Modern Pirates



Dirt and drugs in Nassau
 

The Ambassador of The
European Commission
Kingston/Jamaica                                                                                                                                                 September 13, 2004

 
$ 25 million for a corrupt caribbean government -
meeting with Bahamas Minister Leslie Miller
 
Dear Mr. Gert Jarchow,
 

I am shocked to read that according to the Bahamas Minister of Trade and Industry Leslie Miller The Bahamas is expected to receive $25 million from the European Union.

Mr. Miller said the government requested and received permission from the European Union, under its economic funding and apparatus to give The Bahamas $725,000 to assist the country following Hurricane Frances. He said a further $10.5 million was given to The Bahamas from the European Union Development Fund for Family Island development, and he would also attempt to accrue an additional 10-15 million Euros for further relief assistance within the next 10 days while meeting with the European Commission in Brussels.

This is a total of 25 million and Mr. Miller said: "We have already made the request to the delegation of the European Commission in Kingston".

I urge the commsion NOT to pay these amounts to the Bahamian government not only in times we have a decrease of our own economy in Europe but also due to the following reasons:

1. According to the Bahamas Handbook The Bahamas is under the leading nations in the world concerning per head earning with approximately 16,000 dollar annually (see also www.the-bahamas.de).

2. The European Union should call the Bahamas government first for social politics. Why can lawyers charge 400 US $ per HOUR wheras a waitress might earn 150 $ per WEEK only?

3. The Bahamas government did NOT install the system of income tax since decades but charging high duties even on basic items which is a gross injustice to assist the rich Bahamians only.

4. The Bahamas - which is well known for wide spread crime and corruption, victimization, inefficiency , scandalous law affairs, nepotism and favoritism - is living on other countries expenses due to their tax policy anyhow and money laudering is still going on. Many Bahamians live luxury lives based on the particular tax system and on foreigners bad experiences (visit www.haraldfuhrmann.int.tc).

5. European tax payers pay twice for Bahamians: 1. Due to the self-willed financial policy. 2. Due to granting addition money from European taxpayers.

6. The Bahamas are still on the top drug dealing list: 1. Even the high income per capita does NOT include income out of drug trafficking. 2. On the other hand Europeans have to bear high costs to keep drug dealing down and to assit to the sick.

7. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for instance and others claim that they do not come for actual appropriate bilateral investment assistance contracts and also for compulsory investment protection contracts because the government of the Bahamas shows NO interest in it.

8. The Bahamian government presents from many interested states the corresponding drafts for examination. They openly report in addition, that in the foreseeable time one should not expect any reaction on the part of the island state. The dangers for foreign investors become so clear in particular.

9. Bahamian politicians are chameleons: They smile at delegates from European agencies in order to get as much money as possible but in fact foreigners are not accepted as equivalent partners.

10. Instead of showing courtesy on the international parquet Europeans and Americans should demand from the Bahamas government also for more justice towards foreign investors (visit also www.injustice.net.tc)

11. Unfortunatellay we have to state that The Bahamas are better organized than the European Community otherwise Bahamian politicians, government agencies, lawyers etc would not turn deaf ears to certain plights nor would they show so much ignorance and poor attitudes towards white foreigners ( see also www.bahamas-guardian.de.vu).

12. Even the highest judge of the Bahamas, Sir Burton Hall, does not shrink from expressing a likewise criticism. It is a breaking of law, if the law system of Bahamas does not permit a plaintiff, his entitled demands in acceptable way with courts. There are sufficient serious complaints from white foreigners about attorneys, the Bahamas Bar Association, the Minister of Justice or even the Prime Minister (view also www.bahamas.net.tc).

13. The wide-spread corruption in the Bahamas, which was always a component of the political culture, explains itself. The current prime minister Perry Christie has energetically demanded an ethical behavior from his ministers, people employed in government agencies and the coworkers of public agencies, however he must first question himself, how to order the requirement of more moral.

14. It is often criticized that even after one year a demand for a public committee of inquiry over the” unfair” law of the country is posed one would not hear one word from the Prime Minister or from a member of the Bahamas cabinet. The European Commission which deals with The Bahamas and caribbean countries has to consider what foreign investors are saying: "where silence is, there is dishonesty and wherejustice is retarded, there is justice refused!"

