Bush blames assistant
(CNS): The Cayman Islands premier has said that the letter sent to developer Stan Thomas in October 2004 demanding a payment of $350,000 to settle an outstanding bill in connection with the re-zoning of land on the West Bay Road was a mistake on the part of his political assistant, Richard Parchment. McKeeva Bush claims that a second letter was sent later that same day clarifying that the money was for real estate services and not re-zoning. Under pressure to explain what the now notorious letter to Thomas was all about, Bush said he had not seen the correspondence before it was sent to Thomas by his assistant, who had used his electronic signature. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
The letter to Thomas forms part of one of three investigations that surround the premier in relation to financial irregularities and his involvement in an illegal shipment of dynamite.
Following the emergence of a number of documents, which were originally leaked to the Caymanian Compass, Bush says he had assisted in the sale of the land that Thomas had purchased from the previous owner Gil Freytag and he was seeking money from Thomas because he acted as a buyer’s agent.
Bush has denied writing or signing the letter and has blamed Parchment for the choice of words, claiming his political assistant wrote the letter and put Bush’s digitalised signature on it and then sent it to Thomas.
The premier, who was leader of government business at the time, has said he was out of the office but had spoken with Parchment over the phone and asked him to send a bill for the outstanding amount owed, which was $350,000 from an original bill of three-quarters of a million dollars.
Bush says that when he came back to the office and saw the correspondence that Parchment had sent, he “immediately saw the implication of the first letter” and asked Parchment to send another one that, he said, clarified that the money for “the West Bay Seven Mile Beach purchase transaction is for consulting fees for work carried out and advice given by Windsor Development Corporation,” and indicated that Windsor Development, the real estate firm owned by Bush’s wife and which he is a director, was not involved in the zoning.
Parchment has reportedly confirmed Bush’s description of events to the police but there is still a question over when the letters were sent. The correspondence referring to the zoning is dated 7 October but the ministry fax machine from which the letter was sent has time stamped the document on 15 October, while the second letter also dated 7 October and reportedly sent from the same machine on the same day has no fax time stamp. Parchment has stated, however, that both letters were sent on the 7 October.
An April letter that sets out the original bill, which was also leaked to the local newspaper and appears also to have been in a legal bundle, sets out the full invoice for US$750,000, which is described as a real estate commission. The sale on the land in question was settled in February 2004, but according to another witness statement given to the police by real estate agent Brian White, the deal between Gil Freytag and Thomas had originally been signed in May 2003 for an agreed price of $28 million but was delayed for a number of reasons and eventually settled, he believed, in late January 2004 and registered in February.
Bush has not said when it was that he first met Thomas but he says that he did meet the developer in Las Vegas in February after the sale was completed to look at the Four Seasons hotel, the brand Thomas was considering for the resort he proposed to build on the West Ray Road land. They were also discussing the issue of gaming because at the time Bush was supporting the introduction of casinos and believed Thomas' proposed project was a great opportunity for the Cayman Islands.
Bush states that it was while he was in Vegas that Thomas gave him a $20,000 cash deposit on the commission, which the premier says was owed to Windsor Development. Thomas then made as second payment of US$355,000 by wire transfer leaving a balance of US$350,000, which the premier said was never paid.
The premier claims that the payments were legitimate real estate transactions for his role in brokering the deal, even though he was doing so while leader of government business and that by acting for the buyer rather than the seller, Bush assisted in helping Thomas to avoid paying stamp duty on the commission.
Although Bush has denied that the money was for re-zoning, despite the content of the first letter, he has not explained why the re-zoning discussion was left off the Cabinet agenda for several months at his request.
See Wight’s witness statement and the correspondence between Bush and Thomas below
Category: Politics
The ” demand ” letter purportedly sent to Thomas by Parchment, on Bush’s instructions, begins –
” Dear Stan, Per our last conversation……”, and concludes –
” Stan, look forward to seeing you shortly and trust that all is well with you. ”
Unless Bush emailed, or dictated to Parchment, exactly what he wanted said in the letter, does anybody REALLY believe that the letter as published was composed by Parchment – because I certainly have serious doubts. Why would he refer to a “recent conversation” even if it was something of which he was aware and, why would he end with such a ” personal” greeting. If he was indeed coached by email, it should not be difficult to produce a copy. And how can he possibly claim that the fax was sent on the 7th when the fax transmission report clearly shows the 15th – you can’t dispute what is an AUTOMATIC report by a fax machine, and that transmission date could easily be verified by C&W/LIME. I would like him to talk us through that one.
Well, I guess that's better than "I don't recall". But not much. Something very fishy here. Is he Premier? Or a Real Estate Agent? Or both at the same time.
I've been away for a week so I may have missed it, but did McKeeva ever leak a copy of the "agreement" that he had with Stan Thomas?
A signed copy of the agreement where Stan Thomas is obligated to pay him $750,000 is all that is required. XXXX
Hello the letter was on an offecial CI Government letterhead
I'm Stan Thomas, and I approve this message: Vote no to one man one vote and yes to two men one fax machine.
Charles Clifford was Permanent Secretary at the time of the Vegas trip but he resigned from the civil service prior to the "Bushman" sending the infamous fax to Stan Thomas.
Mr. "Chuckster" Clifford warned us about the "Bushman". The Bushman proveth the "Chuckster" right every day of the week for the past several months.
I remember the "Chuckster" saying on the talk show one day that when you engage in political war you must not expend all of your ammunition in the first fight………I wonder what that meant ? Hmmmm…………….watch out "Bushman" !
The mistake Chuckie made was that instead of sending what evidence he had to the police and auditor general, he used it for his own ends to jump start a political career. When you are a true whistle blower and doing something for altruistic reasons, you do not even consider how it could be to your advantage and play out in a political game in media. Doing the right thing means you simply send the information and evidence to the authorities and let the investigation take its course.
