NASSAU, BAHMAS — The Court of Appeal has blasted the Registrar General for her handling of the Valley Boys name controversy, calling it “beyond belief” that unauthorized persons were able to register one of the country’s most iconic Junkanoo groups without proper inquiry or verification.
In a strongly worded ruling, the appellate panel said the case raises serious issues of public interest and legal interpretation that must be examined in full and has therefore granted leave to appeal to The World Famous Valley Boys Junkanoo Group, led by longtime chairman Brian Adderley.
While the Court’s decision does not overturn the earlier Supreme Court ruling that dismissed the group’s application for judicial review, it opens the door for the Valley Boys to challenge that outcome before a higher court.
The panel also extended the time to file the appeal to October 30, 2025, but denied a stay, meaning the Supreme Court’s decision remains in effect for now.
The justices — Evans, Crane-Scott, and Hilton — said the dispute is not “academic” but one that “clearly raises arguable issues” deserving full judicial review. The judges took aim at what they described as glaring lapses in oversight by the Registrar General, concluding that she may have failed to conduct proper due diligence before approving a rival registration under the name The Valley Boys Junkanoo Group in 2023.
“It is beyond belief that a group of unauthorized persons could, without further inquiry by the Registrar General, have essentially hijacked the well-established name of an existing non-profit Junkanoo entity, its logo, and public identity,” the judgment stated.
The Court noted that documents showed the rival group’s constitution and board minutes were submitted weeks after it was granted registration, raising red flags that the required vetting under the Non-Profit Organisations Act, 2019, had not been done.
The case centers on who legally represents the Valley Boys, a cultural powerhouse founded in 1958 by the late Winston “Gus” Cooper.
In 2023, a faction calling itself “The Way Forward Committee” registered a non-profit using the Valley Boys name without the consent of the long-standing leadership. The original group, which holds a government lease for its Claridge Road shack and has competed for decades as a top-tier Junkanoo organization, later registered as The World Famous Valley Boys Junkanoo Group in early 2024.
The Registrar General subsequently ordered the Adderley-led group to change its name or be struck from the register, a directive the Court now says raises serious legal questions about process, authority, and the protection of long-established community entities.
The Court of Appeal said the matter has “excellent prospects of success” and should proceed “in the interests of justice.”
While it denied a stay of execution, meaning the Supreme Court’s order remains in place for now, the appeal will now move forward for a full hearing.
The outcome could have far-reaching implications for cultural and non-profit organizations across The Bahamas, many of which predate the NPO Act and face similar registration challenges.
Christina Galanos and Kristina Saunders are counsels for the intended appellants.
