Inside Story: Paul Rolle and Marvin Dames: Silent as Corruption Allegations Rock The Bahamas

The silence of former Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle and former National Security Minister Marvin Dames in the wake of damning corruption allegations is nothing short of a disgrace. As the Bahamian public grapples with the fallout of an indictment from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which details criminal collusion within law enforcement dating back to 2021, both men remain conspicuously mute—raising serious questions about what they knew and when they knew it.

Paul Rolle, who served as Commissioner from 2020 to 2022, was at the helm during the very period in which the indictment alleges that corrupt elements in the Royal Bahamas Police Force facilitated drug and arms trafficking. Marvin Dames, the former Minister of National Security, was charged with overseeing the country’s law enforcement apparatus during the same period. Yet neither man has come forward to address the swirling allegations that point to systemic corruption under their watch.

Their silence is not just deafening—it is damning. Were they complicit, or were they simply asleep at the wheel while criminals infiltrated the ranks of law enforcement? How could such extensive corruption operate undetected under their leadership? These are questions the Bahamian people are demanding answers to, but Rolle and Dames have chosen to hide behind their silence, leaving the nation to speculate on their culpability.

The indictment paints a bleak picture of betrayal and incompetence. It exposes a police force riddled with corruption and compromised from within—a police force that was supposed to be led by Rolle, a man who now seems more interested in protecting his legacy than confronting the truth. Marvin Dames, whose tenure as National Security Minister was marked by tough talk on crime, now faces the bitter irony of his own oversight being called into question.

Current Commissioner of Police Clayton Fernander has inherited an institution mired in scandal and distrust. The culture of corruption left behind by his predecessors has created a toxic environment that Fernander must now attempt to clean up. While he faces an uphill battle, Rolle’s tenure has left a bitter aftertaste of negligence, if not outright complicity. The damage done to public trust is incalculable, and the task of rebuilding falls squarely on Fernander’s shoulders.

But this is not just about rebuilding. It’s about accountability, and the Bahamian people deserve to know the truth. Rolle and Dames must answer: Did they know about the corruption? If they didn’t, how could they have been so blind to the rot festering within their ranks? And if they did know, why did they do nothing to stop it? Their refusal to speak only deepens the suspicion that their leadership was either grossly incompetent or willfully negligent.

The idea that these two men can remain silent while the nation they were entrusted to protect grapples with such a monumental betrayal is an insult to every Bahamian. Their silence is an affront to the principles of accountability and justice. Rolle and Dames owe it to the Bahamian people to come forward and explain their roles—or lack thereof—in this dark chapter of our history. Anything less is a cowardly abdication of responsibility.

The Bahamian people are watching, and they will not forget. Silence will not absolve Rolle and Dames of the questions that haunt their legacies. If they refuse to speak, they will forever be remembered as the leaders who stood by while corruption ran rampant in the institutions they were supposed to protect. Their silence is their indictment, and history will judge them harshly.