Opposition leader Michael Pintard has urged Prime Minister Philip Davis to provide full disclosure on the purported airfreight management arrangement, citing "significant concerns."
In a letter to Prime Minister Philip Davis, Pintard noted that questions have been raised in the House of Assembly, as well as the press reports concerning the alleged arrangement with a company known as JDL for airfreight management. The company has reportedly been pegged to undertake a $25m transformation of the Government's air freight terminal via a public-private partnership arrangement.
"There are many elements of this reported arrangement that create significant concerns for the Opposition," Pintard stated in a December 19 letter to Prime Minister Davis.
Pintard has asked the Prime Minister to confirm whether or not any arrangement related to the management or handling of airfreight coming into any port of The Bahamas has been executed or is being contemplated by the government involving JDL Company or any other interested parties.
If the answer is yes, Pintard urged full transparency on the proposed airfreight management arrangement. This, he noted, would include a comprehensive breakdown of its elements, such as financial, administrative, and contractual aspects, along with the provision of related documents.
Additionally, he wrote that the Opposition seek information on the bidding process by the Public Procurement Act 2023, including the timeline and number of received bids.
Pintard also called for the disclosure of the beneficial owners of JDL and an overview of the company's track record in providing similar services, in addition to clarity regarding any anticipated mandatory fees or charges for shippers, along with the legal provisions enforcing such fees.
He further stated that concerns also arise regarding the alignment of reported plans with the Customs Management Act and the Customs Department's responsibilities for landed goods.
"It has been reported that this arrangement is to commence in January 2024, which would be preposterous given that as far as we know, your government has made no formal announcement regarding this arrangement, nor undertaken any significant public education and outreach," wrote Pintard.
"Given the incredible expansion in public relations and communications staff and resources undertaken by your administration, the failure to inform the public on this reported initiative must, in our view, be deliberate. We wish to note that the Opposition objects in the strongest terms to this reported arrangement."
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