The Bahamas Christian Council is calling on Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis to reconsider the appointments of two Cabinet ministers over concerns about their ties to the gaming industry.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the council said the appointments of Sebas Bastian and Leslia Miller-Brice could negatively affect The Bahamas’ reputation and standing with international anti-money laundering regulators.
Bastian and Miller-Brice were sworn into Cabinet last Saturday as minister of innovation and national development and minister of culture, arts and heritage, respectively.
The council pointed to provisions in the Gaming Act that prohibit Cabinet ministers or their family members from holding gaming licenses or maintaining significant financial interests in gaming operations.
According to the BCC, the restrictions are intended to prevent conflicts of interest between public responsibilities and private financial gain, as well as concerns about undue influence over regulatory decisions.
“We acknowledge that the ministers in question have indicated that they have satisfied the legal requirements necessary to serve in Cabinet,” the council said. “However, no public evidence has yet been produced that fully resolves the concern held by many citizens.”
The organization also questioned whether the “spirit of the law” had been honored, even if legal requirements were technically met.
“The Bahamian people should not be asked to accept what appears to be legal gymnastics crafted to get one over on the law,” the statement added.
The council said the issue comes at a sensitive time as The Bahamas prepares for an October review by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, which evaluates anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing measures across the region.
“The financial services industry is too important to the national economy for the government to ignore any action that may raise unnecessary questions about transparency, regulatory credibility, or the integrity of public decision-making,” the BCC said.
The council urged Davis to reconsider the appointments, saying the country needs a Cabinet that is “not only legally constituted, but publicly trusted.”
Questions surrounding the appointments surfaced immediately after the ministers were sworn in.
Miller-Brice, the MP-elect for Seabreeze, did not serve in Davis’ first administration because of her connections to the gaming industry. Over the weekend, a spokesperson said her husband, Leander Brice, resigned as chief executive officer of GLK Limited, operator of the gaming house Asure Win, before her appointment.
According to the statement, Brice informed the Gaming Board for The Bahamas on May 5 of his intention to resign and sever related financial interests.
The opposition Free National Movement has also raised concerns over the appointments, saying the matter should be tested in court “so that the law may be clearly interpreted and upheld in the national interest.”
