The Honourable Marvin Dames, and The Deceitful Progressive Liberal Party - PLP

The Hon. Marvin Dames, and The Prudent Drone Contract Honoured by The Ruling Philip 'Brave' Davis Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Administration

Marvin Dames' Righteous Vision for A Secured Bahamian Nation - The Bahamas

Recent claims about the drone contract under former Minister Marvin Dames are misleading.  For over three decades, he has served with integrity and distinction in global law enforcement, yet political narratives now attempt to tarnish his reputation.

Misleading statements and outright lies have become a common tactic of the Progressive Liberal Party.  For more than three decades, Marvin Dames has served at the highest levels of law enforcement, both in our country and internationally.  He has built a reputation that has earned him the utmost respect from the global law enforcement community, a reputation that continues to be upheld today.

However, his political adversaries, in their attempts to tarnish his character, resort to using surrogates to spread a lie.  Unlike many of his critics, Mr. Dames has a reputation that precedes him.  He has established relationships based on professionalism, honor, respect, and integrity.

Let’s unpack the falsehoods propagated by the PLP through their surrogates:

1.⁠ ⁠No Corruption.  No Scandal.

The official audit of the drone contract (2021–2022), a public document by the Auditor General, found no wrongdoing.

•⁠ ⁠No suspicious payments

•⁠ ⁠No side deals

•⁠ ⁠No missing money

The audit speaks for itself.

2. More Than Drones: A Vision for National Security

This was never just about purchasing drones.  The plan included establishing a Centre of Excellence and a training academy to build skills and capacity in drone technology.

The purpose of the academy is to train the next generation of drone pilots in The Bahamas and across the Caribbean region.  Key areas of focus include law enforcement, with partnerships involving the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Immigration, Lands and Surveys, the Disaster Risk Management Authority, and others.  Training opportunities have also been extended internationally.

The former Minister and the FNM were forward-thinking in this regard.

It is also important to highlight that Marvin Dames built an impeccable reputation in global law enforcement circles over three decades.  He has led some of the most critical divisions of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, including the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), the Central Detective Unit (CDU), and the Central Intelligence Unit (CIU).

He earned respect worldwide for his knowledge, experience, spotless character, and integrity, qualities often missing in political life today.  Why would anyone attempt to discredit a man whose leadership helped dismantle international criminal networks and whose reputation still stands firm today?

 3. Who Chose the Vendor?  Not the Minister.

A committee of senior government officials; NOT the Minister, handled the bidding process.  Multiple local and international firms submitted proposals.

The committee carefully reviewed all bids and recommended the company that was most suitable, realistic, and cost-effective at the time.  The winning bid was not only capable and aligned with government policy but also well under budget, compared to competing bids exceeding $30 million.

For clarity:

•⁠ ⁠The Minister did not choose the company.

•⁠ ⁠Payments were processed strictly through the Ministry of Finance and the Treasury.

 4. COVID Changed the Timeline, But the Plan Continued.

When the pandemic struck, budgets shifted.  Out of the $17 million contract, only a small portion was paid by the FNM government before the 2021 election.  The vast majority of payments were left to be honored by the present administration.

Importantly, the vendor adjusted with no penalties, and the program continued under the PLP.

So why insist on playing political games, using surrogates to tarnish the good name of one of our most respected citizens, when the very same company is still being engaged by the current administration?

Even the former Commodore, in his farewell speech at the inauguration of Commodore Floyd Moxey, commended the Drone Academy for its work.

If the accusations are real, then let those making them come forward and show their faces.  Stop hiding behind surrogates.  The Bahamian people deserve honesty and accountability, not shadows and whispers.

 5. Results You Can See.

The drone program was part of a broader modernization strategy championed by Marvin Dames, which also introduced:

•⁠ ⁠ShotSpotter technology to detect gunfire

•⁠ ⁠Body cameras for officers

•⁠ ⁠A Real Time Crime Center (RTCC)

•⁠ ⁠Revitalized national CCTV coverage, which was nonfunctional before he took office

The PLP often claims that the FNM had no crime plan.  But the truth is, their own crime plan was simply to continue the very initiatives launched by the FNM and Marvin Dames. Instead of acknowledging this, they go to great lengths to discredit him.

