分类： politics

Barbados’ Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley has moved to ease mounting anxiety among local legal practitioners over the administration’s plan to launch two dedicated gun courts, confirming that all staffing and operational frameworks for the initiative have already been finalized.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate Wednesday while introducing the Supreme Court of Judicature Amendment Bill, Lashley emphasized that the new specialized tribunals will be fully resourced from their opening day, with all personnel hired from outside the country’s existing overstretched criminal justice system. “I have heard concerns from some practitioners about how we will deliver fast-tracked rulings, but this is a specialized court built for speed,” Lashley stated. “We have already secured approval to appoint two external judges who have dedicated availability to handle these cases exclusively. Beyond the bench, we will also bring on two additional legal assistants, four court marshals, and four probation officers, all from outside the current system. Four prosecuting attorneys are already on standby and ready to begin work as soon as the courts launch.”

Lashley explained that procedural adjustments have also been made to cut down on unnecessary delays, with pre-sentence reports prepared as soon as an accused person enters a guilty plea, eliminating the need for repeated case adjournments.

A prominent criminal defence attorney before joining the government in February, Lashley also pushed back against criticism from fellow lawyers, arguing that many opponents of the plan have failed to put forward actionable solutions to the country’s decades-long problem of sprawling case backlogs. He challenged legal practitioners to propose concrete adjustments, such as shifting lower-level non-violent offences to magistrate courts to free up High Court capacity. For example, he noted, indecent assault cases that do not involve minor victims and common law escape from custody charges could easily be handled at the lower court level, while the most serious offences would remain in the High Court. He also pointed out that no practitioner had proposed the early guilty plea system that the new gun courts are set to implement.

Lashley underscored the urgent need for the specialized courts by pointing to the country’s worsening firearm crime crisis. He revealed that 23 of the 27 murders recorded in Barbados so far this year have been linked to illegal guns, and police have already seized 51 unregistered firearms since January. Last year alone, law enforcement seized more than 80 illegal weapons and 3,309 rounds of ammunition, generating hundreds of new pending cases that will add to existing court loads. “This means that there are cases to be done, cases to be fast-tracked, cases to be tried,” Lashley said.

Thanks to a recent collaborative effort between an independent consultant and the Barbados Police Service’s prosecution department, hundreds of backlogged case files from 2022 to 2024 have already been processed and prepared for trial: 672 files have been completed and submitted to prosecuting officers, Lashley confirmed. Ready cases are already lined up to fill the dockets of the new courts from launch: four cases from the start of the year are trial-ready, three more from March, and 11 from April, he said, dispelling claims the new courts would sit idle without a pipeline of cases.

Drawing on successful regional precedent, Lashley noted that Jamaica’s specialized gun court achieved significant reductions in case backlogs, and Barbados will adapt that proven model to fit local needs. Under the Barbados plan, one of the two new courts will focus exclusively on clearing the existing backlog of gun crime cases, while the second will handle all new firearm offences filed from 2026 onward.

The minister’s goal is to ensure all gun-related cases go to trial within six months of being filed, a timeline he argues will both cut gun crime in the country and protect the rights of defendants. “A man who is on bail for firearm possession or a related gun offence will not be able to reoffend freely if his case is heard within four or five months,” Lashley explained. “Speedy trials lead to reduced criminal activity because we get dangerous offenders off the streets faster. At the same time, this approach upholds a defendant’s right to a trial within a reasonable time without unnecessary delay, and it also protects the rights of victims who have been waiting for justice.”

Lashley added that the Barbados Police Service will receive additional resources to strengthen evidence gathering and case management in the prosecution department. New criminal procedural rules will also be rolled out in the near future to require both prosecution and defence teams to be fully prepared before a trial begins, eliminating the last-minute delays that have bogged down existing court proceedings. “All the speculation from some lawyers about new delays and backlogs is unfounded, because the procedural rules that will prevent these issues are already coming,” he said.

