MITCHELL ANSWERS FRED SMITH

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viagra usa viagra times;”>The following communication was delivered to the House of Assembly on Wednesday 9^th  December in answer to a series of statements made by the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association on immigration policies in The Bahamas.  You may click here for the full statement by Fred Mitchell, prescription the Minister for Immigration.

COMMUNICATION BY FRED MITCHELL MP

MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMIGRATION ON

MATTERS RAISED IN THE PRESS ON IMMIGRATION 

9^th December 2015

House of Assembly

Nassau

Check against delivery

Mr. Speaker  I wish to respond on the following subjects that have been raised in connection with immigration operations in The Bahamas over the past weeks which have become matters of public discussion, largely driven in this minister’s view by a clever campaign of deception, exaggeration and misinformation driven mainly from the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association and its spokesman in the press. 

The case of Matthew Sewell

On 16^th October, the following statement was released by the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association:

After nine years of false imprisonment by both Her Majesty’s Prisons and the Department of Immigration, the Supreme Court of The Bahamas ordered that Jamaican Matthew Sewell be granted his freedom immediately. 

In securing this tremendous victory, Sewell’s attorney, GBHRA president Fred Smith, Q.C., urged the court to recognize that there is “No Guantanamo Bay” in The Bahamas, where individuals can be held in secret and outside the scope of the law.  

….

Matthew Sewell was repeatedly detained in connection with a series of alleged and trumped up charges over the better part of the last decade. This included a trumped up murder and a house break-in which happened while he was already in prison. 

Here is what the record of the Bahamas Corrections Dept. reflects:

Detention Records: 

Matthew Sewell was first admitted into Her Majesty’s Prison on the 23^rd June, 2006 on a Warrant Of Remand from the Magistrate’s Court No. 11, for the offence of Attempted Unlawful Sexual Intercourse. His warrant was further remanded until the 30^th June, 2006. 

On the 5^th December, 2007 while housed in the Maximum Security Unit lost six (6) weeks privilege for fighting with inmates Alvin Ramsey and John Zeruos on the 25^th September, 2007 by Disciplinary Inmates Tribunal. 

On the 4^th February, 2008 he was committed to the Supreme Court for the next Session from Magistrate’s Court No. 11 for the offence of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse. On the 1^st May, 2008 he was released by court on a Bail Bond in the amount of $7,000.00 from Magistrate’s Court No. 11. 

Matthew Sewell was readmitted into Her Majesty’s Prison on the 9^th April, 2009 on a Warrant of Remand from the Magistrate’s Court No. 1 for the offence of Rape. His warrant was further remanded until the 15^th April, 2009. On the 9^th April, 2010 he was committed to the Supreme Court for the next available sitting from Magistrate’s Court No. 5 for the offence of Rape. He was released by court on the 23^rd August, 2013. 

On the 16^th October, 2013 Matthew Sewell was readmitted into Her Majesty’s Prison on a Warrant of Remand from the Magistrate’s Court No. 5 for the offence of Housebreaking, Stealing and Receiving. He was released by court on the 19^th December, 2013. 

On the 1^st April, 2014 Matthew Sewell was readmitted into Her Majesty’s Prison on a Warrant of Remand from the Magistrate’s Court No. 5 for the offence of Housebreaking and Stealing . He was released by court on the 3^rd April, 2014. 

Matthew Sewell was readmitted into The Bahamas Department of Correctional Services formerly (Her Majesty’s Prison) on the 11^th August, 2014 on a Warrant of Remand from the Magistrate’s Court No. 11 for the offence of Rape. His warrant was further remanded until the 18^th August, 2014. On the 30^th September, 2014 he was committed to the Supreme Court for the next available sitting from the Magistrate’s Court No. 5 for the offence of Rape. 

He received a Summons from The Supreme Court Criminal Division to appear before the Honourable Justice Mr. Bernard Turner on Friday, 17^th of October, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.

On the 17^th October, 2014 he received a Supreme Court warrant for the offence of Rape. On the 31^st October, 2014 he received a Certificate of Discharge by The Supreme Court Criminal Division stating that the proceedings against Matthew Sewell were discontinued by the Attorney General in respect of the charge of Rape and discharged before the Honourable Mr. Justice Bernard Turner. He was released on the 3^rd November, 2014. Click here for more…