Well said:......the www.boycottbahamas.com website is attracting international attention to our incompetent, insensitive, corrupt and disreputable government, making us all look like a nation of greedy, insensitive pirate bafoons, when truthfully, only 70 persent of the population fits into that category. Take the widly popular boycottbahamas, add to it the 30 derogatory Web sites created by the ripped-off German investor Harald Fuhrmann, spice it up with the international reputation of our pirate-like judicial system, sprinkle it with our ever increasing crime rate, add a pinch of money laundering and financial crimes, throw in a dash of international copyright violations and top it all off with the human rights violations, contained in the Amnesty International report, and you've got a great recipe for the failure of a nation......We need to do it better and the sooner the better.

As long as Attorney General Alfred Sears does not show any respect towards foreign governments and denies any important bilateral agreements the EU should not accept the request made to the delegation of the European Commission in Kingston. Bahamas Consult also urges to verify former payments were used for. Bahamas Consult´s managing director Harald Fuhrmann also wonders that the government owned radio and TV station ZNS speads anti foreign messages and that this little island nation with 300 000 inhabitants was able to spent a big amount of 2 million dollars on the independant celebrations. The Bahamas government is also criticized for its false statements and dishonest information policy. Therefore I never understood why the Bahamas government is always saying "it is better in The Bahamas" - this should mean for the European Commission "caution is necessary in The Bahamas".


Yours faithfully
The Bahamas Reporter
Harald Fuhrmann
Bahamas Consult

 

 

Open Letter to European Commission
ACP The European Parlament Bahamas
General Secretariat of the
African, Caribbean and
Pacific Group of States

Av. Georges Henri, 451
B-1200 Brussels
Belgium
European Parliament
Co-Secretariat EU


Rue Wiertz
B-1047 Brussels
Belgium
Prime Minister
of The Bahamas


Rawson Square
Nassau New Providence Island
Bahamas

1. Meetings of the Committee on Economic Development,
Finance and Trade at the 22-23 September 2004 in Brussels
2. Possible Additional Request from The Bahamas government

Dear Sirs,

to our knowledge the government of Islands of The Bahamas got awarded Euro 3.9 million ($4.8) for Family Island development and Euro 0.6 million ($0.75) to assist the Bahamas following Hurricane Frances out of the European Development Fund for the period 2000 - 2005.

Concerning the letter dated September13, 2004 Bahamas Consult named already 15 reasons (like unsocial politics, no bilateral investment assistance contracts, dishonesty in the Bahamas legal profession for instance) NOT to grant additional amounts. We urge to consider as far as possible also wide spread crime and corruption as well as one of the highest killing rates in the world and lack of justice. We should also take care that government of the Bahamas does not spoil the international reputation of the council of the ACP and demand to avoid any watering-can principles instead of using intuition.

Citizens and foreigners alike claim that Bahamas legal profession which is xembedded in the political culture of the Bahamas are defacing the little island nation also by stealing real estate, setting up rogue bank accounts and manipulating court decisions. One has to fight against sanctimony and fraternity if you contact the Bahamas Bar Association or Ministers, such as Alfred Sears, Bahamas Attorney General, Fred Mitchell, Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs, or Prime Minister Perry Christie. Everyone who is calling for honesty patrol will turn deaf ears on a plight as long as you are not a member of this so-called “honest” society. We claim that it is even a worse habit if responsable prominent persons within the Bahamas legal profession and the Bahamas government never meet with or respond to serious complaints and not even give a general answer.

We have been asked even by a Bahamian businessman for instance to act as a guardian to inform the world community of the on-going conspiracy against individuals by the legal profession of the Bahamas. He said: When the legal profession, the government and "the public" can involve themselves in “criminal activity” against an individual, I am justified in taking my case to the entire world in order to free myself and to help others against such criminal activities. This behaviour involves slavery, lying, theft of funds, property and children, abusing the innocent and illegal scientific programs designed to destroy lives. By denying the right of access to our lives through secretly paying informants to injure our private lives and reputations, we are at liberty to take any cause of action we deem within the limits of the law to expose such criminal behaviour even if it shames the entire legal profession, the government and its people.

A Bahamian woman reports that legal corruption is out of control in the Bahamas. After three years of her talking about a conspiracy amongst Bahamian lawyers, a major local newspaper has finally taken up the cause to circumvent justice. Three years ago when her building was taken over by squatters who work for crooked lawyers, she sounded the alarm. The same occupants are in her building and have not paid rent in over two years. And her court cases has been adjourned about 20 times. So one can imagine that foreigners can become easily victims of the Bahamian dishonesty. Unfortunatelly what we call inefficiency of Bahamian legal professionals has also a serious impact on the country´s dealing with international investments, economic cooperation and development.