 6. The Real Question: Why Hide the Success?

Why downplay a program that continues to protect our borders and support law enforcement operations daily?

They use surrogates to spread falsehoods about an alleged $17 million “misappropriation,” knowing full well that the FNM government disbursed only a fraction of that amount.  The majority of the $17 million remains under the present administration’s responsibility as the contract continues to be fulfilled.

If this was a corrupt deal, why is the current government still paying the same vendor and operating the same program?

 7. The Facts Are Clear.

To clarify:

•⁠ ⁠The Ministry of Finance alone is responsible for disbursing payments to vendors.

•⁠ ⁠The Minister did not choose the company awarded the bid. A committee of senior government officials, spanning RBPF, RBDF, Corrections, Finance, and others, led the process. The Minister had no interactions with the company or its executives.

•⁠ ⁠The Minister did not benefit from the bid.

•⁠ ⁠Less than $1 million was disbursed under the FNM administration.

•⁠ ⁠This was a Cabinet-backed policy decision, validated by an independent audit and implemented by independent officials.

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Leslie Miller Little Young Girl

The Political Little Young Girl of Leslie Miller

Leslie Miller and His 'Little Young Girl'

Leslie Miller and His 'little young girl' Politics

Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis responds: Former PLP Cabinet Minister Leslie Miller has chosen to describe me as a “little young girl.”  Let me say this directly: I am a 43-year-old woman.  I have practiced law for nearly two decades, called to the Bar of The Bahamas and the Bar of England & Wales in 2007.  I am a Senator of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, a mother, and a public servant.

For a former Cabinet Minister to belittle me in this way is not only disrespectful to me, it is disrespectful to every Bahamian woman who has worked hard, earned her place, and stepped forward to serve.  This is misogyny, plain and simple.  And it is exactly this type of tired, small-minded thinking that has held The Bahamas back for far too long.

The FNM has made a deliberate choice to bring forward a new generation of leaders.  A younger, fresher, and more diverse slate that includes more women than ever before.  We are stepping forward to represent every Bahamian, to bring new ideas, and to build a future that is not trapped by the prejudices of the past.

The PLP wants you to believe that women cannot lead.  I wonder if they would use this same language about their own women Members of Parliament.  If not, then why do they believe it is acceptable when speaking about me?

Bahamian women are not “little girls.”  We are leaders, professionals, mothers, and nation-builders.  We will not be dismissed with a phrase or pushed aside by men who believe they alone should decide the course of this country.

To every woman and every girl watching this, know this: your contributions matter, your voice matters, and your leadership matters.  This moment is proof of why the fight for respect and equality in politics must continue.  And this is exactly why I am running to represent Killarney.

The Bahamas deserves better than this backward rhetoric.  We deserve leadership that debates ideas on merit, not on gender.  That is the standard I will uphold, and that is the change I will fight for.

Senator Michela Barnett-Ellis

Haitian nationals will not be granted entry in The Bahamas to apply for a US visa

US policy fully restricts entry to their country by Haitian nationals

Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas:  In June of this year, the United States issued a policy fully restricting and limiting the entry of Haitian nationals to the United States.

In light of that policy, today’s announcement that immigrant visa applications by Haitians to the United States can only be processed at the US Embassy in Nassau will result in no additional entries to The Bahamas for the purpose of US visa applications. Because US policy fully restricts entry to their country by Haitian nationals, we will not grant entry to The Bahamas for the purpose of applying for a US visa.

Source

Carlos Lehder says He Ran a Cocaine Empire from a Private Island in The Bahamas

Carlos Lehder says he paid former Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Sir Lynden Pindling 150,000.00 monthly via his agent, Everette Bannister

Brought to you by: Michael Franzese Wines

Carlos Lehder, a former associate of Pablo Escobar and one of the original co-founders of the Medellín cartel, sits down with Michael Franzese to talk about how he built and ran a cocaine empire from Norman’s Cay — a private island in The Bahamas. In this rare interview, Lehder breaks down the myths of the Medellín cartel, shares how he pioneered new smuggling routes into the U.S., and explains why the idea of a unified cartel is more Hollywood than reality.

