State Minister For National Security Keith Bell refused five interviews outside Cabinet on Tuesday but when asked if he was the one who authorised that wedding between a drug suspect and his fiancé while the man was in custody at the Central Police Station, he denied the claims.

Yesterday Journal sources revealed that despite Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade denying officers’ requests to let the wedding take place, it was Minister Bell who gave the go ahead.

“That is completely untrue,” he said. “I can’t speak to that issue right now.”

On Saturday 35-year-old Kendrick Tinker who was being held at that station in relation to a $50,000 drug bust at potters cay dock last Friday, married his fiancé at the station, allegedly with the permission of officers.

Since then four police officers, an assistant superintendent of police, a corporal and two constables, were placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation.

Commissioner Greenslade said in a press conference on Monday, that the whole incident was utterly embarrassing and disturbing and goes against everything the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) stands for.

“No one in their right mind anywhere on the planet would recognise that there could be any semblance of order to having a person incarcerated whose liberties, by law, have been taken from them, to be taken out of a police force cell and be allowed to consummate a marriage ceremony in a police station,” he added.

“That is a disgrace to The Bahamas, to the Royal Bahamas Police Force and everything good and decent that we stand for. I will not be a part of that, I am not a part of that and I tell you it is out of order and goes against everything that we’ve stood for since 1840.”

Ever since the story broke over the weekend, there has been no word from some top government officials who on Tuesday refused to give interviews about the controversial jailhouse wedding.

National Security Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage simply said, “I don’t have time for it.”

When asked to comment, Acting Prime Minister Philip Davis brushed off all questions about the matter.

Calls to the police commissioner to get comments about the possibility of State Minister Bell sanctioning that wedding went unanswered up to press time.