The government must remove powers protecting heads of agreements from public disclosure from the 2015 Freedom of Information Bill if it wishes to rid itself of a “recipe for corruption and abuse”, according to a local lawyer. Grand Bahama Human Rights Association (GBHRA) President Fred Smith, QC told Guardian Business that while the draft legislation demonstrates a degree of improvement over the 2012 bill in promoting government transparency, he urged the government to draft another act taking into account recent suggestions

Attorneys Fred Smith, QC, and Carey Leonard made an application on Wednesday to apply for a leave of judicial review and interlocutory relief concerning the amendments to the Hawksbill Creek Agreement (HCA). According to Smith, the proposed judicial review proceedings relate to the actions and decisions made by Prime Minister Perry Christie, along with the Minister for Grand Bahama Dr. Michael Darville and HCA Chairman Dr. Marcus Bethel concerning the HCA. Smith added that their actions and decisions relate to a fundamentally