Nassau, BAHAMAS-Former Cabinet Minister Shane Gibson is threatening legal action if the Police Service Commission doesn’t revoke the promotion of the lead investigator in his bribery trial before May 15.
In a May 1 letter to the Police Service Commission, Gibson said he would begin judicial review proceedings, asking the Supreme Court to quash her promotion.
Thompson’s controversial promotion comes after she admitted to improper conduct in Gibson’s corruption trial.
Prosecutors accused Gibson of soliciting and accepting $280,000 in bribes from contractor Johnathan Ash to approve payments for work associated with Hurricane Matthew cleanup efforts.
During the investigation, Thompson held a joint meeting with Ash and Deborah Bastian. Prosecutors alleged that Ash made some of those payments through Bastian.
Justice Indra Charles criticised Thompson’s actions in a May 2019 ruling on a constitutional motion in Gibson’s case.
The judge said, “Unkind as it may be, ASP Thompson struck me as an officer with very little investigative skills despite her impressive rank in the RBPF.
“I say this because prosecution witnesses should not be brought together to discuss their evidence, exchange their account and decide what to say and what they should omit in their statements and evidence”.
Gibson’s lawyers wanted Charles to dismiss the bribery charges because of the witness coaching exercise.
However, the trial proceeded before another judge. Ultimately, a jury acquitted Gibson of all charges in November 2019.
Unethical conduct
Gibson’s letter said, “In my trial, Debra Thompson, under cross-examination, admitted to numerous incidents of impropriety in the conduct of the investigation against me.”
Gibson said that Thompson’s promotion was “more egregious” because she admitted that her behaviour is “common practice.”
He continued,“This leads one to believe that my case is not the first time she has been involved in this unethical and unlawful practice.”
Gibson made a formal complaint to the Police Service Commission against Thompson in February. Gibson said to date the complaint hasn’t been acknowledged.