To address additional concerns about witness safety, Lashley confirmed that the Criminal Proceedings Act will soon be officially proclaimed, bringing into force new protections for witnesses that include the option to safeguard their identities during proceedings, a change that addresses longstanding concerns about intimidation in the High Court.

As firearm-related violence continues to climb across Barbados, independent legislator and real estate executive Andrew Mallalieu is amplifying public calls for sweeping criminal justice reform centered on harsher penalties for gun-involved offenses. Mallalieu has thrown his support behind the Supreme Court of Judicature (Amendment) Bill, a piece of legislation that would establish dedicated firearms courts to streamline the processing of gun-related cases. But in a stark acknowledgment of the current public safety climate, he says even this structural reform is incomplete without a core policy shift: mandatory minimum prison sentences for anyone convicted of committing a crime with a firearm.

In remarks delivered on the floor, Mallalieu reaffirmed his long-held stance that the island’s current sentencing framework fails to match the scale of public anxiety around rising gun crime. “If you asked Barbadians today, the vast majority would tell you that the sentences for crimes committed with firearms need to be much harsher than they are,” he argued. While Mallalieu acknowledged that existing rulings from the Caribbean Court of Justice and other judicial frameworks may present procedural hurdles to implementing mandatory minimum sentences, he said the overwhelming will of the public justifies moving the proposal forward. He added that he personally regrets the need for such harsh penalties under normal circumstances, but the current public safety crisis leaves no other viable option.

Mallalieu also outlined two additional critical requirements to make the new judicial framework outlined in the amendment bill functional. The legislation includes a provision to expand the High Court by up to 15 new judge positions, but the independent senator emphasized that this change will only deliver practical improvements to court efficiency if the government actually follows through on appointing those new judges. Beyond judicial appointments, he noted, the reform will require a robust, transparent case routing system to direct firearms cases to the new dedicated courts without delays. Most importantly, Mallalieu stressed that passing the legislation itself will not improve public safety. “Passing this bill will do nothing if we don’t put the resources behind it to do it,” he said, warning that adequate funding and infrastructure support are non-negotiable for the reform to succeed.

In a surprising addition to his remarks, Mallalieu also opened a new national debate on gun control by asking whether Barbados should hold a public referendum on a near-total national ban on civilian firearms. Under the proposal he floated, only three groups would be exempt from the ban: active police officers, members of the national army, and firearms stored legally at regulated gun-sporting facilities. The question has opened a new front in the ongoing national conversation about how to curb rising gun violence across the island.

A top opposition leader in Barbados has launched a sweeping condemnation of the Mia Mottley-led administration, accusing it of deliberately concealing critical public financial information and fostering a culture of institutional secrecy that erodes democratic accountability. Ryan Walters, opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Senate leader and shadow finance minister, argues that the growing volume of unanswered questions surrounding major public spending and infrastructure projects can no longer be brushed aside as isolated oversights.

The most recent flashpoint in this ongoing dispute centers on the BiMPay instant payment platform, where Central Bank Governor Dr. Kevin Greenidge has declined to release the project’s total development and implementation cost. Walters emphasizes that this controversy is not an isolated incident, but rather the clearest latest example of a years-long pattern of behavior among ruling party officials. He argues that senior government figures consistently dismiss legitimate scrutiny from journalists and opposition politicians as unnecessary annoyance, rather than a core requirement of democratic governance.

“What we are seeing right now with BiMPay is not just a single disagreement over one piece of information, one reporter’s question or one public official’s decision,” Walters told the Senate. “It is a symptom of a culture that has become deeply embedded within this administration. A culture where legitimate questions are brushed off as irritants, independent scrutiny is labeled political opposition, and full transparency is increasingly treated as an optional extra, not a legal and ethical obligation.”

