Ombudsman Bill ‘can’t pass and sit’

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

GOVERNANCE reformers yesterday said the Attorney General’s ability to restrict the powers of the proposed ombudsman is “too vague” and should be reformed as they urged Bahamians to ensure this is not a Bill that “passes and sits”.

Matt Aubry, the Organisation for Responsible Governance’s (ORG) executive director, nevertheless told Tribune Business that the revised Ombudsman Bill “in many instances marks an improvement” on the previous version that was brought to Parliament by the Minnis administration but never debated or passed.

Besides providing more specifics on when the

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By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

FTX’s Bahamian liquidators have accused their US adversaries of “breaching every single” co-operation pledge in just four short months as they urged the Supreme Court to “sort it out” with Delaware.

Brian Simms KC, the Lennox Paton senior partner, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accounting duo, Kevin Cambridge and Peter Greaves, in their May 12, 2023, court filings argued that Sir Ian Winder and Judge John Dorsey, his Delaware Bankruptcy Court counterpart, needed to take over relations between the two jurisdictions as the prospect of improved cooperation from FTX US chief, John Ray, and his team was “a dim one at best”.

Responding to Mr Ray’s objections that they gain relief from the worldwide asset freeze imposed after 134 FTX entities were placed under US

• Supreme Court must ‘sort it out’ with Delaware

• Over 45,000 creditors submit Bahamas claims

• Ray accused of blocking $243m property sale

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under his control, the Bahamian joint provisional liquidators warned there was “a very high risk of duplicative, neverending litigation” unless the two courts - and their

The history of the public service in The Bahamas can be traced back to the late 19th century when the islands were a British colony. At that time, the public service was composed of officials appointed by the British government to oversee the country’s affairs. In 1973, The Bahamas achieved full independence from the UK, and the public service was reorganised to reflect the new political reality. The Government established the Public Service Commission (PSC) to oversee the administration of the civil service, and several new ministries were created. Today, the Bahamian public service is a large and complex organisation that plays a critical role in the functioning of the Government and the provision of services. The public service employs thousands of people across a wide range of ministries and agencies, and is responsible for everything from healthcare and education to public safety and infrastructure.

According to the Public Service Establishment and Emoluments Orders report issued by the Public Service Commission, as of December 31, 2019, the total number of persons employed in the public service was 27,022. In 2021, it was reported that the public service workforce of The Bahamas accounted for around 6.9 percent of the total employed labour force in the country. With a such a great deal of responsibility, a well-functioning public sector can help to support economic growth and development by providing a stable regulatory environment, investing in infrastructure and human capital, and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation. In this segment we will discuss the need to reform some aspects of the public service for a more progressive and sustainable Bahamas.

The need for reform