Mrs. Allyson Maynard-Gibson – a lawyer too - has already called for a "moral revolution" in the Bahamas in former times, warning that if it did not happen the country could lose its respect in the world. In the meantime Mrs. Maynard-Gibson became Minister of Financial Services and Investments. In this position she is claiming that foreigners call for the honesty patrol. We beleave the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Honourable Perry G. Christie, does not remember that he outlined a new Codes of Ethic shortly after he was

Scabdals in the Bahamas
   They have no eyes to see, no ears to hear, no mouth     to talk in case a relief, a written answer or personal                 meeting is  necessary                 Since 2003: Wayne Munroe

elected to avoid corruption in the government, their agencies and committees. What happened since than? But while the Bahamas Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. Leslie Miller, attends the above mentioned meetings there should be the promissing to talk with him about prospective political and social explanations as well as constitutional principles.




Yours faithfully

The Bahamas Reporter
Harald Fuhrmann

000904 Bahamas Consult


+ + + + + Breaking news, Sept. 26, 2004 - European Parliament, Brussels: It was not at the agenda of the Committee on Economic Development that the Bahamas Trade Minister Leslie Miller applied for additional 10-15 million Euros for further assistance + + + + +



Bahamas2b2
October 01, 2004 - 11:13
German Investor Slams Bahamas Trade Minister

'Nobody except the government, by itself, is guilty of allowing a handful a of people to control the economic plight of the majority of the population'

Trade minister Leslie Miller has been called a "worldwide travelling parasite" by a furious German investor who is campaigning to have European aid diverted from the Bahamas.

Disgruntled Harald Fuhrmann has been lobbying top officials in Brussels in a bid to block any European move to send post-hurricane reliefor other finacial aid to Nassau.

Mr. Fuhrmann told The Tribune Tuesday: "They were amazed at what I had to tell them. They were appalled at some of the disclosures I made about the way things are done in the Bahamas."

The investor sternly criticised Mr. Miller's attendance at ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and told senior officials that it was ridiculous to regard the Bahamas as a "least developed country (LDC)".

Mr. Fuhrmann said the Bahamas is not an LDC so the European Union should not provide its government with any additional financing over the 2005-2010 period.

In a press statement issued Tuesday, Mr. Fuhrmann said: "Nobody except the government, by itself, is guilty of allowing a handful of people to control the economic plight of the majority of the population. High duties, even on basic items, are the cause of poverty in the Bahamas."

Bahamas PM: Perry Christe "The Bahamas' prime minister Perry Christie never tires of repeating that he cuts red tape for foreign investors, I know many investors who gave up trying to invest money in this little island nation due to widespread bureacracy, difficulties in getting licences, obligations to employ unskilled workers, as well as racism and injustice towards white foreigners."

Mr. Fuhrmann said Bahamians themselves were responsible for the unusually high cost of capital developments in the country because of low level productivity.

"Concerning Eurpoena development activities, it is absurd to spend the money of European taxpayers in such countries where the prices are so high and productivity so low," he said.

"There is no true need in supporting the Bahamian government. In Europe and the US, with all its highways and autobahns, every second person owns a car. In the Bahamas every fifth person is proud to own a car."

"But look at the statistics of the low developed countries," stated Mr. Fuhrmann, "In Haiti it is every 220the person and the ACP members from African areas are Rwanda (500), Sudan (1,000) and in Somalia every 5,700the person has car. Now you know where the poorest people live in our world.

Real estate agents might laugh if you requested a property in the exclusive Lyford Cay development for less than one million US dollars. Foreigners can barley imagine how much a villa is," he said.

"Look at the long lines at the various burger restaurants - it seems everyone is too lazy to cook or has enpugh money to afford such meals.

"Shopping trips to Florida consume a substantial percentage of the average Bahamian's budget. Per capita Internet connectivity and cable television percentages are higher than in the United States.

"Considering this background it is a shame for the Bahamian government to ask for international support, considering that Bahamians have an average income per capita of $45 dollars a day and income from drug trafficking is not included in that figure.

"Many Bahamians have been used to living on handouts from other countries for centuries. Hopefully, the requested report from the delegation of the European Commission in Jamaica will shed some light on the darkness or Leslie Miller as a fair partner will announce the cancellation of the Bahamas from the list of real low developed countries."

"However, the Council of the EU needs to make the right decision, focus on the poorest nations and develop a variety of activities, inclduing dialogue with official parties and advocacy."