Walters outlined a multi-year trend of the administration deflecting, delaying, ignoring, or directly attacking anyone who questions how public funds are managed. He reminded the chamber that public officials are only temporary stewards of the national treasury, not private owners of state assets. “The government does not own the public purse. Cabinet ministers are not custodians of private wealth. Every dollar that passes through the hands of government departments, statutory corporations, state-owned enterprises and public agencies ultimately belongs to the people of Barbados,” he said. “As the ultimate owners of these resources, citizens hold an unquestionable right to know how their money is spent, whether they are getting value for every dollar, and whether proper safeguards are in place to protect public funds from waste or misuse.”

The shadow finance minister highlighted a long list of unresolved transparency failures across nearly every sector of government, stretching back to the administration’s 2018 election. Beyond the undisclosed cost of BiMPay, he raised questions about hidden fees for external consultants hired since 2018, undisclosed ministerial travel expenditures, limited public data linking fuel import costs to retail pump prices, and the complete absence of published cost-benefit analysis for the government’s high-profile We Gathering 2025 development initiative.

Walters also pointed to the ongoing disposal process for the Holetown Civic Centre, noting that the project is moving forward without ever disclosing full cost details to Barbadian taxpayers. In the health and infrastructure sector, he called out the unexplained repurposing of a major pandemic-era health facility built in the northern parish of St. Lucy. The facility, constructed at a reported public cost of more than $125 million during the COVID-19 public health emergency, no longer provides healthcare services and has reportedly been converted to housing for migrant labor. “Barbadians deserve a full explanation of what happened to this massive public investment, which was originally meant to expand healthcare access for citizens in the north of the island,” Walters said.

Additional concerns were raised about spending oversight at state-run entities and cultural initiatives, specifically naming the state development organization HOPE Inc. and the regional cultural festival CARIFESTA. Despite hundreds of thousands of public dollars flowing through HOPE Inc., and multiple red flags raised by the Auditor General in past reports, Walters said a newly appointed cabinet minister recently confirmed the organization continues to spend public funds without having released a single public annual financial report for independent scrutiny. For CARIFESTA, he called for a full independent audit after reported expenditures ballooned from an original projection of $8 million to more than $34 million. He added that hundreds of millions of dollars allocated to related infrastructure projects for the festival remain incomplete, with repeated shifted deadlines and steady cost increases that have never been justified to the public.

“The public is entitled to concrete facts, not just vague assurances and generic political talking points,” Walters said, noting that the administration has consistently failed to produce comprehensive post-project evaluations that would allow independent assessment of public spending value.

Turning to Barbados’ core social safety net, Walters focused his criticism on the National Insurance and Social Security Service (NISSS). While reaffirming the DLP’s longstanding support for progressive social protection programs, including the ruling administration’s Solidarity Allowance and Cost of Living Cash Credit initiatives, he stressed that a commitment to compassion cannot justify a lack of compliance with transparency rules. He questioned whether public funds transferred from NISSS to finance these temporary emergency programs have been fully repaid to the social security scheme.

“NIS funds belong to the working people of Barbados who have contributed to the scheme over decades, and they must be protected accordingly,” Walters said. “This is about safeguarding workers’ contributions, guaranteeing pensioners’ future benefits, and protecting the long-term financial sustainability of the country’s most critical social protection institution. To date, the government has not provided clear answers to these questions.”

He also raised alarm over the repeated delay of the mandatory independent actuarial review of NISSS, an assessment designed to identify early financial risks to the social security system. Taken as a whole, Walters argued that these overlapping transparency failures add up to a deeply troubling pattern that cannot be dismissed.

“Viewed one by one, the government may try to explain away each of these concerns as a simple mistake or a minor delay,” he said. “But when you look at all of them together, they reveal a deeply disturbing pattern. Questions get asked, and most are ignored. Answers are promised, time passes, and reports never materialize. Audits get delayed, costs go up, deadlines get shifted, and accountability disappears. This pattern is now too consistent to be written off as a coincidence.”

Walters clarified that the DLP does not oppose government spending on public projects and social programs, but objects to the complete lack of independent oversight and public reporting for that spending. He called on the Mottley administration to immediately publish all outstanding audits, project reports, full expenditure breakdowns, and the delayed NISSS actuarial review.

