our neighbourhood”. Multiple inhabitants of Beach Drive, located on the island’s south-western shore at Adelaide Village, told Tribune Business they want both Da Pig Beach and Beyond Da Village Pig Experience relocated to an area zoned for commercial use. And they questioned when the regulators, especially the Town Planning Committee, Department of Physical Planning and Ministry of Works, will finally “clamp down on enforcing the law and stop businesses opening in residential areas” such as theirs. The Beach Drive residents, in a 30-strong petition sent to Luther Smith, the Ministry of Works’ permanent secretary, on January 23, 2022, stated their vehement opposition to what they termed the “commercialisation” of the street on which their homes are located. “Given that Beach Drive is zoned ‘Low Density Residential 1’, we, the property owners and regular residents of Beach Drive are confused as to how these properties are open and operating,” the told Mr Smith, in a letter that was said to have been passed on to Alfred Sears QC, minister of works and public utilities. “There has never been a Town Planning meeting to attempt to gain a variance. In light of the above, we the property owners and regular residents of Beach Drive wholly oppose these projects. They have negatively changed the nature and ambiance of our neighbourhood in many ways.

Bank fees: CIBC Bahamians warned: Brace and Fidelity for $6 gas prices by March are cheapest By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

$5.16

Realtor: Subdivision checks not assured By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A FORMER Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) president yesterday said not all attorneys ask for proof of subdivision approval before giving title opinions on property purchases. David Morley, Morley Realty’s principal, told Tribune Business his experience had been mixed when it came to attorneys investigating whether

DAVID MORLEY

developers had obtained the necessary subdivision approvals from the Government’s planning authorities before giving their buyer clients the go-ahead to purchase in these developments. Speaking after the Londonbased Privy Council, the highest court in the Bahamian judicial system, upheld the Planning and Subdivision Act provision that all conveyances/sales of land in unapproved subdivisions after it took effect in 2011 are “null and void”, he argued that it was difficult for those who now find

themselves without good title to obtain proper redress. “In my experience, some attorneys did ask for proof of subdivision approval, and I’m aware of some attorneys not raising that requisition on title approvals,” Mr Morley said. “It’s [the Privy Council ruling] woken people up to what’s going on, but there has to be recognition the burden should not fall on the property owner to incur additional expense to get good title or their money back.”

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