As the Bahamas approaches its upcoming general election, a growing controversy over the misuse of hundreds of thousands in public funds for politically tied Hurricane Dorian relief has put Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis under intense scrutiny — and he has repeatedly refused to address questions about the incident.
The scandal centers on more than $200,000 in taxpayer money that was used to issue gift certificates distributed to residents of Abaco, a island chain still recovering from 2019’s Hurricane Dorian. Critics have alleged the vouchers, which bear the names of candidates and officials from Davis’ ruling Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), amount to criminal vote-buying just two weeks before voters head to the polls.
When reporters from The Tribune attempted to question the prime minister Wednesday after he cast his vote in advanced polling, Davis declined every request for comment. A prior statement from Davis’ Communications Director Latrae Rahming had indicated the prime minister would address the allegations when speaking to reporters, but that commitment went unfulfilled.
The exchange unfolded in chaotic fashion outside the Garvin Tynes polling station: Davis was flanked by a crowd of supporters as he exited, and an employee from the Office of the Prime Minister physically blocked the Tribune reporter from continuing to ask questions, while other members of the prime minister’s entourage formed a barrier around him as he walked to his vehicle. Davis, who also holds the cabinet position of Minister of Finance, did not respond to direct questions about whether he personally authorized the public expenditure, and quickly left the area after casting his ballot.
Before declining to address the voucher controversy, Davis told reporters that his own voting process had gone smoothly, urged all registered residents to cast their ballots, and described early voter turnout as encouraging.
Details of the voucher program were first reported by The Tribune earlier this week. Chris Lleida, chief executive officer of Premier Importers — the company that issued the gift certificates — confirmed that the entire $200,000+ cost was covered by the Ministry of Finance. Lleida added that the vouchers were requested as part of post-Hurricane Dorian relief initiatives, and issued in denominations of $200, $300, and $500, totaling more than $200,000 in public spending.
The fact that PLP political candidates and party officials were listed on and involved in distributing the publicly funded vouchers has sparked widespread outrage among political observers and opposition leaders. The timing of the distribution has drawn particular criticism: it comes more than six years after Hurricane Dorian devastated Abaco, and just a fortnight ahead of the national general election.
Michael Pintard, leader of the opposition Free National Movement (FNM), has called the incident an egregious violation of the law and demanded criminal charges be filed against those responsible. Pintard emphasized that the misuse of public funds for this purpose qualifies as a criminal offense under Bahamian election law, and noted that the situation is made even more serious by the involvement of Bradley Fox Jr, the PLP candidate for Central and South Abaco, who participated in distributing the vouchers despite holding no formal government position.
Under the Bahamas’ Parliamentary Elections Act, it is a criminal offense to offer, give, or provide any form of money, gift, or benefit to a voter for the purpose of influencing their vote, or rewarding voters for a specific voting outcome. The law also bans providing benefits to sway election results in a candidate’s favor, or to encourage third-party campaign activity on a candidate’s behalf. Additionally, the statute criminalizes funding or knowingly facilitating vote-buying activities, including the provision or reimbursement of funds used for voter bribery.
