A Parliamentary Registration Department (PRD) employee and a 33-year-old woman were arrested in connection with a fraudulent voter’s card, which was discovered last week at the National Insurance Board (NIB), where, according to Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson, the woman had attempted to obtain an NIB smart card.
In a report to the press, police said that they were alerted on Thursday morning by NIB officials that the woman was found in possession of a suspected fraudulent voter’s card.
The woman and the PRD employee, a 31-year-old man, were both in police custody by that afternoon.
In a statement yesterday, Thompson said the employee had been charged and that the PRD is “part of a cross-agency approach to identify and prevent fraud”.
Thompson said yesterday that in this case, the person with the fraudulent card was not on the voters’ register. Thompson said he is satisfied that the “persons involved were seeking to use fraudulent voter cards to obtain other supporting identification documents, rather than for the purpose of voting”.
“I also wish to advise the public that possession of a fraudulent voter card does not allow a person to vote,” he said.
“An authentic voter card carries the Parliamentary seal embedded into the card, along with security features that cannot be copied. A card without those features is invalid and will be detected.”
Thompson said the fraudulent card was identified at NIB because it did not have a parliamentary seal, which “triggered an internal protocol, which led to further verification”.
“That verification revealed that the name on the voter card did not match the identification number,” he said.
Thompson added, “I have said from the start that there is a cross-agency approach to identity fraud. There is no working around the checks and balances that are in place. There are too many layers of verification across government agencies, and today’s charges are a clear example that those systems are active and effective.”
It comes amid heightened tension over claims of increased instances of fraudulent Bahamian documents.
Ahead of the general election, the Free National Movement (FNM), in particular, has been vocal on the issue in recent months.
Last month, FNM Leader Michael Pintard tabled a document in the House of Assembly with a list of more than 70 people under investigation for having obtained passports fraudulently. Pintard raised concern that eight of those names were also on the voters’ register.
In the days that followed, Chief Passport Officer Nicolas Symonette said that 98 cases of suspected passport fraud had forwarded to the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF).
Symonette has maintained that the Passport Office’s integrity is intact, and has connected the incidents to a policy that came into place in 2018 under the Minnis administration, which relaxed the requirements for passport renewals.
He suggested that this policy led to a broader relaxing of protocols at the office, including screening of new passport applications, even the documentation required for those applications had not changed.
Symonette’s explanation was generally aligned with that of senior government officials, including Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, who also claimed that the fraudulent cases were connected to that Minnis-era policy, which has since been reversed.
Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe has maintained that the number of incidents under investigation is an indicator that the system is working and instances of fraud are being identified as intended.
Nevertheless, the issue has remained at the forefront of national discussion, often as a part of broader concerns as it relates to immigration.
As the May 12 election quickly approaches, all major parties have identified immigration as a key issue.
At a rally in Grand Bahama over the weekend, Pintard raised the issue again, and alluded to an incident that he claimed took place last week involving NIB and a government employee.
“We are waiting to hear about the person that showed up at NIB in the last 48 hours, presented a fraudulent voter’s card to get an NIB card and then name the individual who works in an interesting location who then presented himself, and I’m advised his car was searched, envelope found and multiple, multiple voter’s cards in it,” Pintard said.
“We’d like for the government to explain whether or not this matter existed and we believe we know the person who made the phone call to make inquiries.”
In a statement yesterday, the PLP said the government has a “zero tolerance” policy on fraud.
“Anyone who uses fraudulent documents, carried fraudulent voter cards, or takes part in fraud will be caught, charged, sent before the courts, and if found guilty sent to jail,” the party said.
“We will find plenty of space in Fox Hill prison.”
