business@tribunemedia.net
Monday, March 30, 2026
$ 5.75
$ 5.45
$ 5.77
Bahamasair ‘whistleblower’ demands $1.11m damages BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A FORMER Bahamasair acting chief financial officer is demanding $1.111m in total damages over allegations that she was forced out after exposing “significant financial governance concerns” that threatened to cost both the travelling public and taxpayers. Claudia Pinder, in a March 6, 2026, legal claim filed with the Supreme Court is asserting that she identified “deficiencies” in internal controls and approvals processes, plus “structural weaknesses” in signatory authority over the national flag carrier’s bank accounts, as well as concerns over almost $2m per year that was paid to staff in “allowances” in excess of regular salaries. However, she claims that when these “governance
Ex-CFO claims ousted after exposing ‘financial governance concerns’ Alleges almost $2m paid out yearly in staff ‘allowances’ above salary But airline ‘marginalised’ her and ‘orchestrated’ April 2023 dismissal concerns” were raised with Bahamasair’s senior management, she was subjected to a campaign where she was “marginalised” and undermined, with Tracy Cooper, the airline’s managing director, subsequently informing Ms Pinder that unspecified “complaints” had been made about her by other staff. Asserting that these complaints were “fabricated”, Ms Pinder alleged that her ‘whistleblowing’ ultimately
resulted in her “orchestrated” termination without cause at an April 13, 2023, meeting with Bahamasair’s senior management. She is claiming that her firing “was not motivated by performance or misconduct, but was instead a retaliatory act intended to silence internal reporting of governance failures” within Bahamasair. And, besides claiming damages for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract, Ms Pinder is
Bahamas has no laws to ban forced labour goods BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net CUSTOMS’ top official says The Bahamas has no laws, policies or regulations in place to detect and prevent the importation of goods produced by forced labour after this nation was named among 60 currently being investigated by the Trump administration over such practices. Ralph Munroe, Customs comptroller, told Tribune Business he personally believes it is virtually “impossible” to determine whether any goods, or their components, are being manufactured using forced labour after the US Trade
Representative’s Office said it was investigating many of its major trading partners to determine if they have implemented - and are enforcing - measures to ban the importation of such products. “There are no policies with respect to these types of matters. No, none at all,” Mr Munroe said, when asked by this newspaper whether The Bahamas has any laws, policies or regulations to address the concerns cited by the Trump administration. “None that I am aware of, and certainly none that I have been asked” to enforce.
IMPORT - See Page B5
Spanish Wells triumphs on ‘absurd’ solar energy tariff BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net SPANISH Wells residents have emerged victorious in the battle to force their electricity provider to pay higher compensation for renewable energy fed back to its grid after it initially offered a sum equal to just over 10 percent of what it charges consumers. The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), unveiling the results of the public consultation on St George’s Cay Power Company’s renewable energy plan, said it will
mandate that the electricity provider - which supplies power to around 1,300 business and residential customers on Spanish Wells and Russell Island - must pay the equivalent of that month’s fuel charge as compensation to solar system owners who sell excess energy back to its grid. The regulator acted after multiple residents, as well as the Spanish Wells community collectively, branded the $0.05 (five cents) per kilowatt hour compensation offered by St George’s as “absurd” and far too low COMPENSATION - See Page B7
also alleging she has been unable to secure fresh employment following her termination because Bahamasair has “provided negative and misleading references” about her to potential employers. As a result, she is seeking a Supreme Court Order that Bahamasair not only pay her $170,000, representing the loss of two years’ salary had she remained with the national flag carrier, plus her bi-weekly allowance and health insurance benefits, but also a further $250,000 for “loss of future earnings capacity” over a three-year period. A further $150,000 is being sought for “damage to professional reputation”; $100,000 for “emotional distress and humiliation”; and a combined $400,000 for “aggravated and exemplary” damages. GOVERNANCE - See Page B6
$ 5.32
$ 5.53
Economist: Bahamas lottery can ‘co-exist’ with web shop sector BY NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net A BAHAMIAN economist is calling for revived discussions on the merits of introducing a national lottery as he argued that it can successfully “co-exist” with the domestic web shop gaming industry. Rupert Pinder, assistant professor of economics at the University of The Bahamas (UoB), told Tribune Business that establishing a national lottery model similar to that of Barbados would serve as a more effective means of both raising - and directing - funds generated by ‘games of chance’ to critical social and community initiatives. He added that this would, in turn, ease demands on the Government’s Budget and Bahamian taxpayers to provide the necessary financing for areas such as social welfare, community development and health and education - especially
RUPERT PINDER since the state has “limited fiscal headroom”. Mr Pinder, suggesting that a Bahamian national lottery could generate “millions” annually for funding ‘good causes’, told this newspaper that any discussion should avoid the merits or otherwise of web shop gaming as “we’ve already born that baby”. He suggested that a national lottery could even be “integrated” with, and offered as part of, the existing games and services provided by the web shops, with its operation and management outsourced to a private Bahamian consortium.
CHANCE - See Page B5