The trouble is that investigations tend to get buried when they are with the police.
I really don't care what Chuckie's motives were. I care only whether there was any substance to the allegations of corruption. Funny enough the Commission of Inquiry chose to exclude the latter from its scope.
PART TWO:
Bush's Assistant blames Clerical Officer
PART 32:
It was the toilet cleaners fault, he forgot to flush the evidence.
Actually it was the toilet's fault. It simply couldn't handle the volume.
Why wait 2 years for mentioning the second letter ?
Question is who pays Parchment Bush or the Cayman Government?
At least he didn't blame the PPM for a change.
This reminds me of an old tyre tube with lots of problems. You patch it and blow it up with air, and another leak pops up, so you run and patch the other spot, only to find out another pops up again.
The uneasy feeling at the forefront of most people's minds is the potential interference with the process of investigation, hence for the reason of transparency, the Premier should relinquish his controls until the investigation is done. That would support his hands being clean and is heart pure.
pssst, hey Mac, better to reign in hell, than to Serve in Heaven, na true!?
It is common practice for an employer to instruct and entrust an employee to write a memo or letter to a client and in cases where the memo or letter does not have the proper wording; the employer acting responsible must correct the content in order to get the appropriate message across to the client. Otherwise he could appear to be unprofessional in the eyes of his clients.This is obviously what happened between Mr. Bush and his Assistant. Real Estate correspondence is binding and one has to be very articulate and careful in the wording as you can be held accountable and fall into a trap risking unnecessary payout, where a sale does not even take place!. The pen is a very powerful tool, but also a weapon that can do us harm as well.Mr. Bush did the right thing, in my opinion he acted like a prudent businessman.
As some of us had been wild guessing that there may be a realtor out there somewhere, who was aspiring to a bigger piece of the action from the Stan Thomas sale purchase. This has been confirmed as a signed affidavit has surfaced and appears to be a chronicle of third party information of I SAY, HE SAY, WHO SAY, SHE SAY!
While the said realtor is not eligible as his limited role was mediator to Mr. Stan Thomas. I presume it was not his office’s listing and therefore had no autonomy over in the sale of the said property. It is clear the person is upset with the premier for handling the sale perhaps he made the referral only.
The affidavit signed and handed to RCIP by this realtor appear to be content described as ‘HEAR SAY”, and can only attract political party cronies of the opposition.
This is real estate politics mixed with political party politics. Nothing more and nothing less.
Let us set the record straight HEAR SAY cannot go to court! This is ludicrous !
Caymanian Realtors should educate people on how the real estate process works, instead of appearing to be misleading them. They should use their skill and expertise explaining to the people that this sale involving the premier is one that included a clause where the language would read ” contingent upon planning permission!” I am certain it had to be written into the sales contract since this is common practice in real estate sales, stating the terms and conditions of the sale where zoning was an issue.
Why would any average layman or realtor, try to mislead people just because they don’t know anything about real estate sales. This is deceptive, unfair to the people and unfair to the premier.
As soon as planning approves zoning for a property whether for Stan Thomas, or anyone else concerned . The next step is for cabinet or the realtor (in this case Mr. Bush) to NOTIFY THE BUYER OF PLANNING APPROVAL! for the rezoning of the land.This is done by way of a memo written to the buyer.
RCIP not only will take 2 yrs on this one but I believe Forever, Don’t hold your breath . If the RCIP were to bring false charges here against the premier based on mere ‘HEAR SAY” Judge Henderson will not be the only high profile figure laughing all the way to the bank with a million dollar check or more……I think the Comissioner of Police has that much common sense and can not move the investigation any faster, there is no case. The situation is one where the opposition is jumping on this baseless as it is to fight the premier on the political front. Anyone in the real estate business is well aware that this is not a case even at this stage of criticism and so called investigation. In the absence of substantial evidence this accusation is indeed not going anywhere!
This is simply just another opportunistic, political football to mislead people who do not know any better.
The opposition again lost another battle against the premier
I say Sir that you are the "King of Spin" however it will not sell. The facts are being squeezed out. The smell is pungent.
"They should use their skill and expertise explaining to the people that this sale involving the premier is one that included a clause where the language would read " contingent upon planning permission!" I am certain it had to be written into the sales contract since this is common practice in real estate sales, stating the terms and conditions of the sale where zoning was an issue".
There is no evidence either from the Premier or Mr. Wight's witness statements or any of the correspondence that there was any contract clause for the sale to be "contingent upon planning permission". The issue here was not planning permission at all but rezoning which required Cabinet's approval. Instead, it seems that transfer was completed and registered in February, 2004 and therefore the sale contract could not have been conditional on rezoning approval. Further, the Premier's own 'clarification' letter says the demandwas for fees for consultancy services and advice rendered AFTER the property was rezoned and had nothing to do with rezoning so he could not have been advising them of the fulfilment of a condition re rezoning. If you are going to make up stuff try to ensure that it is at least consistent with the known evidence. You are not helping the Premier with this nonsense. It just makes you appear desperate.
Simple question: if Parchment was acting on the instructions of Mr. Bush to send a real estate bill for the balance of a sales commission where would he have got the idea that it was related to rezoning of property? This not simply a matter about the proper wording. A bill for ensuring Cabinet approval of rezoning is fundamentally different from a real estate sales commission due to a realtor.
It is a pity but obviously you know nothing about real estate sales, neither from the selling nor the buying end. Your confusion of your own statement that 'obviously he could not have been advising them of the fulfilment of a condition namely, rezoning? Obviously you have never every written a contract nor know what the content of a contract for sale looks like!
The whole world knows by now that cabinet approved the rezoning! Had it not been approved there would be no sale. Agents like myself and others know the system so where are you getting your distorted misleading information?
