The 43-year-old son of former prime minister Dr Hubert Minnis has been released on bail after he appeared in court accused of performing an abortion on a 15-year-old girl last month.
A Supreme Court judge on Monday granted emergency bail to Dr Jamil Minnis, who has also been charged along with the minor’s 48-year-old mother and 25-year-old sister.
The women faced charges of conspiracy to commit abortion and abortion, while Dr Minnis faced a single count of abortion when they appeared before Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville.
The teen’s relatives are accused of conspiring to commit the abortion between September 3 and 4 and Dr Minnis is alleged to have performed the abortion at his clinic on September 4.
The three were not required to enter pleas to the charges as they will face trial in the Supreme Court.
Dr Minnis’ attorney, Damian Gomez KC, called for a speedy trial saying the allegations would affect his client’s professional reputation.
But the Senior Magistrate remanded them to the Bahamas Department of Corrections because he lacked jurisdiction to consider bail for the charges. But he later directed police to take the accused to the Central Police Station after being informed that they had applied for emergency bail.
When they appeared before Justice Gullimina Archer-Minns, for the bail hearing, which was closed to the public, the accused were each granted US$15,000 bail. All three must sign in at a police station in their community once a week.
They will return to court on December 1 to receive a voluntary bill of indictment to fast-track their case to the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Alonzo Pinder, the 25-year-old, who allegedly got the teen pregnant, was formally charged with unlawful sexual intercourse on September 11.
Prosecutors alleged that he had relations with the teen between June 1, 2023, to July 31, 2023.
Justice Jeanine Weech-Gomez granted Pinder US$9,500 bail on September 26.