0:00 – Carlos Lehder and his rise to the top 0:47 – Day in the life of a c*caine smuggler 1:30 – The truth about the Medellín Cartel’s structure 4:38 – Why Carlos bought a private island in the Bahamas 5:00 – Norman’s Cay and smuggling routes to the U.S. 6:00 – The Bahamas government transition and its impact 6:55 – How Lehder viewed the U.S. as his empire's

Nassau, The Bahamas - The Governing Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) PRESS STATEMENT on Carlos Lehder Interview

www.yourplp.org

Statement From the Progressive Liberal Party on Headline About Money Paid to Sir Lynden

For Immediate Release

The headline of 1 September 2025 on the front page of The Tribune, I PAID PINDLING 150K PER MONTH", is incorrect and misleading. It is also salacious and defamatory. However, because the law does not recognize defamation of the deceased, that outrageous allegation can be printed without legal consequences.

If one reads the story, a convicted drug trafficker, Carlos Lehder, who served time in prison for running cocaine into the United States, claims that he paid $150,000 a month to an intermediary whom he alleged was an agent for the late Prime Minister.

At no point does the story say that the drug trafficker ever paid anything to Sir Lynden. It is all after-the-fact, third-party hearsay nothing more than "he said, she said."

The larger point is that the source of the information is manifestly unreliable. The accusations cannot be tested because all the individuals against whom the allegations are made are deceased.

They cannot defend themselves. Sir Lynden is dead. Everett Bannister is dead. Gorman

Bannister is dead. These allegations, therefore, reflect cowardice, not truth-telling.

In The Bahamas, we often say, "Mouth can say anything." Around the world, it is said that paper will stand still for anything to be written on it. Convicted criminals often make self-serving statements. Newspapers, in turn, often print whatever will sell.

These allegations belong exactly where all other untested claims belong - in the garbage bin of history.

1 September, 2025

FNM Ratifies More Candidates for General Election 2026 in The Bahamas

On Thursday August 28, 2025 - The Official Opposition Party, the Free National Movement (FNM) ratifies seven more candidates for the next general election in The Bahamas  - Namely:

Heather McDonald - Englerston

Lincoln Deal - Freetown

Michela Barnett- Ellis - Killarney

Serfent Rolle - Tall Pines

Denalee Penn Mackey - Southern Shores

Trevania Clarke Hall - Seabreeze

Travis Robinson - Ft. Charlotte

$5,000,000 Bounty on Haitian Gang Leader, Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier

Haitian Gang Leaders Indicted

Haitian Gang Leader ‘Barbecue’ Indicted for Conspiracy to Violate U.S. Sanctions

U.S.-Based Co-Conspirator Bazile Richardson Arrested in Texas

An indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court charging Jimmy Cherizier, also known as Barbecue, 48, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Bazile Richardson, also known as Fredo, Fred Lion, Leo Danger, and Lepe Blode, 48, a naturalized U.S. citizen, with leading a conspiracy to transfer funds from the United States to Cherizier to fund his gang activities in Haiti in violation of the U.S sanctions imposed on Cherizier.  Cherizier is a fugitive believed to be Haiti.  Richardson was arrested on July 23 in Pasadena, Texas, and is expected to make his initial court appearance today in the District of Columbia.

Concurrent with the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Cherizier.

If you have information, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at www.tips.fbi.gov. Information may also be provided to HSI at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or online at www.ice.gov/webform/ice-tip-form.

“Cherizier and a U.S. associate sought to raise funds in the United States to bankroll Cherizier’s violent criminal enterprise, which is driving a security crisis in Haiti,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.  “ The National Security Division does not tolerate criminal gang fundraising in the United States, and will continue to pursue those who enable Haiti’s violence and instability.”

“There’s a good reason that there’s a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier’s arrest.  He’s a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights abuses, including violence against American citizens in Haiti,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia.  “The U.S. government sanctioned Cherizier in 2020 because he was responsible for an ongoing campaign of violence, including the 2018 La Saline massacre, in which 71 people were killed, more than 400 houses were destroyed, and at least seven women raped by armed gangs.  The U.S. Attorney’s office is committed to apprehending Cherizier and bringing him to justice, along with individuals like defendant Richardson, who has sent money and other support to Cherizier from the United States in violation of U.S. sanctions.  Our office is committed to keeping Americans safe anywhere in the world, and the gang violence that has ravaged Haiti must end.”