At that point of cabinet approval it was the premier's duty as a realtor to formally advise in writing his client Mr. Thomas of the outcome, that the land he is purchasing had beeen approved for rezoning!
The next step is for the buyer to complete the remainder of the contract for agreement including consultancy fees and commission etc. Again the premier in writing fulfilled his duty as CEO of his wife's company in asking for fees outstanding.
Sorry ,buy I'm neither PPM nor UDP and it is wrong to try to lead people astray on this issue. People will stoop as low as they have to for political gain.
This is just political mudslinging, something people are very tired and weary of.
By the way, I think CIREBA may be offering some courses in Real Estate, maybe you can enroll and benefit from.
Best Regards.
"It was the premier's duty as a realtor" What? I thought his duty as premier was to the people that elected him. Did I miss something?
You are not making any sense.
"The whole world knows by now that cabinet approved the rezoning! Had it not been approved there would be no sale".
But there WAS a sale and registration of the transfer some 6 months BEFORE the rezoning was approved. When a transfer is registered the sale is obviously complete and not subject to any condition.
"At that point of cabinet approval it was the premier's duty as a realtor to formally advise in writing his client Mr. Thomas of the outcome, that the land he is purchasing had beeen approved for rezoning!".
Except that Mr. Bush's clarification letter expressly denies that the fees had anything to do with the rezoning approval which he says did not involve Windsor. He says they were consultancy fees for work carried out and advice given AFTER the rezoning (which occurred 6 months AFTER the sale).
I can tell that you are a bit rattled and frustrated that no one is buying your spin.
What a tangled web…
I thought it was also the premier's duty to see that the CIGovt got as much Stamp Duty as possible for ALL real estate transfers??
Do you think the premier was conflicted in acting both as "realtor" as you say AND as leader of Govt Biz at the time?
He showed where his loyalties were (and still are I might add) when he was advising and helping Mr. Thomas avoid paying more money into Govt coffers. He still admits helping millionaires and billionaires pay less or NO duty while we the small people have to pay the FULL duty!!
Yep, like his buddy Mike Ryan, who suddenly stopped paying his duty the minute UDP took over the reigns of government. Funny how wealthy investors get a break, but CIG coffers don't get what the duties they deserve.
yada yada. who cares about all the mumbo jumbo legal limbo. the fact of the matter is, and this fact supersedes everything else and it's the fact that MAC ASKED thatthe PAYMENT be made to HIS OWN PERSONAL account, not the government!
I am not sure what point you are making. R U saying that was in his favour or not?
Well, if and when it goes to court what you think is "mumbo jumbo legal limbo" will matter a great deal.
I wish it were so simple. If Mac's transaction was legitimate there would be no problem in it going into his personal account, not the government's. And if it was that simple charges would have been brought already.
Using government time to carry out your personal monetary gains is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST. Using your position as leader to carry out your own personal work which results in monetary gains is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
Why dont you try conducting personal work in your office on your employers time, with your employers resources and let them know, pretty sure you would be fired on the spot.
Problem is too manny idiots on this island think thats ok.
You appear to have conveniently forgotten that the 'said realtor' is the premier using his office to conduct affairs apparently on his 'wife's' behalf. This alone, is unethical and wrong to use the office of the premier to conduct personal business. This is the same person that wrote to the collector of customs on the premier letterhead 'requesting' release of dynamite supposedly for a 'friend'. You do not do this using your office letterhead. XXXX
Which one of you do not use your employer's place of business to conduct your own business? Using the fax, using the phone, spending endless time on the phone attending to your own personal business. The premier is no different. why should we have more privileges than the premier?
In the court of public opinion The apparent charges against the premier are:
Using his government fax machine instead of Windsor's.
Correcting a letter that his assistant who is not a realtor wrote for him while away.
Offering ligitimate Consultant services to his client.
And charging a commission outstanding due to Windsor.
The judgement for the Plaintiff "No peace for the PPM"!
The Premier is not guilty of anything. This is ludicrous to try to prefabricate a scenario where nothing substantial exists.
PPM you lost this case and you will keep losing if you continue on this baseless path!
Great Day!
Are you employed by any chance? Clearly not.
You seem to be forgetting that it is not the PPM that started or is doing this investigation. I think the discussion on here shows it is not "baseless". Serious criminal offences, including extortion, may have occurred. Whether charges will be brought is another matter.
I don’t use my employers time, office equipment, supplies, or anything for my personal business.
Just FYI,
That would be stealing.
To 9:14, the truth can stand on its own and rarely needs extensive defending.
FOLKS!!
There are now a new group of professionals in the Island. They are called political ass kissers.
If you need to identify them. Just listen to, or read the ''DIARRHEIC" verbiage spilling from their little brains.
You keep repeating the same nonsense over and over on both caycompass and CNS. It seems that you are on a desperate campaign of disinformation. I also notice that you are not using your name on these posts although you use it on other posts. Either you were promised something in return for your support or you are scarily clueless. Either way it is a good thing you were not elected to office in 2000.
The funny thing is you are prepared to add to, twist or ignore the evidence in Bush's case to exonerate him but with no evidence at all you are going after another real estate agent and saying that, 6 years after the event, he told lies out of jealousy. Don't be a hypocrite.
My God, havn't we heard enough!
There is no party affiliation for the majority of people writing in on this matter . Why accuse people of being a party supporter.People write their opinion just like you write your own opinion even if they are Independent supporters. There are independents who are stating the facts instead of joining in and stooping down to the politicking and mudslinging. .If you focus on the facts as they appear perhaps more would be accomplished. Some of us seem to not be aware that a large % of people now adays are totally against party politics.But people are not hesitating to defend either side or anyone for that matter, when they are apparently being attacked wrongly.
