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Bahamas must ‘see through’ anti-corruption reform moves By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas was yesterday urged to “see through” its anti-corruption reforms package to full completion after a US government report highlighted “growing concerns” over its governance systems. Matt Aubry, the Organisation for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) executive director, told Tribune Business that laws such as the Freedom of Information Act, Ombudsman Act and recently-passed Independent Commission of Investigations Bill represent “a formidable framework” for combating graft plus boosting transparency and accountability in how the Government interacts with all citizens. He warned, though, that “it’s critical” such reforms do not exist solely “on paper” or “as a theory”, and that they must start to deliver “real and tangible
t A'PSNJEBCMF GSBNFXPSL DBO U KVTU FYJTU PO QBQFS t /FX 64 SFQPSU T AHSPXJOH HPWFSOBODF DPODFSOT t 03( DIJFG #BIBNBT CSFBLJOH XJUI ANVSLZ QBTU results” for the Bahamian people through being fully implemented and backed with the necessary financing, staff and resources to ensure proper enforcement. Mr Aubry, noting that this nation is seeking to break with a “murky past”, spoke out after the US State Department, in its 2025 ‘investment climate statement on The Bahamas, repeated what are becoming annual concerns about the stalling, delaying or inadequate implementation of anti-corruption and governance reforms that have been much-touted by multiple administrations
US questions progress over ‘Bahamas Invest’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
(see other article on Page 1B). The report, which has been seen by Tribune Business, asserts that - despite the introduction of the Public Procurement Act and digital ‘Go Bonfire’ procurement platform - “a lack of transparent investment procedures and legislation continues to create challenges for investors”. It added that The Bahamas’ nine-point fall in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index since 2011 indicates “growing concerns over governance and anti-corruption enforcement”,
MATT AUBRY and noted that the office appointed to administer the Freedom of Information Act still lacks the necessary technical and administrative staff some eight years after the Act was passed. The US ‘investment climate statement’ on The Bahamas also asserted it is “unclear” why implementation of the Office of the Ombudsman, which would deal with complaints of maladministration and illtreatment of Bahamians in their interaction with
A US government report has challenged the lack of “visible progress” made by The Bahamas in converting its key investment agency into the long-promised Bahamas Invest. The US State Department, in its just-released 2025 ‘investment climate statement’ on The Bahamas, said it is “unclear whether it remains a government priority” to transform the existing Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) into a renamed entity modelled along the lines of its Jamaican counterpart.
Noting that major investment projects in The Bahamas require approval by multiple government agencies, the report, which has been seen by Tribune Business, asserted: “Bureaucratic impediments are not limited to the National Economic Council (NEC) approvals process. “The country lags on international metrics related to starting a business, registering property, acquiring construction permits, accessing credit and resolving property disputes. Significant delays in the approvals process have occurred, including cases where the Government failed CONVERSION - See Page B6
CHANGES - See Page B4
Storm drives Andros bonefish lodge sees 50% Imelda boost 25% weekend surge for Super Value sales By ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net
t #BIBNJBOT ATUPDLJOH VQ BT JG BO BQPDBMZQTF t 4VQQMZ EFMJWFSJFT ACBDL PO TDIFEVMF CZ UPEBZ t "CBDP BOE #BIBNBT AWFSZ MVDLZ XJUI *NFMEB By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net SUPER Value’s president yesterday revealed weekend sales were “at least 25 percent” above normal as New Providence residents raced to stock-up before Tropical Storm Imelda’s arrival. Debra Symonette told Tribune Business that Bahamians were “shopping like crazy” at the 13-store supermarket chain’s outlets from Friday as the likelihood of this nation suffering a direct hit from the system increased. BISX-listed AML Foods was also inundated by customers taking no chances. “Solomon’s Yamacraw probably had a record day yesterday [Saturday] parking lot full for the first time ever that I saw,” one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. “I had to wait for a grocery cart, long lines at the register. People were stocking up as if there was an apocalypse instead of a heavy rainstorm.” Ms Symonette, meanwhile, told this newspaper: “People were shopping like crazy. I guess we can just say that everybody took advantage of the stores being open and they showed up. The main thing is everybody was getting prepared, everybody showed up, and it’s up to us to have on hand what they need
SHOPPING - See Page B4
AN Andros bonefishing lodge yesterday attributed a sudden 50 percent uptick in business to Tropical Storm Imelda’s passing. Cheryl Bastian, proprietor of Swain’s Cay Lodge, told Tribune Business that choosing to remain open during the flat fishing industry’s off-season has paid-off after she and her staff spent two days catering to visitors who came to Mangrove Cay in the hope of escaping the storm’s worst.
“Actually it was a whole airline, a local one. I don’t want to call names. But they brought in like, four or five planes to park here because at the first forecast, it looked like it definitely was going to impact Nassau,” Ms Bastian said. “And given the flooding, given the stronger impact there, they came to Andros, which at the first set of forecasts, both international and our local forecast, it looked as if Nassau was going to get the full brunt, and basically Andros would be pretty light. And then it switched. “They were also concerned if they made the right move. But
Hotels chief: Imelda ‘truly a non-event’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association’s (BHTA) president yesterday branded Tropical Storm Imelda as “truly a non-event” that created “very little drama” for the country’s largest industry. Jackson Weech, also general manager for operations at Atlantis, told Tribune Business that he and the BHTA had received no reports of any Bahamas-based resort sustaining physical damages to their properties as a result of the storm’s passage. “Generally, straight across the archipelago, we fared rather well,” he said. “We have no reports of any physical damage being sustained at any of the resorts.
then, as a result of that, Humberto, the hurricane, category four which had formed, with the factors out there, it pulled that storm more eastward. And so it pulled it away from Andros, resulting in better results for all of us and, for us, a positive impact. I mean that we made them so happy they want to come back and we had very good ‘five star’ remarks about their weekend with us. “We were fortunate to have an airline that brought its plane to Mangrove Cay and the staff stayed here,” Ms Bastian continued. “So, actually, it was an uptick in business. We had two great days of 50
Equally as important, when there were any guests unable to get out of our resorts, and there were one or two, they were fed and taken care of. “The airport [Lynden Pindling International Airport] re-opened at 10am this morning and most of those visitors made their way out. Thankfully, it turned out to be an event with very little drama. We’re pleased with the way it turned out: Truly a non-event.” Mr Weech was echoed by Robert Sands, his immediate past predecessor as BHTA president and also Baha Mar’s senior vice-president for external and government affairs, who told this newspaper: “We’re still gathering information. A number of persons have not really reported in real numbers to work. “To the best of my knowledge other than cancellations due to airport closures, and we obviously have some of that, but the airport only closed for approximately 24 hours and reopened at 10am today [yesterday]. We’re also at the point where the industry has its lowest occupancies for the year, so any impact will be minimal.”
STORM - See Page B5
percent occupancy and food and drinks, that sort of thing, when, typically it’d be quiet because the season doesn’t really open for us here for fly fishing. “We’re a fly fishing lodge until the beginning of October. So that was a nice little windfall. While we regret the level of flooding in Nassau, the country survived. We hope that Abaco fares well. And Florida, one of our big hubs for tourism, was saved as well. So I think we have a lot to be thankful for.”
BOOKING - See Page B6