“Accountability is not a favor that the government grants to citizens. Accountability is the basic price of holding public office in a democracy,” he said. “Transparency is not achieved through PR stunts, speeches, press conferences or empty political rhetoric. Transparency is only achieved through full disclosure. Until the required information is made available to the Barbadian public, legitimate questions will keep being asked, and the Democratic Labour Party will keep demanding answers on behalf of all the people of this country.”

Barbados’ private pharmacy community has launched a thorough review of the newly approved Medical Products Act this week, with stakeholders flagging potential risks to the country’s domestic pharmaceutical supply chain and long-standing regulatory framework. The comprehensive legislation, which cleared the Senate before securing final passage in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, was crafted to ramp up oversight of drug quality and distribution, crack down on counterfeit medications, and cut Barbados’ overreliance on foreign pharmaceutical suppliers.

Marlon Ward Rogers, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Barbados, confirmed to local outlet Barbados TODAY on Wednesday that his organization is conducting a line-by-line examination of the bill’s provisions to assess its full impact on the island’s pharmaceutical industry. “We are still discussing and analyzing every section to understand what changes are ahead. We are in the process of a full review, and we will need to hold a full meeting to map out implications. The legislation just completed its parliamentary process this week, so we are still waiting to see if any further adjustments are made and what the government’s next implementation steps will be,” Ward Rogers stated, declining to share further comment ahead of the organization’s full review.

The bill marks a historic milestone for Barbados’ legislative process: Health Minister Lisa Cummins, a Senator, introduced the legislation to the House of Assembly under new constitutional rules adopted late last year that allow cross-chamber appearances. Speaking during the debate, Cummins emphasized that the new law is designed to build full medical products sovereignty for Barbados, with public safety at its core. The legislation’s central priority is shielding Barbadians from the life-threatening risks posed by counterfeit and substandard pharmaceuticals.

Cummins highlighted Section 6 of the act, which overhauls the process for medical product registration and marketing authorization, as a critical cornerstone of the new regulatory regime. The updated rules are necessary, she explained, to protect the public from fraudulent medications and products marketed with false claims about their therapeutic effectiveness. “This legislation’s core mission is to protect the Barbadian community through strong regulation: it targets counterfeit drugs, and products that are advertised to deliver specific health benefits but do not live up to those claims,” the minister added.

Another key provision of the law paves the way for the establishment of Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc., a state-owned domestic pharmaceutical production company. According to Cummins, the new entity will position Barbados to expand its role in the regional pharmaceutical ecosystem, evolving from its current status as a regional logistics hub into a full-spectrum center for pharmaceutical manufacturing, distribution, and regulatory oversight for the entire Caribbean region.

A leading opposition figure in Barbados has launched a sweeping indictment of the current administration, accusing it of deliberately withholding critical public financial information and fostering a culture of non-accountability that has left dozens of major spending initiatives shrouded in secrecy.

Senator Ryan Walters, shadow finance minister for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), framed the growing controversy around the BiMPay instant payment platform as far more than an isolated oversight. The dispute began when Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge initially declined to reveal the total construction cost of the national payment infrastructure, later issuing a public apology and clarifying that Phase 1 of the project had come in at approximately $6.7 million, under the original $10 million approved budget. Even with this late disclosure, Walters argued the incident is just the most recent example of a long-running pattern across government that treats legitimate public and political scrutiny as an unnecessary inconvenience.

“This is not a single disagreement over one question from one reporter to one official,” Walters emphasized in his remarks. “This is a symptom of a deeply embedded cultural problem within this current administration. In this system, legitimate questions are brushed off as nuisances, independent oversight is dismissed as partisan opposition, and full transparency is treated as an optional extra rather than a core requirement of public office.”