Source:
The Tribune

+ + + + + Bahamas Consult: Even Mr. Miller must agree that the use of EU funds for "Goodwill gestures" like the construction of the Eugene Dupuch Law School cannot be expected in the future anymore + + + +

Bahamas2b2

October 01, 2004 - 11:15
Bahamas Loses Millions
Minister of Trade and Industry Leslie Miller traveled to Brussels, Belgium last week to meet with EU officials in his quest to secure $12 million

The Bahamas has lost out on millions of dollars in relief funds from the European Union because of negligence on the part of former administrations, according to a Cabinet Minister.

Minister of Trade and Industry Leslie Miller traveled to Brussels, Belgium last week to meet with EU officials in his quest to secure $12 million to assist in rebuilding Family Island infrastructure damaged after Hurricane Frances.

To his surprise, Minister Miller said, grants that were allocated to assist The Bahamas during national disasters were not readily available for access due to the noncompliance with the EU's Cotonou Agreement.

This agreement replaced the Lomé Convention, which has provided the structure for trade and cooperation between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states since 1975.

Days after Hurricane Frances, the Minister had said during a press conference called by the prime minister, that The Bahamas expected to benefit from EU funding to the tune of at $12 million.

The Minister said Thursday he will continue to push to get funds from the EU. He added that about $8.5 million can be accessed by The Bahamas in about five weeks.

Those funds would be crucial to the government, which is seeking to repair damaged infrastructure. The situation was compounded by Hurricane Jeanne over the weekend.

On some Family Islands, roadways, particularly those along the seashore, have been battered and now have gaping holes that could create dangerous driving conditions.

Some government buildings, docks and airports, also suffered significant damage in the storms.

Minister Miller told reporters Thursday that if the former PLP administration and the FNM government had complied with provisions of the EU agreement, The Bahamas, like other developing countries, would have been able to readily access many more millions of dollars in grants from the EU.

"In my initial meeting with EU [officials], they were not only surprised, but they were considering whether or not The Bahamas should continue to be a recipient of aid from the European Union or funding from the European Union for Family Island development as well as infrastructure development due to the fact that over the past 25 years The Bahamas has been grossly negligent in accessing grant funds that were rightly given to The Bahamas,’ he said.

The Minister added that from the year 2000, the paperwork that was required to be handed in on a yearly basis to enable The Bahamas to facilitate the funding of projects had not been completed.

He said this contributed to the EU's misconception that The Bahamas was not in need of funding.

"Therefore, they were of the opinion that a country as rich as The Bahamas had no need for funding from the European Union and they were looking at diverting those funds to other countries that fulfilled the obligation of the Cotonou [agreement],’ Minister Miller said.

He said he has assured the EU that from now on, "high quality individuals’ will be appointed to oversee the process from The Bahamas' end to ensure that benefits granted to the country will be accessed to the fullest extent.

"What usually happens when you don't fulfill your requirement with the Union [is that] those funds go back into a currency basket to projects that are on schedule for other developing countries. Those countries are then given those funds to assist in the economic development of their country," Minister Miller explained.

He said Haiti and The Bahamas were the only two countries over the years that have lost funds allocated to them from the EU because they did not utilize those funds by sending in information on projects that needed funding.

While The Bahamas has lost out on millions of dollars in aid, the European Union's Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), has secured $650,000 to assist hurricane-affected islands, the Minister said.

But only the Bahamas Red Cross Society would be able to access some of that money. The Minister said he planned to meet with officials from that organization as early as Friday to inform them how they can tap into those funds.

The European Union as a whole is one of the world's main humanitarian aid donors, and ECHO is the service responsible for this activity.

"They assist countries right away that are a part of the African Caribbean Pacific [states] to receive immediate funds," Minister Miller explained.

He said Grenada has already received $1.5 million from ECHO.

"It appears to me, from my discussions with senior officers of the Union, that perhaps The Bahamas might be eligible for about $3 million in quick funding to assist those persons who are displaced in Grand Bahama and Abaco," the Minister said.

He also told reporters that he plans to meet next week with EU executives in Kingston, Jamaica to present specifics on the damage wrought by the recent hurricanes and the kinds of repairs that are needed.

If the EU approves the planned reconstruction activities, the funding would be used solely for infrastructure development on the Family Islands, which would include the repair of docks, roads, streetlights and electrical works.

Government officials have said that those funds are important given that the monies being donated to the national disaster relief fund are being used strictly to assist hurricane victims to rebuild and not for any kinds of infrastructure work.

Authorities have also said they are reordering their fiscal priorities in light of the recent storms and some capital work outlined in the 2004-2005 budget will not proceed as scheduled.

