The inquiry will recount the circumstances surrounding the seizure aboard the Lorequin vessel when confiscated drugs allegedly went missing, Attorney General Alfred Sears said at a press conference at his office.
His media briefing followed a swearing in ceremony of the inquiry’s three commissioners.
Governor General Dame Ivy Dumont swore in Justice Moore as chairman.
The other Commissioners are Anglican Archbishop Drexel Gomez, who served on the 1984 Commission of Inquiry into allegations of drug trafficking in The Bahamas; and former president of the Grand Bahama Port Authority Sir Albert Miller, who was once a deputy commissioner of police.
The Lorequin Commission of Inquiry will take place at the former Ministry of Health building in the Royal Victoria Gardens at East and Shirley streets.
It is alleged that on June 20, 1992, Defence Force officers arrested the two crew members of the Lorequin for alleged drug trafficking. But by the time the boat docked at the Defence Force Base in Coral Harbour, some of the drugs were reportedly gone.
Minister Sears said the government is resolute in restoring the Defence Force’s good name regarding the matter, particularly since it is the protector of the integrity of the national borders.
“In order to achieve these goals, the principal law enforcement agencies of The Bahamas, the Police and the Defence Force, must have the fullest respect of our society and of our international partners in this fight against international drug trafficking which seeks to use The Bahamas as a convenient route for drugs into the United States and beyond,” Minister Sears said.
The whole matter was thrown into the spotlight in late 2002, when former U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas J. Richard Blankenship alleged that there were improprieties on the part of some members of the Defence Force during the arrests and the removal and transport of the drugs to the base.
Minister Sears noted that those remarks also implied that the subsequent investigation of the alleged incident by the Defence Force and the Police Force was inadequate or deliberately mishandled due to institutional or political motives.
The government, in an attempt to resolve the speculation surrounding the incident, announced last year its intention to appoint a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the allegations.
However, the inquiry was reportedly delayed due to the Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry into the August 2nd, 2003 boating accident.
According to Minister Sears, it was the government’s intention to commence the Lorequin Commission immediately upon the conclusion of the Wreck Commission and to use the same facilities for the conduct of the proceedings.
But the Wreck Commission continues to drag on longer than had been expected.
Justice Moore, meanwhile, said this new Commission of Inquiry needs to be open to public scrutiny and the public must at all stages be fully informed about the proceedings.
Specifically, the Commission will make inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the delivery of the discovered dangerous drugs to members of the Police and Defence forces who were waiting at the Coral Harbour Base.
Its purpose is also to inquire into the subsequent investigation into allegations that some of the drugs were not turned over to the police by officers who were onboard the HMBS Inagua.
Justice Moore indicated that he will be in contact with Lead Counsel to the Commission Dennis Morrison QC of Jamaica.
Mr. Morrison is Chairman of the Counsel of Legal Education, which oversees the three law schools in the region, including the Eugene Dupuch Law School, here in the Bahamas. Attorneys from the AG’s office are expected to assist Mr. Morrison. Minister Sears said adequate investigative, secretarial and other resource assistance will be provided to the Commission to ensure that a full and transparent inquiry takes place.
He pointed out that Director of Public Prosecutions Bernard Turner has been in contact with U.S authorities who have reportedly pledged to give their full support and to make available any witnesses requested by the Commission.
A report will be presented to the government following the inquiry, which is expected to last four months.
Meanwhile, United states officials have denied visas to defense force officers who were involved in the drug seizure.
Minister Sears said the denial of visas is apparently based on concerns about the incident, therefore placing the officers under a “permanent cloud of suspicion” until the matter is resolved.
Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
