The Ministry of National Security has refused to comment on the findings of the report on the prison’s internal investigation into the fatal January 17 jailbreak.
Instead, National Security Permanent Secretary Mark Wilson insisted that the fact that The Bahama Journal has obtained a copy of that report is in itself an act of corruption.
Mr. Wilson adamantly refused to comment on the report ﾖ to do so, he said, would be to “collude” in what he termed the Journalﾒs “corruption” in obtaining a copy of the document before it is released to the public.
When confronted with the fact that Prime Minister Perry Christie said after touring the prison in August that he saw no reason why the report should not be made public, and intended to cause the document to be tabled in parliament, Mr. Wilson said “he never said that to me.”
Asked when the report on the prisonﾒs internal inquiry would be released to the public, Mr. Wilson explained that the Attorney Generalﾒs office had advised that the report not be released, and that until the AGﾒs office advised that the report could be released to the public it would remain confidential.
As a result of the investigation into the jailbreak the prisonﾒs special five-man Court of Inquiry made several recommendations, among them that “officers who played a vital role in the recapture of the escapees should be served letters of commendation.”
The Court of Inquiry also recommended that “officers whose performance or conduct on the night in question was poor, and tended to negligence, should face disciplinary action under Section D of the Code of Discipline for subordinate officers.”
And, the report recommended that officers whose names surfaced during the Inquiry as suspects, but without proof, should be subject to further investigation by the police.
Chief Superintendent of Police Hulan Hanna told the Journal on Wednesday that the police investigation of those officers continues, and that prison officers found to have been involved in the deadly escape could face criminal charges depending on their involvement.
Supt. Hanna was unable to say exactly how many officers are under investigation, noting that the police are “following wherever the leads take them.”
Asked about the most severe punishment these officers might face, Supt. Hanna said “that depends on their involvement.”
According to the chief superintendent, the officers under investigation will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Supt. Hanna invited anyone with information regarding possible complicity of prison officers in the breakout to disclose their information either to the police or the prison authorities.
None of those officers the investigators deemed suspect is named in the report, and Supt. Hanna was unable to name any of them.
However, the Court of Inquiry found the actions of both Sgt. Stephen Sands and Sgt. Herman Major on January 17 displayed “poor judgment.”
The investigators also noted that Cpl. Dennis Johnsonﾒs refusal to return to his post on the West Block after being given leave to go to the officersﾒ lounge left “much room for speculation, if not suspicion.”
Elsewhere in the report, the conduct of Principal Officer Gregory Rolle on the night in question is characterized as “nonchalant”, and the behavior of Sgts. Sands and Major is said to show “a total disregard for security.”
By: Quincy Parker, The Bahama Journal
