The government is seeking to collect money owed by the Grand Bahama Port Authority for services carried out on the island of Grand Bahama.
Minister of Immigration and National Insurance, the Hon. Alfred Sears commented on the issue. He said, “the government is saying, on the basis of the contract, that certain monies that ought to have been paid to the government was not paid.”
Sears also addressed the issue of how much is owed. He said the amount could only be determined by agreement, the courts or arbitration.
The Immigration Minister said, “it affects education, it affects the upkeep of the public infrastructure, it pays the salaries of the public officers. So this is a very important public matter. The third thing is that the Grand Bahama Port Authority is not just a private company, by virtue of the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, it also exercises public functions.”
Sears says the government has the obligation to protect the public interest.