The hatred path as Alden stated on this morning is very unhealthy, thank God for those who contribute positive ideas and ideologies instead of trying to destroy people.If something really turns up that seriously brings charges against the premier, and he is prosecuted and found guilty, isn't that the right time to conclude that the man is guilty and do whatever is necessary to force him to step down?
If he is found guilty it would not be a question of forcing him to step down as premier; he would become disqualified as an MLA under the Constitution and automatically removed.
We have heard enough to know that the honourable thing for the premier to do, like in all democratic countries, is to step down at this time until he is exonerated by these investigations. That is not a conclusion of guilt. These are very serious potential offences and this whole affair is giving these Islands a very bad reputation. It would be terrible if our first premier was arrested and charged for extortion while in office. We can avoid that possibility. We can also avoid the possibility of a British takeover if we take the right steps to show we can manage ourselves.
did ya type that in all one breath? sheesh… okay, I get it. you're the Premier's personal assistant.
BUT did you get Mr Bush to review this one before submitting it? Or shall we wait for a revision later?
You can wait but its going to take at least two years.
You mean 8 years.
SPIN SPIN SPIN !!! Is that the chewbacca defense line? Or is that you Foolio the spin master? Give it up, buddy, we all see through your rhetoric. What bothers me is this – Why thedickens, if this is all legit and above board, does not Mr. Thomas himself come down and explain it to the authorities that it was legit, he had a proper contract regarding this sales commission, and show it to the authorities, to help clear the premier's name? Why is he not doing that? And why is the premier not showing the public the actual contract – the letter of April only refers to it but is not the contract, apparently. And by the way, the 2nd letter clarified that Windsor had nothing to do with any rezoning, it was strictly sales commissions – so then, why did the first letter mention it and say " I have ensured…."? Go back and read it, will you? Furthermore, the sale had already gone through in Feb. 2004, and was not contingent on any planning approval, as you try to imply with your limited knowledge – it is clear you know nothing about real estate or planning approvals, because planning approval had already been granted. The only thing left was the rezoning to be approved by Cabinet, which for some reason, kept getting deferred and deferred and deferred, until it was finally dealt with. So, again, So you see your so-called points make absolutely no sense. But the rest of us have more sense that you give us credit for.
The point is Richard Parchment was not working for the real estate company so why should he get paid from Goverenment to do Mr Bush's real estate work (the Letter) ?
Sounds like an Amateur Attorney to me – the sort who, when asked ” what is the time “, tell you how to make a watch.
Henry Ford said his customers could have his cars in any color they wanted, as long as it was black. This how I feel as a voter, with two parties but one dark choice. We have a kelptocratic-ineptocracy in power that has a thick black cloud hanging over it that stinks of corruption, poisons our people and corrodes public standards. In opposition, we are confronted with a group who managed to design schools that have cost to date over $1,000 a square foot, and they still arn't completed, creating a one-hundred-million dollar overspend. This waste of public money has recently been followed by an example of political ineptness as well as an insult to their supporters of allowing Dr Frank McField to speak at one of their rallies. This Island is in a mess, and I don't see anyone strong enough to sort it out. All the men of integrity in the UDP party sound as if they have duct tape wrapped over their mouths. The climate of fear and the trickledown effect of the perceived dishonesty at the top, has done irreparable harm to our culture, our businesses, and particularly our youth. The sooner it ends the better.
You were one of the best Caymanian teachers ever, Richard, but you were tempted away with free car and apartment from it to Wendys to sell fast food by the Jeffersons and now you are liable to be thrown under the school bus. A very sad Caymanian waste of talent.
I am neither pro UDP, nor pro PPM. Just an observer.
Why would an assistant add a statement about zoning to a bill, if zoning was not the service provided?
What could possibly have been their reason to add that statement if, indeed, that was not the service being rendered?
Why make that up? It is out in left field, if not knownto the assistant.
It seems totally implausible to me that this assistant just came up with rezoning as a billable service out of the blue.
Why would a land purchaser pay 750k to someone one who was neither a listing nor selling agent if they were not getting value/consideration for their expense?
Same thing I said. What rabbit hole did he pull that out of.
So many questions my friend and so few answers.
He came into this arrangement MONTHS after the deal was basically closed from all I can see.
If this was a legitimate transaction and he was in fact BY THE LAW due his earnings why did he not take Mr Thomas to court for his remaining balance? I do not know about you but I would NEVER THROW AWAY USD 375,000 or USD 350,000 whichever is the true amount.
XXXXXX
I can only hope that this declaration by Mr. Bush gives the police some needed ammuintion to press forward with what the country needs done.
People I know it will not look good in the foreign press BUT it is better we show the world that we are capable of having this element in our midst BUT we are also capable of getting rid of it.
No government in this day and age is without fault. IT's about finding it out and exposing it.
A wise man once said that it's not that we get knocked down but that we get back up.
Ask yourself one question: Somebody puts a buyer with a seller for a $28 million deal. No one else was paid a commission, other than Bush and maybe Zimmer (apparently Brian Wright, at least according to his statement, was cut out of the deal thinking he was to get at least 10K of the commission). Regardless of that, SOMEBODY hasto get a commission. If not McKeeva and Zimmer, then who? As a realtor, I can say this: If all that was paid in commission by either seller or buyer was $375,000 or $400,000 (since the final payment was never made according to multiple sources) on a $28 million sale, then the realtors (whoever they were) got ripped off royally.
Agreed. According to CIREBA's website:
Price $9,995,000 and over – 4%
That would mean comm. on 28mil would be 1.12mil
Brian Wight's affidavit does not say that he was "cut out of the deal" but instead that he was paid $10,000 by Zimmer for his limited role as mediator.
