| Office | Minister for Legal Affairs and Attorney-General |
|---|---|
| Term start | September 2021 |
| Predecessor | Carl Bethel |
| Office 2 | Senator |
| Term start 2 | September 2021 |
| Office 3 | Minister of Financial Services |
| Prime minister 3 | Perry Christie |
| Term start 3 | May 2012 |
| Term end 3 | December 2014 |
| Successor 3 | Hope Strachan |
| Office 4 | Member of Parliament for Elizabeth |
| Term start 4 | April 2010 |
| Term end 4 | May 2017 |
| Predecessor 4 | Malcolm Adderley |
| Successor 4 | Duane Sands |
| Birth name | Leo Ryan Pinder |
| Birth date | 13 September 1973 (age 52) |
| Birth place | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Alma mater | |
| Party | Progressive Liberal Party |
| Spouse | Melissa Calvin Pinder |
Leo Ryan Pinder (born 13 September 1974) is a Bahamian lawyer and politician. He has served as Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs and a Senator since September 2021. He was previously the Member of Parliament for the Elizabeth constituency from 2010 to 2017.
Early life and education
Pinder was born at the Rassin Hospital (now Doctor's Hospital) in Downtown Nassau to Marvin and Nancy Pinder. His paternal family has been in the Bahamas over 300 years, and his father was an MP in the Pindling government.[1]
Pinder attended Queen's College and St Andrew's School locally before attending The Stony Brook School in Stony Brook, New York for high school. He then attended the University of Miami, where he graduated with a Bachelor and then a Master of Business Administration from the university's business school and then a JD and Master of Laws from the law school.[2]
Career
Pinder was called to the Florida Bar in 2000 and practiced law in the United States for a number of years before returning to Nassau where he took a six-month course at the Eugene Dupuch Law School. A U.S. citizen by descent through his mother, he renounced U.S. citizenship in February 2010.[3]
Political career
In 2009, Pinder was elected vice-chairman of the Progressive Liberal Party and co-chairman of the party's Committee of Foreign Affairs. The following year, he won a parliamentary by-election for the Elizabeth constituency triggered by Malcolm Adderley's resignation. At the time of his election, Pinder was the youngest PLP MP and one of only two MPs born after independence.[1] He sat on the Committee of Public Accounts.
After being reelected in the 2012 general election,[4] Pinder served as the Minister of Financial Services until his resignation in December 2014. He was succeeded by Hope Strachan. Following that, he spent a year with Deltec, a private bank, and then in 2015 joined the law firm of Graham, Thompson & Co as a partner.[5] He stood down at the 2017 general election.
When the PLP defeated the FNM in September 2021, Pinder was appointed Senator by Prime Minister Philip Davis and to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Legal Affairs.
Personal
Pinder is married to Ellissa McCombe. Pinder has two children, Leo Austin Pinder and Olivia Pinder.
References
- ^ "Becker & Poliakoff Attorney to Serve in Bahamas Parliament". Intrado. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "Ryan Pinder confirmed as PLP candidate". Bahamas Press. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "Ryan Pinder Good to Go". Bahamas News Center. 2010-02-25. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- ^ "One to Watch: Elizabeth". Tribune
- ^ Hartnell, Neil (15 December 2015). "Pinder Moves One Year After Amazing Deal". Tribune 242. Retrieved 16 April 2018.