Bianca Symonette
The Bahamas Journal


+ + + + + Bahamas Consult suggests that the Co-Presidents ask for additional policy research which should be conducted by the delegation of the European Commisssion in Jamaica. In times of budget problems this issue must urgently be adressed to both Mrs. Kinnock (UK) and Mr. Sardjoe (Suriname) + + + + +

The Bahamas: Modern Pirates

One should imagine that Leslie Miller is one of the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (low developed countries and member of the European Union), how would he describe the needs of the Bahamas? He has to hide the following situations which Bahamas Consult had to experience in The Bahamas:

1. Bahamians are proud to be under the leading nations in the world concerning per head earning with approximately 16,000 Dollar annually (drug trafficking not included).

2. On the Out Islands a Bahamian daughter will go even by car if she wants to visit her mother who lives only a quarter of a mile fare away. In Africa there are countries where every 5,700the person has car.

3. Real estate agents might laugh if you request property in the exclusive Lyford Cay development for less than one million US Dollars. Foreigners can barely imagine how much a villa is.

4. Look at the long lines at the various Burger Restaurants - it seems everybody is too lazy to cook or has enough money to afford such meals whereas billions even do not earn one or two Dollars per day.

5. A case of local beer is five to ten times expensive than in Europe

6. Shopping trips to Florida consume a substantial percentage of the average Bahamian's budget.

7. Per capita Internet connectivity and cable television percentages are higher than in the United States.

8. Instead of showing courtesy on the international parquet Europeans and Americans should demand from the Bahamas government also for more justice towards foreign investors

9. Even the highest judge of the Bahamas, Sir Burton Hall, does not shrink from expressing a likewise criticism. It is a breaking of law, if the law system of Bahamas does not permit a plaintiff, his entitled demands in acceptable way with courts

10. Last but not least: The Bahamian government presents from many interested states the corresponding drafts for examination. They openly report in addition, that in the foreseeable time one should not expect any reaction on the part of the island state. The dangers for foreign investors become so clear in particular.



October 04, 2004
Miller Warns German Investor
'I don't know what this man problem is, but obviously he has a serious problem,' Mr. Miller said. 'I don't care what his problem was.'

Minister of Trade and Industry, Leslie Miller, warned German investor Harald Fuhrmann to refrain and desist from casting negative aspersions on the government, The Bahamas and its people during their quest to uplift citizens that are less fortunate.

"Why would this guy try and take bread out of the mouths of Bahamians when his living here?" Mr. Miller questioned on Thursday.

Mr. Fuhrmann referred to Mr. Miller in a local daily as a "worldwide traveling parasite," and claimed that he (Mr. Fuhrmann) was campainging to have European aid for hurricane relief diverted from The Bahamas. Mr. Miller recently returned to the capital following a week-long EU meeting in Brussels, Belgium, to solicit further funds for The Bahamas hurricane relief.

Mr. Miller said Mr. Fuhrmann is not in tune with the caveat of the EU and the ACP (African Caribbean Pacific Rim)Agreement that is in place. He said The Bahamas is certified as a developing country under the EU and is eligible for funding and grants.

"I find it incredible that someone who lives amon us, and obviously who has received some benefits as a guest in our country, could be so bold and blatant in his attempt to take away economic benefits from the ahamian people that they have every right to.

"I don't know what his man problem is, ut obviously he has a serious problem." Mr. Miller said.

Mr. Miller said Mr. Fuhrmann continues to attack The Bahamas on his website and is allowed to get away with it. The government, he said, has not expelled Mr. Fuhrmann from the country, nor has it made him persona non grata.

"He has all the privileges of everyone of us that lives in our fair land and yet he chooses to degrade and degenerate the good name of our people and our country.

"My advice to this gentleman is maybe he should catch the next flight out of here and get hiself a one way ticket. I am gravely concerned about his efforts to try to influence the EU> He can't do it. He does not have the capacity," Mr. Miller said.

Accodring to the Trade and Industry Minister, the EU ACP Agreement is "enshrined in stone" and was established to assist countries in the region and throughout the world; therefore Mr. Fuhrmann was wasting his time.

"If he believes that he has one iota of influecne on the EU in trying to get the union not to provide to the Bahamian people the grant funding that is enshrined in the Cotonou Agreement, he is wrong," Mr. Miller said.

Under the Cotonou Agreement, The Bahamas along with other countries in the Pacific Rim and Africa, receive assistance from the EU on a five year basis. Over the past 25 years, The Bahamas and the Caribbean have benefitted from the Agreement via the issuace of direct grants.