Somebody has to get a commission only if there is a real estate agent who has put the buyer and seller together. There are many real estate transactions where there is no real estate agent and therefore no commission paid.
We do not know that Bush was paid a real estate sales commission. Wedo know that is how the payments are characterised by Bush. According to Brian White's affidavit rezoning approval was being withheld until $750,000 was paid.
Since you are a realtor can you please tell us:
1. Whether real estate contracts for sales commissions are entered into before the introduction of buyer and seller or after the sale is completed and the transfer registered?
2. Whether commissions are paid at closing or by instalments many months after closing?
3. If you were "ripped off royally" for half of your commission wouldn't you sue for the remainder of your commission? If not, why not?
You make several incorrect assumptions.
1) The affidavit does NOT say Wight was paid $10K. It says Ron proposed to pay him $10K. There is no evidence to suggest he was paid or not paid that $10K.
2) Yes, there are almost always (but not always) contractrs with regard to commission. In a case where it was so much, I would have expected that there would have been a contract. But just because Bush doesn't have one doesn't mean there wasn't one between Zimmer and Freytag or Thomas. If Zimmer controlled the transaction as Bush says, Bush wouldn't necessarily be involved in any contract.
3) Commissions are sometimes paid on contract, but usually on closing. Installments do sometimes happen on pre-construction sales. However, we have no idea what Zimmer may or may not have collected on contract or closing.
4) Yes I would, assuming I had a contract. In this case, however, Bush would have likely to have gone after Zimmer instead of Thomas though and maybe he didn't want to do that. Since Zimmer was involved in a law suit brought by Thomas, there's a lot of this story untold with regard to Zimmer.
5) I have little doubt that McKeeva was brought into this deal to make sure the zoning went through and to get government support for things like moving the road around the Marriott, building concessions, etc. for the project. But I've been around here long enough to tell you that this kind of stuff has been going on here for donkey years and will continue to go on forever, no matter who is in power. And Cayman is in no way unique in this regard. The question is, is this a crime worth completely tearing apart the reputation of the Cayman Islands for, especially since it seems to be one political faction that is pressing the issue. The next general elections are a year away. If you all don't like McKeeva, win the election. Simple.
No, I haven't made any incorrect assumptions.
1. You clearly have not read the 1st paragraph of the 2nd witness statement of Brian Wight where he specifically confirms that he was paid $10,000 by Zimmer and how it was paid.
2. I am not sure I understand your answer. A real estate agent can only claim a commission if there was a binding agreement for commission to be paid to the real estate agent by one or both parties. Since, according to the Compass, Bush has told all I would have expected to see a copy of that contract. CIREBA has a standard form contract that covers this. Obviously Bush could not claim a commission on a contract in which he had no involvement.
3. The matter has nothing to do with pre-construction sales. You appear to be saying that commissions on the sale of raw land are either paid upon signing the contract or upon closing and NOT by instalment many months after closing.
4. All correspondence we have seen was between Bush and Thomas. The letter of 21 April purports to be evidence of a contract under which certain instalments were to be paid to Windsor Development by Thomas. The demand letter was clearly for payment by Thomas to Windsor. The telephone calls from Bush to Wight were for payments to Windsor from Thomas. There is no evidence of any contract between Zimmer and Bush. It may well be that Bush paid Zimmer since Bush received the initial payments but there is no reason at all to believe that Bush would have had any basis to sue Zimmer for the outstanding balance.
5. The trouble with that version is that evidence indicates that Bush did not expedite the rezoning approval but in fact had it delayed for a long period of time.
Leave CIREBA out of this! CIREBA has nothing to do with it! Windsor Dev Co is not a member of CIREBA so it is not bound by its rules.
I wasn't involving CIREBA in anything. I was simply pointing out what is standard in real estate contracts and used CIREBA's as an example.
These posts are just exercises in misinformation to try to confuse the public. They introduce all sorts of far-fetched theories to try to create doubt.
And your explanantion is a load of BS. You clearly haven't read the Affidavits nor have you any clue about contract or real estate sales it seems. What realtor do you work for or is Foolio behind this?
You must think we are all idiots. Although the article is about Bush who received the payments a lot of effort in this post to focus attention on Zimmer for some reason. His name is mentioned 6 times. Zimmer may have had a contract. Zimmer may have collected a commission. Zimmer controlled the transaction. Bush would have gone after Zimmer. Is this an attempt to distract attention from Bush? If Zimmer collected anything at all he collected it from Bush who collected from it Thomas.
Trying to convince us to wait till the next election and not ask the premier to step aside now, are you? Trying to buy some time till the next election, are you? HHHMMMM, I wonder why?
Its ok if an assisant writes the letter BUT I have to dictate the contents of the letter to him. So my friend as said before " you are thrown under the bus" unna people in west bay need to open your eyes and accept the good that mr Bush do, but when he's wrong admit it too.
I have good friends in W.bay but it irks me when they cant see the facts for what they are, if my mother is wrong I let her know, it breaks my heart to admit she's wrong but I would rather be able to hold my head high than hang it in shame and there is no other dearer to us than our mothers.
Cayman, read between the lines,
Therein lies the division by all. Praises are always due when deserved, as are admitting you are wrong and apologising to people.
I didnt know that you could be perfect in this perfect world we live in? Oh sh*t, i forgot my name isnt MacKeeva "the best thing i can do is point my finger and shift the blame" Bush.
Perhaps we should use that electronic signature on Mac's resignation letter !
I wonder if Parchment knows that there are people out there (and some in the right places) that TRULY KNOW the truth and know what happened and how it happened!
Mr Parchment, before you "take one for the Gipper", please think of your family and where you could end up if you are not fully truthful especially in any statements to the Police.
