After nearly three years of legal proceedings, a high-profile corruption trial centered on a former Bahamian water and sewerage authority leader has hit a key turning point, with prosecutors withdrawing dozens of charges against multiple defendants, including the case’s primary accused. Director of Public Prosecutions Cordell Frazier confirmed the charge withdrawals during a court appearance before Senior Justice Cheryl Grant-Thompson, official court records confirm.
Adrian Gibson, the former executive chairman of the Water and Sewerage Corporation, has seen 18 separate counts of receiving illicit funds dismissed entirely from his case. One of Gibson’s co-defendants, Peaches Farquharson, has walked away from the proceedings completely, as all charges against her have been dropped. Two additional co-accused also saw specific charges removed from their dockets: Joan Knowles had three counts of receiving and one money laundering charge withdrawn, while Elwood Donaldson Jr., the utility’s former general manager, saw two conspiracy to commit bribery charges struck from the court record.
Despite the withdrawals, multiple charges remain active against most of the original defendants. Gibson still faces 41 counts, which include a single charge of making a false declaration, three conspiracy to commit bribery counts, 12 direct bribery charges, and 25 money laundering offenses. Knowles retains 28 active charges: three conspiracy to commit bribery counts, three bribery charges, three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretenses, three fraud charges, and 16 money laundering counts. Donaldson still faces five counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretenses. Jerome Missick, the final defendant, saw no charges withdrawn, and remains answerable to 24 total counts covering bribery, conspiracy, fraud, and multiple money laundering offenses.
The entire case traces back to allegations that public contracts awarded during Gibson’s tenure at the state-run water and sewerage utility were steered toward private companies connected to Gibson and his close associates. All defendants have repeatedly maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings. Gibson entered a formal not guilty plea in 2022. A jury was seated for the trial in May 2023, and testimony from dozens of prosecution witnesses has been ongoing since November of that year. With the prosecution’s case now closed, the defense team is set to begin calling its first witnesses as early as next week, marking the final phase of the marathon legal process.