Mr. Miller concluded that Mr. Fuhrmann was displaying "poor statemanship" by being a guest in The Bahamas and warned him to cease with the comments that would "bring down" the country.

"It is not fair, it is not right that you are a guest in my home and you continue to degrade me on a continual basis. The Bahamas has every right to get whatever benefits the Union has decided to provide to our people and I would beg him to be very careful of how you try to put a bad name on our country and our people.

"I don't care what his problem was. I would hope that whatever his problem was, it would have been dealt with, with the proper authorities. If someone took advantage of him, then there is recourse, but discontinue attacking our country. It is not fair," he said.

Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian


Bahamas Consult
Harald Fuhrmann
Rothelebuch 6
87637 Seeg


www.the-bahamas.de
consult@the-bahamas.de

 

Press Release October 04, 2004
Bahamas Consult: Nobody else except the government by itself is responsable for the international reputation of The Bahamas

Bahamas Consult´s manager Harald Fuhrmann has to warn Minister of Trade and Industry, Leslie Miller, that he as a German investor becomes a victim of the Bahamas state´s apparatus and ist legal system. „I have to resit with all my strength to become a victim and urge Mr. Miller to be more correct in his talks with the Bahamian media“, said Fuhrmann. And he denies that he received any benefits as a foreigner or has privileges like every Bahamian“, said the German investor.

Mr. Miller can tell those lies to journalists working for the government owned ZNS TV station and they might believe it but quite the opposite ist true“, claimed Fuhrmann. „Like other white foreigners I am still treated with utter contempt and nobody from the legal profession or the cabinet has given me the courtesy of a reply“, he continued. „The Bahamian legal profession and the government are responsable for the bad international reputation and I am afraid that they will continue to do such a poor job".

"Bahamas Consult recommends Mr. Miller to give his colleague, Attorney General Alfred Sears and Prime Minister Perry Christie some big kicks in their hips in order to wake up and to stop with nepotism, fraternity and corruption. But Mr. Miller can also look in his own mirror because due to my letter which was passed to him 12 month ago he knows about my ten year wrangle with the Bahamas legal profession and that I asked Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont to press for an inquiry in order to quell growing concern among foreigners and white foreigners about lawyers' alleged inefficiency and neglience“, stated Fuhrmann.

„True is that the Bahamas government is taking bread out of Mr. Fuhrmann´s mouth every month when he has to pay interests due to the Bahamian buddy system. And true is also that Mr. Miller had already his newspaper on his desk with all the good reasons not to apply for any assistance from The European Commission but no comment was made on that. Reasons are a per head earning with approximately 16,000 dollar annually, a tax system which prefers rich people only and Bahamas Consult claimed also high cost of capital developments which cause low level productivity for instance.

We have to acknowledge that people who have just one Dollar for their daily food (like in central Africa) can expect more support than Bahamians because it is more effective“, the German explained and "the major ACP-EU concern is a system of customs preferences which have to be changed gradually into free-trade agreements (regional economic partnerships) compatible with the WTO system of rules. Poor ACP states (low developed countries) from Caribbean, African and Pacific regions will be granted a differential and asymmetric treatment over long transformation periods and they will be encouraged to form and strengthen these regional groups."


„But in my opinion Mr. Miller even lied to the local media before his trip to Brussels in so far as he stated that he had already made a request to the delegation of the European Commission in Kingston for a total sum of 25 million Dollars.After our long search we came to the result that nothing like that was done. And unfortunatelly Mr. Miller did not make any comment concerning the mentioned arguments.

BTW a reputation of a country cannot depend on a bunch of brochures which are published by the Bahamas government or any supplements in American newspapers which are merely paid advertorial material and not written by real journalists. Mr Miller would be also wrong to stop me as an educated journalist from any comments about an unfair land or from the trip which will bring Bahamas Consult next year from south to north and east to west of the United States to contact newspapers, TV stations, chambers of commerce and travel agents …. taking care that our statements are always correct. This is our promisse towards Trade Minister Leslie Miller”, Fuhrmann continued.

„If we consider that Bahamas Consult published today a new website called www.acp-caribbean.eu.tc mentioning the dispute with Leslie Miller and the dirty Bahamas legal profession which is in our opinion deeply embedded in the bad political culture of The Bahamas then we cannot confirm what Mr. Miller tried to express. He said: I do not care what his problem was but I guess that it has been dealt with the proper authorities.