Mr Parchment, remember there were others in your Porfolio's office during the said time, that KNOW what took place and who sent out what. Please think of your future and the future of your family!
I truly hope "the others" have followed your advice and have spoken to the Police. Sadly, I suspect otherwise and that the are standing there holding up the corner of the rug.
I'll write it up. You put in the sig. Oh wait where's Richard? lol!
Mac I think you are more deserving of the title Big Whopper more than I am.
Real people doing honest business do not take $20k cash deposits in an ATM lobby in Vegas.
This story gets more and more ridiculous by the minute!!
Has anyone else noticed that the fax stamp is not on the second fax? wonder …….
Is Richard Parchment on the Government's payroll? or is he being paid personally by Mr. Bush? Imagine….sending out these letters approx. 1 month after IVAN? he should had been looking out for the indigents, during those difficult time. Instead here was our leader looking to line his pockets more. WOW!
Not so incredible if you think that the day after Ivan, Bush publicly said that the islands would be "up and running on Monday"…….. He was delusional even then.
THAT IS A JUSTIFICATION??
The fact that the Premier thinks what he has said is a justification of the facts is basis alone for his resignation.
Such co-meddling of politics and personal business interests would not be accepted in any jurisdiction with a properly functioning political system.
The law doesn't just need to be followed, in the political arena it needs to be been manifesltly seen to be followed. That is whay politicians in other jurisdictions step back from involvement in commerical interests while in office. In Cayman on the other hand political office seems to be seen as a way to develop personal interests (while in office).
And that would be the case even if legitimate services were provided to justify the payment, which seems far from certain …
"Bush assisted in helping Thomas to avoid paying stamp duty on the commission."
isn't "stamp duty" money that government gets to help run the country?
so if Mr Bush's story is to be believed, as a member of the Cayman government he:
– he helped a foreigner reduce the amount they had to pay the Cayman government
– and personally pocketed at least US$375,000
yeah no conflict of interest there
Hard to get excited about a deal structured to avoid duty. The whole point of Cayman is to avoid tax.
Other countries' tax, yes, but not our own government coffers. We need the money to run this country, not for wealthy people to take measures with certain "realtors" to avoid paying the proper stamp duty to government.
Can someone explain this to me, I don't understand the math
Original invoice US$750,000
Bush received US$20,000 cash, and a wire of US$355,000 leaving a balance of US$350,000.
20,000+355,000+350,000 = 725,000
What happened to the other US$25,000?
Does the "Stan Thomas" letter actually say $375,000 or did Mr Parchment get that wrong too?
If Parchment supposedly got the figure wrong Bush did nothing to correct his mistake in his 'clarification'.
Most people with his level of education would probably struggle with big numbers like that with or without a calculator.
$20,000 +$355,000+$350,000 = $750,000. This is actually correct, it is in Macrookmaths.
""CAN ANYBODY ADD ANYMORE? it's $725,000.00" and I figured this out without a
calculator! Just hope you people are not somebody's accountant!!
Now that's how you "take one from the team!"
Likely story, if you ask me – but doesn' add up. Leaves more questions unanswered.
To be 100% honest NOTHING adds up here not the story nor the amounts. BUt what can you expect from a second grade education.
Sorry, doesn't ring quite true to me. Too many holes, this story – sorry – explanation as it is called, does not add up for me. For one, the dates the letters were reportedly written and faxed. If the letter was faxed Oct. 15th, then why not tear up the first letter and just simply send a correct letter, instead of sending a 2nd letter to clarify the 1st one? Why bother to send another letter explaining the first, when the first was not faxed yet? If, however, Mr. Parchment's statement that both letters were in fact faxed on the 7th (of which there is no proof that we know of, because the 2nd letter does not even have a fax timestamp on it), then how could the Government's fax machine be showing the wrong timestamp date of Oct. 15th, a week into the future? How did that happen? When the electricity goes, usually the machine reverts to the original date of manufacture, and one has to set it back to the current date and time – so some civil servant must have set it a week in advance – if this story is to ever make any sense. Or, some civil servant clearly was not doing their job to ensure the correct date and time was being reflected on all faxes. It would appear everyone else in this story is to be blamed, Mr. Parchment, or some other civil servant, but not the premier himself – no, everything else that went wrong was someone else's error. Investigations should check other government correspondence at that time to see if they also bore the wrong timestamp of the 15th instead of the 7th. Sorry, this whole tale, sorry, explanation does not ring true.
So IF Mr Parchment is his Political Assistant (Civil Servant), what business does a Civil Servant have assisting with Mac's PERSONAL business intrests on OUR Dime, OUR Time and using Government Assets in a Government Office?
If Mac digs a deeper hole, the Chinese won't need to fly to get here, they can use the Cayman / China tunnel instead.
Absolutely right. Mac can't use Govt employees to chase his (wife's) personal business.
You have to wonder at the improvement in Mr Parchment's memory however. back in 2004 he gets told to send out a chaser letter and can't remember why he was told to send it out (so apparently makes something up). Move forward 7 years to a police investigation and he can now remember exactly what he did and why he did it back then! If that is what being around Mac does to your memory then Mac should bottle it and sell it around the world as a cure all for forgetfulness.
I dont think Parchment is a civil servant -he's "an advisor" ie a public servant, quite different. But the Chief of Staff, Leonard Dilbert, IS a civil servant and we would like to hear from him on all of this (but perhaps he's still completing the Infrastructure Report Mac appointed him to do with great fanfare after the last Election)!! So sad, money poured down the drain, Mac has much to answer for.
Yes we would like to hear fromt he Chief of Staff on this matter. But I do not believe he was workign there at that time. XXXXX
The authorities should check the fax logs too, get a record of it from the phone company, should be easy enough to check when these letters were actually sent, or if both were even sent on the same day as is being claimed.
