Nearly 70 Questions Keith Bell Must Answer

Progressive Liberal Party’s Member of Parliament and Minister of Immigration Keith Bell is mired in controversy after a web of extraordinary revelations were uncovered in his role as Immigration Minister.

Bell has said very little, only assuring reporters that he would answer troubling claims in the House of Assembly on Wednesday.

As the Opposition calls for his resignation, Wednesday’s session is expected to be tense and chair-gripping as he is pressed to answer questions that could determine his future as immigration minister and his party’s public perception.

What to Know about Keith Bell’s Controversy

The public was first alerted to possible irregularities from Keith Bell when an audio on social media revealed that he administered citizenship at a funeral for the family of a man who was being buried. He was heard saying the move was “unorthodox” but he wished to honor the dead man Frank Rancine’s request.

Then Bell was hit with other questionable claims on Sunday when Opposition leader Michael Pintard revealed that he with Deputy Leader Chester Cooper, demanded that officers release 65 Chinese nationals from detention where only three could prove their identity but overstayed their time in the country.

Then he reportedly approved a woman’s work permit while she was detained and waived the fee for the years she worked without a permit.

In addition, there are claims of people getting approvals without being interviewed and employers getting approval for applications when they could not prove financial support for the employee.

Other claims are that he approved employers who did not apply.

Questions for Immigration Minister Keith Bell

Michael Pintard has asked:

1. Will the Honorable Minister Bell provide this Honorable House with the date that the employer of the 65 Chinese “cured” the matters?
2. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House on the dates and transportation method used for the Chinese workers in question to gain entry in the country?
3. Will the Honorable Minister Bell state if the work permits for the individuals in question were made before their entry into the country or expired?
4. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House how long the individuals in question were in the country before being discovered by Immigration Officials? Have the 3 workers who had documentation been identified? If so, were they fined for overstaying and/or deported?
5. Will the Honorable Minister Bell provide this Honorable House with the average processing time for the average work permit application versus this particular employer?
6. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise what the Government is doing to ensure that another incident like this does not happen again?
7. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if the individuals in question are still in the country?
8. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise if the 62 individuals/workers are in possession of their passports and documentation at this time?
9. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House who was the individual who had the passports and identification for the 62 individuals and under what circumstances were the passports and identifications held or are they still in possession of their passports and other documents?
10. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if this individual was investigated for Human Trafficking as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlights this act as a violation of the Trafficking in Persons Act?
11. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise who gave the directive if the then Acting Prime Minister Cooper denies any involvement with this matter?
12. Will the Honorable Minister Bell or the Honorable Prime Minister of Finance table the BIA Agreement that incorporated these workers?
13. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise if the 3 identified workers were fined with overstaying or deported?
14. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House who is the developer that employed these individuals and the irregularities pertaining to this matter?
15. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence, the Prime Minister advise if an application made to the Immigration Dept requesting permission for the individuals to be admitted to land in The Bahamas? If an application was made, was it processed and approved? Was the application made pursuant to the HOA?If no application was made on what premise were they landed in The Bahamas?
16. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence the Prime Minister give the reason for the apprehension of the individuals? Were the individuals arrested for entering The Bahamas in breach of the Immigration Act?
17. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence the Prime Minister advise if a comprehensive report was provided to the Minister by the Immigration Director concerning this matter?
18. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence the Prime Minister give cogent reasons for superseding the decision of The Director?
19. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence the Prime Minister advise what is the ratio of Non-nationals to Bahamians at the project and does the number of non-nationals fall within the accepted ratio?
20. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence the Prime Minister advise if he give direct or specific instructions to the Director of Immigration and if so was or were they in writing and explain the reason for superseding the Director’s decision?
21. Does the Honorable Minister Bell, and in his absence the Prime Minister, accept that the Director is responsible for administration of the Department?
22. Can the Honorable Minister Bell, and in his absence the Prime Minister, confirm that there are a number of matters before the Supreme Court & the Magistrate’s Court questioning the validity of citizenship issued by the Minister?
23. Can the Minister, and in his absence the Prime Minister, confirm whether the Director of Immigration has been sent on administrative leave or is scheduled to be transferred?
24. Will the Honorable Minister Bell and in his absence, the Prime Minister, confirm whether he in any way affected the placing on leave the Deputy Director of Immigration in January after the actions executed at the British Colonial Hotel?
25. Can the Honorable Minister Bell, and in his absence the Prime Minister, say what the justifications are for his Ministry placing on leave the Deputy Director of Immigration and then extending such leave multiple times covering the period today?
26. Will the Honorable Minister advise this Honorable House on the exact timeframe Mr. Rancine applied for citizenship? Saying he did so under the previous administration is not specific or sufficient.
27. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House what was Mr. Rancine’s immigration status prior to his application? Was he a work permit holder or a permanent resident with (or without) the right to work?
28. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House on what date his application was advertised in the newspaper as is required by law?
29. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if both Mr. Racine and his wife renounced their Haitian citizenship? When did they do so?
30. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House in light of his admittance that his actions were “unorthodox,” why he proceeded in the absence of Senior Immigration Officials?
31. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House when did the deceased person’s application went before the Immigration Board (The Cabinet) and when was it approved?
32. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if the spouse and children’s applications went before the Immigration Board (The Cabinet) and when were they approved?
33. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if the citizenship certificates were prepared in advance of the administration of the oath? Were they signed by the correct signatories and sealed with the correct Immigration seal?
34. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if this was an isolated incident and if this was the only time this took place?
35. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House if it is true that a similar “unorthodox” ceremony took place at a local government primary school a week before this funeral incident?
36. Will the Honorable Minister Bell advise this Honorable House of how many other promises for citizenship were made by this Minister and how many of them does he intend to keep?
37. Will the Honorable Prime Minister advise this Honorable House when he as Chairman of the Immigration Board, will confirm his knowledge and agreement to the unorthodox administration of the oath of citizenship?
38. Will the Honorable Prime Minister advise this Honorable House if the Prime Minister and the Cabinet did not approve, then when will he ask for Minister Bell’s resignation or when will he fire him?

