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BAHAMAS: Appointment of Independent DPP a sign of good governance, says Prime Minister

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#Nassau, June 13, 2018 – Bahamas – In keeping with his government’s promise to appoint an Independent Director of Public Prosecutions, Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis deemed Confirmation of Garvin Gaskin, 46, today, as the country’s first Independent Director of Public Prosecutions, a sign of a progressive society.

He made the declaration in his address of Mr. Gaskin’s swearing in ceremony in the Drawing Room of Government House.

“We witness the very first successfully implemented amendment to our Nation’s Constitution, with the confirmation of Mr. Garvin Gaskin, in the new Constitutional Office of this Nation’s first Independent Director of Public Prosecutions,” the Prime Minister said.

Before a packed audience comprising Mrs. Odia Gaskin and other family members, members of the legal profession, and members of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Mr. Gaskin pledged to uphold the tenets of his post and that of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

According to the Prime Minister, the historic (June 11, 2018) occasion marked an important advancement in good governance and democracy in the country.

“It is an important day in the creation of a more civil society.   It also marks another fulfillment of a promise made to the Bahamian People during the last campaign,” he said.

Mr. Gaskin was a Public Legal Officer serving in the public service post of Director of Public Prosecutions; however, as a consequence of the deeming provisions in the Constitutional Amendment Act, passed earlier this year by Parliament, Mr. Gaskin was confirmed under Article 78B of the Constitution, for the period of five (5) years.

Mr. Gaskin graduated from the University of the West Indies, and the Norman Manley Law School of Law in 1995.  He has had a long and distinguished career as a public prosecutor, having joined the Office of the Attorney General in 1996, after a short stint in private practice.

“Since then he has risen through the ranks, earning a reputation as a highly competent and effective prosecutor before the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and the Privy Council,” the Prime Minister noted.

Since 2015 Mr. Gaskin was appointed Acting Director of Public Prosecutions upon the departure of the former office holder, Mrs. Vinette Graham-Allen.

“The establishment of a constitutionally protected office of an Independent Public Prosecutor is a praiseworthy achievement for Bahamian democracy, as it has the potential to mark a clear break with the past,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that hopefully, the days are over where persons, even ill-disposed persons, could credibly suggest some kind of political influence over the commencement, or conduct of public prosecutions.

“Hopefully, any suggestion of political influence over prosecutions by the Executive arm of government will now be a thing of the past,” he said.

The Constitution of The Bahamas now requires that any policy directives given by the Attorney General to the Director of Public Prosecutions must be in writing and published in the Gazette for the public to see.

 

By: Lindsay Thompson (BIS)

Photo Caption: Confirmation ceremonies of Garvin Gaskin as the country’s first Independent Director of Public Prosecutions took place in the Drawing Room of Government House on Monday, June 11, 2018.   Mr. Gaskin is pictured, centre, with Governor General Her Excellency Dame Marguerite Pindling, Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert Minnis, left, and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, the Hon. Carl Bethel, QC.

(BIS Photo/Letisha Henderson)

 

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Bahamas News

Bahamas economic growth

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

The Bahamas’ economy is in good standing according to reports from the Bahamas National Statistical Institute which released the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product Series. They indicate that quarterly GDP trends for 2023 saw increases compared to 2022, a sign of recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

The most significant increase was 9.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, and the industries responsible for the growth include Accommodations and food, construction and Arts.

 

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RBC appoints new Country Manager and Area Vice President for Turks & Caicos 

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RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas) Limited (“RBC”) is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kerryl-Lyn King-Henry as Country Manager and Area Vice President (“AVP”), Personal and Commercial Banking, Turks & Caicos Islands (TCI).

In her new role as Country Manager and AVP, King-Henry will take on full responsibility for the bank’s operations, strategy, and development in the TCI market, with a strong focus on solidifying partnerships with the Government, regulatory bodies, and the local community.

King-Henry brings to the role a dynamism influenced by nearly 25 years of industry experience. Prior to her new appointment, she served as AVP of Business Banking in Trinidad and Tobago. She has held progressively senior roles within both personal and commercial banking, as well as various functional units.

King-Henry holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in Leadership, FinTech and Big Data Analysis, in addition to a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Further enriching her professional profile, Kerryl-Lyn is a certified John C. Maxwell Coach, Trainer, Teacher, and Speaker. Her passion for leadership and development is matched by her commitment to community service, as she actively volunteers her time and leverages her professional expertise to mentor and support others. “

Kerryl-Lyn’s extensive experience and proven leadership capabilities make her the perfect choice to lead our operations in the Turks & Caicos Islands,” said Ericka Rolle, RBC’s Managing Director and Vice President, Personal Banking, The Bahamas and TCI.

“Her commitment to excellence, combined with a genuine passion for community engagement, aligns perfectly with our Bank’s purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper. We are excited to see the positive impact she will undoubtedly bring to her new role,” she added.

 

 

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Get your laugh on, March On show coming to Turks and Caicos with box office at IGA Friday and Saturday

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Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

After resounding success in the Bahamas, hit play ‘March On, The Story of Us’ has been inundated with requests to take their show on the road, and the first location they’ll be hitting is Providenciales Turks and Caicos with tickets on sale this weekend from May 3 to 5.

Magnetic Media spoke to Gea Pierre, playwright, who told us the TCI was a natural first choice for the cast and crew. 

“We started ‘March On’ in November 2023 and it was really an opportunity for us to tell a story, the story of the Bahamas and to encompass the nations that we have an amazing relationship with like the Turks and Caicos,” she continued “We really got a lot of people calling [for the play] from [the TCI], so much so we really had to pay attention.” 

The response to ‘March On’ at home and abroad was overwhelming.

“To say it went well is an understatement, even before we opened we got calls from Canada, from all over the US with people wanting us to come and perform.” 

And take the show on the road they did! Gea and her team have launched “March On: The Tour” and will be in Providenciales to perform on May 10th and 11th. It’s the first of a number of stops which include Nassau and several US locations. 

A ticket booth will be set up from today, Friday May 3 in the foyer of IGA grocery store beginning at 1 p.m. Friday and then again all day on Saturday, allowing residents to purchase with cash. 

Online tickets are available for purchase with credit cards. Then the full team returns on Friday, May 11 for the actual showing at 8 pm and their two showings on Saturday at 4pm and 8 pm. The venue is Brayton Hall, Providenciales under the patronage of Washington Misick, TCI Premier and First Lady Delthia Misick.

Describing the close familial relationships between the TCI and the Bahamas, for many on the crew it will be like coming home Gea told us, for others it will be a treat to visit for the first time, the places that their grandparents described. 

Tickets are only $60 for general seating and $75 for VIP seating. 

Gea maintained that the team wanted to keep the show as accessible to residents as possible.

As for why you should come out and see the play, other than the great price point:

“The way that people have responded to it is non stoplaughter, people have been moved to tears because there’s some emotion. It does not only lend to Bahamians. It’s a family drama, and anyone who’s ever been a part of a family is going to get something out of it, and something moving.”

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