A Prayer for Cayman.
Our ruler
Who art in West Bay
McKeewa be thy name
Thy Kingdom's undone
Thy will be DUMB
In Cayman as it is in London
Give us this day your words we dread
And forgive those who gave us our bypasses
As we cannot forgive you for bypassing the rules against us.
Lead us not into Independence
But deliver us from Corruption
For this is not Kingston
The Power's in Stan's story
For pure heart and clean hands
CHEC mate.
Story is too long and complicated. The truth is always much more simple.
Looks like Richard Parchment has been thrown under the BUS or in this case BUSH
XXX
Either way, a resignation should be given for simply using your government offices, phone line and staff to send out letters regarding private (or your wife's private) business. How much more work did Mr Parchment do for Windsor?
If Bush was conducting business in Vegas, i.e. being paid a deposit on a contract for 'consultancy' services, did he have the requisite licences/visas to conduct work in the USA? And on behalf of Windsor Development or himself?
I wonder what his US Immigration Entry information said, business or pleasure?
Also, did he complete the mandatory declaration when LEAVING the US concerning payments received and funds being carried, received in the US, which exceeded the statutory limit which I believe used to be about $10,000.
If he was traveling on a B-1/B-2 Visa, he could conduct business in the US, BUT, he could not receive any remuneration. If on entry to the US he failed to declare that his trip was for business purposes, he could have a problem – the US Department of Homeland Security does not take kindly to incorrect information on Immigration Forms – even misinformation regarding the address at which you will be during your visit.
Did Government/the people pay for his trip to Vegas??
…. and did Uncle Sam get paid his Taxes due on the Transaction?
Great angle. Who knows someone at ICE / IRS?
I don’t know the limit for cash in Cayman, but in the states it is 10k. Was a CTR filed for the 20k (if required) when it came into Cayman? Feds got Caponeon less.
Did Bush's lawyer advise the release of these 'new' letters and information?
Does Parchment have a lawyer?
Are Bush and Parchment using the same lawyer?
Will Parchment be arrested for perpetrating fraud by using Bush's electronic signature in an unauthorised manner?
How many times has the "Official" 2004 version of the digital signature been used, on what documents, when, who has access to it, and what does the "Official" digital signature in fact look like?
Do we need to review now all documents said to be signed by the Premier to ensure he was in fact knowledgeable of what was contained within?
Did he bill the Premier for his time seeing as he was a Government employee doing his private work.
Yes, maybe the dynamite memo to Customs was electronic too!
More Bushit.
How come there is no evidence of a real estate contract between Windsor and Thomas BEFORE the land sale was completed? The earliest correspondence is dated 21 April, 2004 while the sale was completed and the transfer registered in February, 2004. Seems like the wrong order of events. The only thing that happened between 21 April and 7 October was Cabinet and L.A. approval of rezoning.
DING!!!
First Letter PO Box 32319, which, according to Google is the post office box of The Ritz Carlton, Stingray Construction and Orion Developers, second letters, PO Box 321 – Mr Bush personal PO Box.
BINGO!
Well, the USA has a seldom used set of laws commonly referred to as RICO. Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organized Act. Almost anyone who uses the mail to launder or collect money by fraud or bribery can be charged under it. I would recommend to anyone that if they have reason to think that, “Uncle Sam” may want to hold him, that they stay far from a US port of entry. I think a TCI member of Government fell victim to it, sometime back.
Remember now folks!! Keeping his hands clean and his heart pure!
I wonder what Richard will say in Court?
He'll probably say the same thing as he said in his police statement – that he wrote, worded and sent the letter.
And he did these things … for fun?
As he's been trained to say' "it wasn't me".
….Busssted!
“I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” while we the ordinary Caymanians and our children struggle daily the politicians of this land have all but forgotten its people!
“Thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting.” Time to step down and let honest and sincere persons take the reins and captain this ship to a better tomorrow.
“There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall
not be known” God does not sleep! and when cannot see the real purpose of any mans heart He does eventually the truth has a way of coming out.
I am tired of the bickering and fighting while they can go on I wonder what tomorrow will bring for my family. Mr. Bush should step down! and let get on with trying to build our future and that of our children!
We all sometimes make mistakes at work, particularly when doing stuff for our bosses, but in a normal world, the bosses are still vacariously liable, as they are still ultimtely responsible for the actions of their employees. What world is Bush in when no matter what happens, all he seems to think he has to do is point the finger of blame at someone else and that exhonorates him? If only life were so simple.
Why is he using a government paid employee to do work for his wife's real estate company….?
It's ONE way of keeping his hands clean I guess.
You would be surprised how many managers use their assistants to do their personal business on government time. If they complain then they are told that they have to do whatever their bosses tell them to do.
What happened to the saying "The Buck stops here" ?Guess Mac never heard it.
Ya, mon. He heard it. Da buck do stop but the blame jes keep goin on.
They don't teach that one under the mango tree
So where is the proof of the second letter? Oh, let me guess- Richard ate it with a no 3 from Wendys by accident also?
Having read the two articles in another newspaper – I realized for thefirst time that their author is a real expert in white-washing…
By the way it seems like the current British PM might himself be faced with an inquiry in relation to his media links – although nothing like that could happen here…
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pms-media-links-were-too-close-102321266.html
Yeah, he's sclear as very, very murky mud, and mud sticks!
I assume Mr Parchment has been promptly dismissed then?
Come on Mac, my 1 yr old daughter could come up with a better fable than that nonesense
By the way does anyone find it strange that Richard has the freedom to just stick Mr Bushs signature on any document he feels necessary? Is he the real puppet master and Mr Bush a mere pawn?
Mr Premier this took place just after Ivan destroyed this place, why were you not directing all of your resources at the recovery efforts instead of worrying about outstanding personal bills?