Former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis doubt the details surrounding the death of Fran Racine and charged that Bell is being dishonest, claiming that Racine died while Keith Bell was in the country though he claimed otherwise.

“Racine died on the 29th,” he said. “Parliamentary record reflects that Keith Bell was in Parliament on the 31st. According to Cable 12 news, Keith Bell said himself that the man called him in Switzerland. Keith Bell could not have been in Switzerland because the conference didn’t start until the fifth.

“It is quite evident that Keith Bell is not telling the truth. He is being dishonest to the entire population. If he cannot prove he went to Switzerland and received that call, and then came back to Nassau on the 31st, Keith Bell should be asked to resign for lying and giving false information to the entire Bahamas.

“He obviously was talking to a dead man. Only he could tell us how it was possible for him to talk to a dead man,” Minnis said.

1. Would the honorable minister of immigration confirm for this honorable House that Franck Racine was first granted a work permit on 24th February 2011, and that, prior to that date, he had no lawful status in The Bahamas?
2. Would the minister confirm that Racine applied for permanent residency in 2021?
3. Would the minister confirm that Racine’s application for permanent residency was never approved?
4. If the answer to question three is ‘no’, would the minister provide the House with the date that Racine was granted Bahamian permanent residency, and table the evidence in the House?
5. Would the minister confirm that Racine was granted Bahamian citizenship on September 6, 2022?
6. Would the minister confirm that Racine never filled in an application to apply for Bahamian citizenship?
7. If the answer to question six is ‘no’, would the minister provide the House with the date that Racine applied for Bahamian citizenship and table the evidence in the House?
8. Would the minister confirm that a deceased man who is a naturalized Bahamian citizen cannot pass Bahamian citizenship on to his wife or children after his death?
9. If this is so, would the minister confirm for the House that he deliberately misled the Bahamian people when he commented to the press on June 27, 2023 that Racine’s wife and children were entitled to Bahamian citizenship as a result of the fact that he was a Bahamian citizen before his death?
10. Would the minister confirm for the House that he personally administered the oath of citizenship to Saint-Helene Joseph Racine at the funeral service for her late husband Franck Racine on June 24, 2023?
11. Would the minister confirm for the House that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine, the widow of the late Franck Racine, applied for a permit to reside in The Bahamas on December 2, 2018?
12. If the answer to question 11 is ‘no’, would the minister provide the House with the date that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine applied for a permit to reside in The Bahamas and table the evidence in the House?
13. Would the minister confirm that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine applied for Bahamian permanent residency in 2019?
14. If the answer to question 13 is ‘no’, would the minister provide the House with the date that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine applied for Bahamian permanent residence and table the evidence in the House?
15. Would the minister confirm that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine’s application for permanent residency was never approved?
16. If the answer to question 15 is ‘no’, would the minister provide the House with the date that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine was granted Bahamian permanent residency, and table the evidence in the House?
17. Would the minister confirm for the House that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine applied for a Bahamian spousal permit and was refused in February 2023?
18. Would the minister confirm that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine never filled in an application to apply for Bahamian citizenship prior to the death of her late husband?
19. If the answer to question 18 is ‘no’, would the minister provide the House with the date that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine applied for Bahamian citizenship and table the evidence in the House?
20. Would the minister confirm that he personally administered the oath of citizenship to confer Bahamian citizenship on Saint-Helene Joseph Racine at the funeral service for her husband on June 24, 2023?
21. Would the minister confirm that Saint-Helene Joseph Racine took the oath of allegiance as prescribed in the Bahamas Nationality Act at the funeral service for her husband?
22. Would the minister, who is an attorney, confirm for the House that section 9 of the Bahamas Nationality Act provides that upon taking the oath of allegiance a person becomes a citizen of The Bahamas by naturalization?
23. Would the minister confirm that Franck Racine died on May 29, 2023?
24. Would the minister confirm that he attended the funeral service for Racine?
25. Would the minister confirm that he was physically present in the House during the budget debate on May 31, 2023?
26. Would the minister confirm that he left The Bahamas for Switzerland during the first week of June 2023?
27. Would the minister confirm that this was the only trip that he made to Switzerland between May 29 and June 24, 2023?
28. Would the minister confirm that he told the Bahamian media that Frank Racine, and I quote: “He would have called me while he was in the hospital. I was in Switzerland at the time. When I returned, he was being buried within the week on that Saturday….”?
29. Would the minister kindly inform for the House of the date in June 2023 and the time that he received a call from Racine, who had been dead since May 29, during his trip to Switzerland in June of this year?
30. Would the prime minister appreciate the significance of the breaches committed by his minister of immigration and their far-reaching implications, take the honorable course of action to protect our constitutional democracy by terminating the minister from the Cabinet?
31. Would the prime minister appreciate the significance of the breaches committed by his minister of immigration and their far-reaching implications, take the honorable course of action to protect our constitutional democracy by appointing a committee of three eminent, respected and non-partisan Bahamians to investigate the actions of Minister Bell during his tenure at immigration, and to make recommendations to the government?

The public awaits Bell’s response.