C M C M Y K Y K WEATHER GIVE A HAND TO HAITI RELIEF HIGH 78F ANY TIME...ANY PLACE, WE’RE #1 LOW 66F The Tribune SUNNY AND BREEZY BAHAMAS EDITION www.tribune242.com Volume: 106 No.54 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25) SEE PAGE 12 ‘Haitian boats’ panic Unconfirmed reports of HUGE BLAZE TACKLED NEAR HIGH SCHOOL vessels heading for Bahamas spark fears By TANEKA THOMPSON Tribune Staff Reporter [email protected] UNCONFIRMED reports of Haitian boats heading for the Bahamas caused panic throughout the community last night, inciting fears that a mass exodus from the earthquake devastated country had start- ed. The phone lines on radio talk shows were jammed with reports of boats loaded with Haitian refugees making their way towards the Bahamas. Two were said to be in the South Beach area, and five were rumoured to have been spotted in Inagua. However, these reports were denied by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force who said the agency found no evidence to support the claims. And accord- ing to a defence force officer stationed in Mathew Town, Inagua there were no reported sightings or landings of Hait- ian boats in recent days. "We haven't had any today and we didn’t receive any infor- mation about any," said the officer, who did not want to be SMOKE FILLED the named. "We have defence force skies near Anatol f f vessels over here but we didn't a t Rodgers High School Illegal Haitian immigrants s even get a call or anything Telethon for Haiti BUT president e yesterday as firefight- about Haitian vessels." n u ers struggled to put get six months in prison b criticises ministry The officer said the Inagua i quake victims raises r out a massive blaze of base got reports last week of T / By TANEKA THOMPSON grants captured near Adelaide r burning cars and other over child sex "six to eight" Haitian boats in o j almost $100,000 Tribune Staff Reporter on Monday night after their a debris. the area. However, defence [email protected] sloop ran aground. Immigra- M claims investigation force officers spent a whole day According to offi- e on its first night tion officials said most of the p cials at the school, no searching and found no evi- i l FORTY-NINE illegal Hait- immigrants apprehended on By ALISON LOWE dence. e one on the campus By ALESHA CADET F ian immigrants were charged Monday told officers they Tribune Staff Reporter As for the reported sighting was affected by the in Magistrate's Court with ille- emanated from Haiti's capital [email protected] in Nassau, a caller told The Tri- blaze as the winds had THE national telethon gally landing in the country and city Port-au-Prince, which was bune she saw vessels drifting fortunately blown the fundraising event for victims sentenced to six months in destroyed about two weeks ago THE president of the towards the shore near Blue smoke to the south of of the Haiti earthquake raised prison. Bahamas Union of Teachers SEE page three the school. almost $100,000 on its first They were part of the group SEE page three last night criticised the Min- night. of more than 50 Haitian immi- istry of Education for “fail- Help Us Help Haiti, which ing” to follow proper proce- was organised by the dure during its investigation Bahamas Chamber of Com- PLP, FNM claim interference into child sex abuse claims in merce and Rotary, was aired Eleuthera. simultaneously on ZNS, JCN in by-election campaigns Belinda Wilson claims the and Cable 12 from the Ministry did not consult with telethon’s headquarters at the THE mud slinging between the PLP and the union prior to introduc- British Colonial Hilton from the FNM for the Elizabeth constituency ing a massive shake-up in the has already started with both sides claiming 8pm to10pm on Monday. island’s school system. A second event was held that the other is attempting to interfere with their by-election campaigns. She also said she failed to last night at the Hilton and see the basis on which the Arawak Cay where a concert Yesterday, the PLP issued a statement claiming the FNM had attempted to use decision was made to move featuring top names was aired administrators. live to the nation. “operatives” to disrupt former Prime Min- ister Perry Christie’s speech at their con- Parents kept their children Monday’s telethon was stituency office opening on Monday night. away from North Eleuthera hosted by The Tribune’s During Mr Christie’s speech, a flatbed High School for a second day online editor Jessica Robert- truck with large speakers attached to it PLP LEADER yesterday to protest the Min- son, who said: “This is the first drove past the PLP rally blasting its music Perry Christie istry of Education’s decision time we’ve had, from