The Attorney General’s Office last night hit out at what it termed “scurrilous allegations” in yesterday’s INSIGHT article about official secrecy.
Citing claims made by The Tribune’s managing editor, John Marquis, against the Bahamas’ judicial system, a press release said: “The Bahamas is ruled by law rather than rumour and speculation.”
Mr Marquis’s article criticised legal authorities for not revealing the results of toxicology tests into the death of Anna Nicole Smith’s son, Daniel.
It also criticised the fact that the Bahamian public had had to rely on a privately-hired American pathologist, Dr Cyril Wecht, for information they ought to have been given by their own government.
Mr Marquis alleged there was “a culture of official secrecy in this country which takes the line that the public is entitled to know nothing, that they are of no account, and that the longer you keep quiet, the sooner the problem will go away.”
He added: “It is an extension of the contemptuous attitude politicians adopt towards the people when two of them begin knocking blocks off each other in a Cabinet Room brawl.”
The Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs said it “rejected the scurrilous allegations made today against the Bahamian judicial system by John Marquis of The Tribune and wishes to emphasise that The Bahamas is a nation ruled by law rather than rumour and speculation.”
It said the legal and investigative process into the death of Daniel Smith had followed protocols established under Bahamian law. “As is true in any case, whether it involves a Bahamian citizen or foreign national, established protocols are followed to ensure that the police can undertake an appropriate and thorough investigation, and the public can rely on an established and transparent judicial process.
“At the conclusion of the process, the facts of the case, once established through customary Bahamian legal procedure, will be available for public review.
“We are a nation of laws and established judicial procedures, and it is the view of this office that our laws and procedures must be followed in all cases. The public can be assured that the Bahamian judiciary follows transparent and legal processes.”
The statement said final results of toxicology reports would be made public through the normal process of a coroner’s inquest if the Chief Magistrate decided that an inquest should be held.
“At this time, no determination has been made whether an inquest is to be held. Should a magistrate, sitting as coroner, decide an inquest is not necessary, the report of the investigation would be filed with the Supreme Court and become a part of public record.”
It added: “As stated above, in either scenario, the facts of the case, once established through customary Bahamian legal procedure, will be available for public review.”
In the article, Mr Marquis drew a comparison with the attempt to downplay the Keod Smith-Kenyatta Gibson punch-up, writing that the Bahamian public was left to ponder the truth behind both events.
“In so pondering, speculation will continue to mushroom and the press will continue to probe, all in an atmosphere of extreme suspicion. The one certainty to emerge from both cases is that, the longer the speculation goes on, the more sinister will be the conclusions drawn.”
Source: The Tribune