Walters stressed that all public funds ultimately belong to the people of Barbados, not the governing party or sitting ministers. “Public officials do not hold private purses – they are stewards of resources that belong to every citizen,” he said. “That means the public has an undeniable right to know how their money is spent, whether they are getting value for that investment, and what safeguards are in place to protect these critical resources from misuse or waste.”

The shadow finance minister outlined a long list of ongoing initiatives where key financial details have not been released to taxpayers. Beyond the BiMPay project, these include: undisclosed costs for external consultants hired by the government since 2018, unanswered questions about ministerial travel expenditures, limited public data linking fuel import costs to retail pump prices, and the complete absence of published cost-benefit analysis for the government’s flagship We Gatherin’ 2025 initiative. He also pointed to the ongoing sale process for the Holetown Civic Centre, which is moving forward without any public disclosure of the project’s total costs to date.

Turning to infrastructure and public health, Walters called out the repurposing of a large pandemic-era healthcare facility built in the northern parish of St Lucy. Constructed at a reported public cost of more than $125 million to expand COVID-19 care capacity, the facility no longer serves its original healthcare purpose and has reportedly been converted to house migrant labor. “Barbadians deserve a full explanation of what has happened to this massive public investment, which was originally meant to expand access to critical healthcare for our citizens,” he said.

Walters also raised alarms about spending at state-controlled entities and cultural programs, specifically naming HOPE Inc. and the regional CARIFESTA cultural festival. He noted that despite hundreds of millions in public funds flowing through HOPE Inc. and critical concerns raised by the Auditor General, a sitting minister recently confirmed the organization has never released a full annual financial report for public oversight. For CARIFESTA, Walters said reported spending ballooned from an original projection of $8 million to $34 million, with hundreds of millions more allocated to associated infrastructure projects that remain incomplete, while costs continue to rise and deadlines are repeatedly pushed back. He is calling for a full independent audit of all CARIFESTA expenditures. “The public deserves hard facts, not just vague assurances and political talking points,” he said, criticizing the lack of comprehensive project evaluations across all these initiatives.

The opposition critique extended to Barbados’ core social safety net, the National Insurance and Social Security Service (NISSS). While reaffirming the DLP’s longstanding support for social protection programs including the Solidarity Allowance and Cost of Living Cash Credit, Walters said compassion for vulnerable communities cannot come at the cost of regulatory compliance and financial transparency. He questioned whether all funds transferred from NISSS to finance these temporary government programs have been fully repaid.

“National Insurance funds belong to the workers who have contributed to the system over decades, and they must be protected accordingly,” Walters said. “This is about safeguarding workers’ contributions, protecting pensioners’ earned benefits, and ensuring the long-term stability of our country’s most vital social protection institution. So far, clear answers to these questions have not been provided.”

Walters also highlighted the continued delay of the mandatory independent actuarial review of NISSS, a routine assessment designed to identify early financial risks to the national insurance and social security system. Taken together, he said the dozens of unanswered questions add up to a deeply troubling pattern that cannot be dismissed as random coincidence.

“Looked at one by one, the government may try to explain away each of these concerns as a simple delay or a misunderstanding,” he said. “But when you take them all together, the pattern is undeniable: questions get asked, most are ignored. Answers get promised, time passes, reports never materialize. Audits get pushed back, costs go up, deadlines get moved, and accountability vanishes. This pattern is far too consistent to write off as a coincidence.”

Walters clarified that the DLP does not oppose necessary government spending, but objects to the complete lack of independent oversight and public reporting that has become standard across the current administration. He called on the Mia Mottley administration to immediately publish all outstanding audits, project reports, full expenditure breakdowns, and the delayed NISSS actuarial review.

“Accountability is not a favor that the government grants to citizens – it is the fundamental requirement of holding public office,” Walters said. “Transparency is not achieved through PR stunts, speeches, press conferences or empty political rhetoric. Transparency only comes through full public disclosure. Until all the required information is placed before the people of Barbados, legitimate questions will keep being asked, and the Democratic Labour Party will keep demanding answers on behalf of every citizen.”