a tech- in an attempt, it is claimed, to distract from was speaking to transfer its principal and nical point of view, so many when a truck with vice principal to other schools SEE page eight SEE page 11 speakers drove by. SEE page eight NASSAU AND BAHAMA ISLANDS’ LEADING NEWSPAPER C M C M Y K Y K THE TRIBUNE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2010, PAGE 3 LOCAL NEWS Panic over ‘Haitian boats’ Viktor Kozeny scores a FROM page one Hill Road south. "It looks like two Haitian vessels on the horizon in the victory in extradition battle distance and they've been out here for a while," said the caller. By NATARIO McKENZIE RBDF Senior Lieutenant Tribune Staff Reporter Sonia Miller said a team was [email protected] Judge’s decision on habeas dispatched yesterday to investigate the claim. "We have a team investi- CZECH born financier Viktor corpus application upheld gating. We have sent a vessel Kozeny scored a major victory in out and sent a team of his extradition battle yesterday as marines in vehicles to inves- the Court of Appeal upheld a however his attorneys subse- faith and were guilty of an abuse of tigate that but there's no judge’s decision on a habeas corpus quently brought a habeas corpus process. Justice Longley noted confirmation on that." application. application before Senior Justice there had been ample information Aside from the apprehen- Kozeny, 46, who has been resid- Jon Isaacs who set aside Magis- before the court, particularly as it sion of 51 Haitians believed ing in the Bahamas since 1995, is trate Bethell’s order that Kozeny related to “the failure of the US to be on board a sloop that be committed into custody. government to disclose certain per- landed Monday night in the wanted by US authorities to face Adelaide area, there were no charges of bribery and money Kozeny was released on $300,000 tinent information in law and fact confirmed reports of addi- laundering. Kozeny is accused of bail by Senior Justice Isaacs in that gave rise to bad faith and an tional vessels in our waters. being the driving force behind a 2007. abuse of process.” Ms Miller added: "All multi-million dollar bribery The judge had cited that the sightings that were reported scheme which sought to corrupt offences for which US authorities Process have been thoroughly inves- Azerbaijan officials in the early sought his extradition were not tigated." extraditable offences and found 90s. US officials allege that Kozeny “The extradition process, Although the RBDF has that there had been an abuse of bribed senior government officials because it involves the deprava- beefed up patrols, Ms Miller process because US authorities had of the former Soviet republic of tion of liberty, requires the exer- VIKTOR KOZENY conceded that wooden sloops failed to disclose certain material were not easily detectable on Azerbaijan with millions of dol- cise of good faith on the part of information. radar, making it possible for lars in an effort to gain an unfair the requesting state and that must of the case. Prosecutors had filed an appeal them to slip by undetected. advantage during the privatisation mean that it has a duty to disclose “There certainly was material against the judge’s order on the "It is difficult to pick up a of the state-owned oil company in a timely manner and with its before the learned judge to reach habeas corpus application. wooden sloop on a radar SOCAR. request if the information is known the conclusion which he did and I especially if you have rough A judgment delivered by Justice SOCAR held all of the country’s at that time, any information that see no reason to interfere with that seas. We do depend on radar Hartman Longley dismissed all six substantial deposits of oil and gas would not only be adverse to its decision,” Justice Longley stated to a certain extent but the grounds of appeal by the Attor- reserves as well as its facilities for request but would inform a pru- in the judgment. possibility does exist where a ney General’s Office and the US oil exploration, production and dent court in the exercise of its When asked whether prosecu- vessel won't be picked up by government against the decision refining. Kozeny was arrested at function that might lead to a rele- tors would appeal the appellate a radar," she said. of Senior Justice Isaacs. Yesterday, Fox Hill MP his Lyford Cay residence in Octo- vant trial of inquiry. “Whether the court’s decision, Assistant Director One of the points the appellants Fred Mitchell demanded an ber 2005 and was held at Her failure to comply with its obliga- of Public Prosecutions Franklyn had argued was that Senior Jus- explanation from the Gov- Majesty’s Prison until 2007.