Concerns have been raised that the Bahamian Embassy in Haiti could have been involved in the fraudulent issuance of thousands of visas to Haitian nationals in the past six months, some visas were sold to people in Haiti.
These concerns were raised after reports have been published online, indicating that up to $ 1,000 were charged for some entry visas. Anthony Ferguson, Police Assistant Commissioner declared yesterday "I can say that the criminal investigation department is conducting an investigation concerning suspected visa irregularities," refusing to specify whether these irregularities visa involve Haitian or the Bahamian Embassy in Haiti.
Fred Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration has also declined to confirm, rebut or comment on the case.
For his part, Darron Cash, Chairman of the Free National Movement (FNM) recognized that "the facts about this alleged scandal are not yet known [...] The charges that have been levelled against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or persons within that ministry are extremely serious and require a full investigation. Based on the information that we have gotten, the government appears to be treating the matter with the seriousness it deserves [...] These kinds of issues have the possibility of doing widespread damage to the country’s image and reputation [...]"
