Recently Bermuda’s tourism minister Jamahl Simmons took control of the Territory’s independent Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission.
He told Parliament on November 10, 2017 that the commission had failed to take part in a national risk analysis that was conducted by the National Anti-Money-Laundering Committee for the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.
However, when the Royal Gazette did the Bermudan equivalent of a public records request it discovered that the commission was not required by law to participate in the analysis before November 3, a week before Simmons made the criticism.
This prompted Richard Schuetz, former executive director of the commission to charge: “The problem is, the facts just don’t meet the narrative and to use NAMLC in this way — that is, to politicize it — is contrary to the whole point of NAMLC.”
Simmons has previously tried to take over the commission and three times demanded the resignation of the commission’s chairman, Alan Dunch, without success. Simmons then accused Dunch of being unable to accept the fact that the Progressive Labour Party handily won the general election last summer.
To bolster his claim, Simmons added, “That attitude may perhaps be further seen in the recent non-participation by the gaming commission in the National Anti-Money-Laundering Committee’s national risk analysis, failure to provide the requested presentation for the related workshops, and failure to provide the analysis and conclusions of the working group that this commission was chairing.”
An investigation by the Royal Gazette showed that the commission did not become a member of NAMLC until November 3.
An official for the Ministry of Finance added, “Therefore, prior to that date, any attendance of the BCGC at NAMLC meetings was by invitation, not by requirement.” Which would, it admitted, have made it difficult to produce records of its actions as part of that body.
This did not discourage Minister Simmons who announced last week: “We stand by the reasons articulated for seeking change and are moving forward to execute the people’s business.”
Eventually Simmons was able to get his own appointee to head the commission, Cheryl-Ann Map, who announced shortly thereafter: “Under the previous administration, the commission did not complete the national risk assessment tracking document to meet the NAMLC deadline. Under the new leadership, this work is now complete.”
Schuetz has asked for an apology by Simmons to the commission and staff. “Moreover, for the minister to make this claim is a serious slight to the many hours the commission staff put into this effort. He should apologize.”
Schuetz added, “Then, when the minister cannot get away with illegally firing Alan, he suggests that he needs to change the law — becoming a gambling tsar — and in his speech he discusses that the commission has not completed some tasks for NAMLC. This is a totally inappropriate use of NAMLC.”