If someone took advantage of him, then there is recourse! Dear Mr. Leslie Miller it does not make sence to tell the local media what fair is and what not. Harald Fuhrmann offered on several occasions a prospective dialog. But fact is that as long as Attorney General Alfred Sears and other ministers do not show any respect towards foreign investors and as long white foreigners have to say: "where silence is, there is dishonesty and where justice is retarded, there is justice refused!" as long you cannot stop Bahamas Consult from publishing the truth. And we are still waiting for your reply on the above mentioned letter”, criticized Fuhrmann.

 

October 13, 2004
FNM Leader Slams Leslie Miller
Mr. Turnquest suggested that Mr. Miller was anxious to deflect attention from his most recent trip to Brussels, which was really a private vacation

Calling Trade and Industry Ministry Leslie Miller a "national embarrassment" and ill-suited to hold a ministerial position, FNM leader Tommy Turnquest called on the PLP government to remove Mr. Miller from his position as he does not not take advice and is "frequently uninformed and frequently wrong".

Mr. Turnquest said that failure to remove Mr. Miller will speak to the competence of the PLP.

The FNM leader's response was to statements made by the minister on his return from Brussels when he said that the Bahamas had failed to efficiently access assistance from the European Union (EU).

The FNM leader suggested that Mr. Miller's trip to Europe was unnecessary as he failed to bring back the $5 million in hurricane aid he promised.

Mr. Turnquest further suggested that Mr. Miller was anxious to deflect attention from his most recent trip to Brussels, which was really a "private vacation" and totally unnecessary so far as accessing hurricane relief assistance from the EU.

Source: Rupert Missick, The Tribune


DEAR MR. LESLIE MILLER

1. Would you say you have been really prepared for your one week long business trip to Europe and how much did your ministry pay all together?

2. What was the content of the request made by you to the delegation of the European Commission in Kingston before you left for Brussels? Did you get any answers and did you make correct statements to the Bahamian media?

3. Don´t you think that the Bahamas has a position of a mischief-maker within the group of low developed countries (ACP), the European Humanitary Aid Office, the International Commission of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other communities like the United Nations?

4. Did you just speculate on any millions from the European Commission or what was the background of your expectations?

5. Did you have any appointments with responsible officials in Brussels and with whom did you have any pretalks?

6. Why did you ignore the arguments stated by Bahamas Consult and why didn´t you make any concrete comments on arguments which have been published in The Tribune after you returned from Europe?

7. Why do you want that foreigners become victims of the state´s apparatus and your own poor job?

8. Why do you make the public belief that you would not know which problems the German investor has in the Bahamas and didn´t he write you a letter why he has still has problems in a country practicing injustice and unfairness? It seems that you are a member of the so called dishonest society.

9. You do know why Bahamians are called modern pirates, you do know about corruption and drug trafficking as well but do younot know what Code of Ethics mean?

10. Are you a poor example how the Bahamas government damage its image on the international platform? And don´t you think that this has a negative effect on the Bahamian tourism industry?



List in alphabetical order of the ACP countries -
members of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly

+ + + + + Bahamas Consult: Concerning European development activities, it is absurd to spend the money of European taxpayers in such countries where the prices are so high and productivity so low + + + + +

 

 

CORRUPTION AND INCOMPETENCE:

September 23, 2004 - 09:39
Corruption at Bridge Authority Leads
To Financial Irregularities


Auditors discover serious financial discrepancies in audit report undertaken three years too late.

In another example of corruption and incompetence, so inherent in the Bahamian political system, auditors have announced they are unable to reconcile the figures for bridge toll income and payroll and related party expenses with those recorded by the Authority's own internal systems.

A copy of the Bridge Authority's 2001 financial accounts, only signed off by its directors on June 11, 2004, some three years late, revealed that BDO Mann Judd, the auditors, said that no other accounting methods were available to them to determine whether the $4.339 million in bridge toll income and related expenses recorded for 2001 were accurate.

Once again, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of dollars have gone missing due to the corruption that has infected successive Bahamian governments.

 

October 15, 2004
Concerns That Prison Cash Is Disappearing
Last year Mark Wilson, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security admitted that there is a 'corrupt underworld network' operating at Her Majesty's Fox Hill Prison.

With allegations that millions of dollars are missing from accounts within departments at Her Majesty's Prison, social advocate and lawyer Paul Moss told The Tribune yesterday that he and others dedicated to prison reform, are concerned that funds, which could be used to improve prison conditions, are disappearing.

