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The Tribune L AT E S T
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T R I B U N E 2 4 2 . C O M
Biggest And Best!
Volume: 123 No. 127, Wednesday, May 27, 2026
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: PRICE–$1
BUYING HOME IS ‘OUT OF REACH’ FOR MOST Buyers need almost $67k upfront to qualify for median mortgage By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN tourism and food industry workers earn on average just 38 percent of the salary needed to service a “median” New Providence mortgage and meet bank debt stipulations, it has been revealed, with this nation’s house priceto-earnings ratio branded “remarkably high”. The Inter-American Development Bank
(IDB), in a just-released March 2026 study on home affordability in The Bahamas, reaffirms that “formal housing solutions are increasingly out of reach of low and middle income households” with New Providence’s house price to income index - which measures affordability by comparing real estate costs to earnings - shown as being among the highest in the world at 141:1. See BUSINESS FOR STORY
CRASHED PLANE NOT LICENCED TO FLY, SAY INVESTIGATORS By Tribune Staff Reporter THE plane carrying 11 Bahamians which was forced to ditch into the sea on election day when both engines failed should not have been flying, according to the crash investigating authority. The Civil Aeronautics Authority of Panama,
New Cabinet’s first meeting
where the aircraft was registered, said documentation allowing it to be airborne expired in June 2025. Managing Director, Captain Rafael Barcenas, told The Tribune yesterday: “It is correct that that aircraft could not fly after June 4, 2025. PLANE - SEE PAGE FIVE
CABINET MINISTERS, led by Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, hold their first Cabinet meeting as they prepare for the upcoming budget debate. Photo: OPM By JADE RUSSELL Tribune Staff Reporter jrussell@tribunemedia.net WITH the Davis administration set to unveil its 2026/2027 national budget today, investments in infrastructure and healthcare are expected to remain key priorities. That’s according to Works and
Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting and Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville. Both ministers outlined their budget plans to reporters yesterday before heading to the first Cabinet meeting. They were among a mix of incumbent ministers and newcomers seen arriving at the Office of the Prime
Minister, expressing optimism about the new term. Speaking on his ministry’s plans, Mr Sweeting said core initiatives to improve infrastructure and drainage across the country will continue, with the Family Islands set to remain a priority. CABINET - SEE PAGE TWO
Attorney loses appeal over $862k missing funds By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS Tribune Staff Reporter lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
ATTORNEY CRAIG BUTLER
THE Court of Appeal has upheld a decision to disbar attorney Craig Butler after he admitted to misappropriating more than $862,000 in funds belonging to AML Foods Limited. The appeal followed a ruling by the Disciplinary Tribunal of the Bahamas
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
Bar Council in July 2024 ordering that Mr Butler be struck from the Roll of Counsel and Attorneys for professional misconduct. The case centres on allegations by AML Foods that Mr Butler misappropriated $862,287.43 entrusted to him during a property purchase transaction. The ruling said Mr Butler BUTLER - SEE PAGE THREE