“The FBI is committed to confronting foreign terrorist organizations wherever they operate, and Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier’s gang is no exception,” said Acting Assistant Director Darren Cox of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division.  “Through intelligence, partnerships, and the full weight of federal law, we are dismantling FTOs and rooting out those who threaten the safety of our communities.”

“The unsealing of this indictment marks the results of a lengthy investigation into Jimmy Cherizier’s criminal activities,” said Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd M. Lyons. “ His actions to fund the oppression and slaughter of Haitians, including firearm procurement and trafficking networks, fundraising activities, movement and usage of U.S. dollars, and violations of sanctions, are unconscionable — but today marks a step towards accountability.”

“The Department of State is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jimmy Cherizier, the leader of Foreign Terrorist Organization Viv Ansanm,” said Senior Bureau Official Chris Landberg of the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.  “The State Department will continue to apply its tools, including rewards programs, to combat the scourge of transnational organized crime and its violence — especially to stop the worst of the worst criminal ringleaders threatening the people of our hemisphere.”

According to court documents, Cherizier is a former officer in the Haitian National Police and the leader of a gang known as the Revolutionary Forces of the G9 Family and Allies who helped to forge a gang alliance called Viv Ansanm that united Haiti’s many criminal gangs to oppose the legitimate government of Haiti.  On Dec. 10, 2020, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cherizier and designated him as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for his role in serious human rights abuses in Haiti.  As a result of the SDN designation, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of Cherizier absent approval from OFAC in the form of a license.

As alleged in the indictment, since Cherizier’s SDN designation in December 2020, Cherizier and Richardson have together led a wide-ranging conspiracy with individuals in the United States, Haiti, and elsewhere to raise funds for Cherizier’s gang activities in violation of the sanctions imposed on Cherizier.

In particular, Cherizier and Richardson directly solicited money transfers from members of the Haitian diaspora located in the United States.  After sending funds to intermediaries in Haiti for Cherizier’s benefit, the U.S. and Haitian co-conspirators would send Cherizier images of receipts from the money transfers.  Cherizier used these funds principally to pay salaries to the members of his gang and to acquire firearms from illicit firearms dealers in Haiti.

The FBI Miami Field Office and HSI Washington Field Office are investigating the case, with substantial assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Providing valuable support are the FBI Houston, Boston, and Charlotte Field Offices and the HSI Miami Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas N. Saunders for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Seifert, and former Trial Attorney Benjamin Koenigsfeld. Significant support was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, and the Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Updated August 12, 2025

Source

Haitian Gang Leaders Sanctioned Internationally

The UN Security Council Resolution, S/RES/2653 (2022) imposes a travel ban, an asset freeze and a targeted arms embargo in connection with the situation concerning Haiti, and establishes a Sanctions Committee and a Panel of Experts

Public Notice

RE: SPECIAL NOTICE AND REQUEST FOR INFORMATION –

UN Panel of Experts on Haiti - Security Council 2653 Sanctions Committee Per special notice and direction from the Office of the Attorney General and pursuant to Section 3A of the International Obligations (Economic & Ancillary Measures) Amendment Act, 2019 and resolution 2653 (2022), the Central Bank of The Bahamas (“the Central Bank”) hereby requires that all Supervised Financial Institutions (“SFIs”) licensed in The Bahamas, as a matter of high priority, review their client records to determine whether or not they hold funds, other financial assets or economic resources which are either owned or controlled directly or indirectly by the below names or entities listed on the Sanctions List or any person acting on their behalf or at their discretion, and report both positive and negative findings to the Central Bank.   Additionally, any positive findings (“hits”) are required to be reported to the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Attorney General.

1) Jimmy Cherizier aka Barbeque

2) Andre Johnson aka Izo

3) Joseph Wilson

4) Vitelhomme Innocent

5) Victor Prophane

6) Elan Luckson

7) Renel Destina

Inquiries or comments to this notice should be addressed to:

Analytics Unit

Bank Supervision Department

Central Bank of The Bahamas

Email: amlanalytics@centralbankbahamas.com

Issued: 6 August 2025

Source

UN Resolution 2653 (2022) on Haiti>>>