Persons are concerned that two accounts at the prison, specifically those of the commissary as well as the accounts of inmates who go on work release programmes, are showing "irregularities".

Mark Wilson, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, would not confirm that there was millions of dollars missing from prison accounts, but said that some time ago the department of the Auditor General, after completing an audit, suggested that the Ministry conduct an investigation on all of the prison accounts, particularly one of them.

Mr. Moss said that he has received information that the missing prison funds exceed some $2 million.

Last year Mr. Wilson admitted that there is a "corrupt underworld network" operating at Her Majesty's Fox Hill Prison that the ministry is determined to stamp out.

Source: Rupert Missick, The Tribune

+ + + + The European Unions Humanitarian Aid Offioce has to consider that more than a billion people live under extremely poor conditions. This means, in fact, they have not even one Dollar per day and nother billion have less than two Dollars a day but Bahamians earn 45 Dollars per day - drug trafficking not included + + + + +

PLAYING CONJURING TRICKS WITH MILLIONS AND BILLIONS:


The Nassau Guardian

Cable Beach deal imminent

Prime Minister Perry Christie is set to make a major announcement within the coming days, revealing the name of the group to purchase the Cable Beach strip.

The timing of the announcement was not clear, however, a source close to The Guardian indicated that it could come before the end of this month, "But certainly by October."

The deal was said to be "essentially" finalised and "very close" to consummation.

Three hotels are in the mix for redevelopment: Radisson Cable Beach Resort, the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino and the Nassau Beach Hotel.

The government owns the Radisson Cable Beach Resort, which had undergone extensive refurbishing, particularly to 150 of its rooms, which were damaged by Hurricane Michelle in November 2001.

Phil Ruffin owns the Wyndham and Nassau Beach properties.

The purchase would involve the resorts themselves and ancillary properties to include the golf course and a 55-acre tract opposite the properties, formerly the Hobby Horse Racetrack. The total value of

SEE, CABLE BEACH, BR

the investment is estimated to be in excess of $500 million.

When contacted on Wednesday about the deal, chairman of the Hotel Corporation of The Bahamas, George Smith said he could not reveal much on the matter, only that, "There's going to be a major announcement but I can't say that it would be this week. But you can quote me when I say, we're well on target."

Lyford Cay billionaire likely person

There's been widespread speculation in political and financial sectors, especially over the last three months, that Lyford Cay billionaire Dikran Izmirlian was about to strike a deal to purchase the strip. Mr Izmirlian is a Swiss-Armenian who owns the largest real estate plot in Lyford Cay, according to recent reports.

Earlier this year, Mr Izmirlian had expressed interest in redeveloping the entire Cable Beach strip. The announcement of a "deal" at that time was set to be made by the Prime Minister as well. However, the deal was placed on hold, as there were reportedly tensions between the interested parties who needed to cooperate to make it a success.

At that time Phil Ruffin, had refused to sell his properties to Mr Izmirlian. Ruffin's hotels were crucial in the mix for redevelopment.

It is believed that Ruffin and Izmirlian had been working closer together as of late to strike the deal.

Ruffin has a net worth of $700.00 million and has a 99-year lease on the Wyndham property.

In March Calstar Properties of Orange County, California, had proposed to acquire and redevelop the strip

Calstar Properties estimated that the redevelopment of the hotels would be completed within 36 months. It said the nearby land would take a bit longer and would comprise a convention centre, an amusement and entertainment park.

Myers was in the mix for Radisson

On June 20, a 100 percent Bahamian investment consortium to include the Hotel Industry Pension Funds, The Myers Group and a number of prominent Bahamians announced that it had offered to purchase Radisson Resort.

News of that offer came just days after industrial unrest at the property, where top managers walked off the job protesting "salary anomalies."

The hotel corporation chairman questioned the timing of the Myers' Group offer going public, making headlines in the local papers several weeks after the offer was made to the corporation.

Apart from the Myers Group, several other groups were in a bid to purchase Radisson.

Just last year Mr Smith announced that six "brand name" companies from the United States and Spain expressed interest in purchasing the resort.

At that time, the corporation's board was focussed on correcting the hotel's maintenance problems, which amounted to a loss of approximately $15 million during the previous year.

Its hope was to reduce the massive losses, improve financial performance and protect the jobs of the resort's 900-plus employees. A clearing bank eventually had to bail out the hotel with a $15-million loan.

Because of this tremendous financial burden, the corporation had hoped that by the end of 2003, the resort would have been sold.

By MINDELL SMALL


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