Our people were hungry, homeless and desperate when this "deal" was inked and needed a true leader not a real estate mogul!
Shame on you Mackeeva
Shame Shame Shame
Step down now!
Easy enough to prove the timeline… Just get the Government phone records and see what dates and times the faxes were sent to the overseas numbers on our (the public's) dime!!!
Good point, I'm sure Lime could do that very quickly.
I am sure LIME could find the records if they haven’t been intimidated to do otherwise.
Does anyone else hear the teacher from the Peanuts, or is it just me?
"Wha wha who wha…"
Things that make you go hmmmmm…..
Instead of putting the country and himself through total embarrassment for months on end, if this second letter is authentic, why didn't Mr. Bush bring it to light earlier?
If it is authentic, why wasn't this letter found in the court documents with the first one?
Why was the leader of government business using his government office employee to do his (or his wifes) private business correspondence?
Why is there no date stamp on a second letter sent the same day as the first one?
Who walks around with $20,000 un their pocket in Vegas apart from people who are gambling?
There are 28 Four Seasons hotels in the US alone, including in Miami and LA. Why did this have to happen in Vegas? Oh, I forgot, they were also looking at introducing gambling to Cayman.
If he brings back $20,000 doens't he have to declare at Customs? Did he do that?
Not from Vegas, just declare it as 'Winnings' and Wire it from ANY Bank there.
Or, spend it in the Casinos and Strip Clubs.
So Bush used his 'political assistant' to carry out work relating to his private business?
How is using a government employee, on the public dime, for your personals business not theft!?
This claim is so naive it beggars belief. Besides the TTI (transmitted terminal identifier) there is proof through toner analysis, alogrithmic patterns, and other forensic analytical techniques – assuming the RCIPS has someone from the specialist profession on board – for example, from the "American Society of Questioned Document Examiners"…
Was Mr. Parchment thrown under a WB or NS bus?
I think the mystery is solved. The letter dated October 7 is from Windsor Development Corporation which has nothing to do with Windsor Development Corporation Ltd that received the rezoning commission. The former is probably incorporated in BVI or TCI.
You're right Chris. Look closer and you'll see that the PO Box is diff too. Whose PO Box is 321WB?
Is this bill/money for Windsor (and perhaps its members and creditors) or not?
The fonts and styles of the "Windsor letterhead" are different, they are obviously not prepared and sent the same day. Also, the departments fax codes would be on the second letter.
If Mac was there to sign the second letter, why couldn't he sign the first?
Does anyone else find it really scary that (allegedly) an employee can use the leader of government businesses digital signature on any document? Send something this embarrassing and still have a job? XXXXXX
Next we will hear that someone used Macs digital signature on the memo to customs, the GLF deal, the Cohen fiasco, the nation building fund………..
Box 321 Town Hall Crescent W B Grand Cayman KY1- 1301
Not sure I follow. It is the letter of 7 October sent by Windsor Development Corporation which demands payment for ensuring approval of rezoning. The 21April letter refers to real estate sales commission and is sent by Windsor Development Corporation Ltd. If these are indeed different companies then it may mean that the 21 April letter does not reflect the same transaction as the 7 October letter. Note that the balance on the 21 April letter is $375,000 while the balance on 7 October is $350,000. But to conduct business locally a company must be registered as an ordinary resident company and must include "Limited" or "Ltd." in its name, unless it is the branch of a foreign company.
I imagine Chris that you have probably already checked with the respective Registrars of Companies in both jurisdictions. Aware of your thoughts on Registers of Directors/Officers of Cayman Companies being a matter of Public Record, this is a perfect example of how valuable that would be in determining who are the principal officers of ALL the companies involved in the Stan Thomas affair AND, the explosives importation matter.
poor old richard parchment…XXXXXX. However, the dates on the letters dont match. He sent the 'clarification letter' BEFORE the actual transmittal of the first letter.
The 'clarification letter' was apparently sent on the day after the first one was WRITTEN. However that first one was not actually SENT until one week later- see the date stamp. Why would anyone write a clarification letter BEFORE you actual send the original one. Simply does not make sence. You would simply tear up the first and redraft with the proper information. Lets also not miss the fact that this letter does NOT contain a date stamp–not sure where that came from but it clearly did not come from Stan Thomas and no indication as to when it actually was MADE.
XXXXXXX
What our leader is saying" he is not a responsible person and not fit to be our Premier. But he is responsible and must be held accountable for these actions. Please stop all the horse droppings and step aside now. XXXXX
Gambling will get you into all sorts of trouble.
I beg your pardon, not if his hands are clean and his heart is pure. You can decieve man, but not GOD.
Thank you CNS for providing a fuller picture than the Compass.
"The premier, who was leader of government business at the time, has said he was out of the office but had spoken with Parchment over the phone and asked him to send a bill for the outstanding amount owed on which was $350,000 from an original bill of three-quarters of a million dollars".
Something wrong with the math there. His letter of 21 April says $375,000 was owing which is correct if the 'bill' was for $750,000 total. Also the deadline for payment was 31 December, 2004 not 7 October, 2004. Why was a demand being made for $350,000 on 7 October? Had some contingency occurred? Why indeed was the rezoning approval delayed for so long and left of the Cabinet agenda at his request? Why were these payments being in instalments long after the contract had been signed and even after the closing of the sale had occurred if indeed it was due for convincing the seller to sell the land to the buyer?
If Parchment was simply acting on the instructions of Bush to send a real estate bill for a sales commission where would he have got the idea that it was related to rezoning of property? Why would he have added in the personal details that we see in that letter? What was the rush to have Parchment send the 'bill' earlier in the day on 7 October and use Bush's stamped signature if in fact Bush was going to be in the office on 7 October and could sign the letter himself since he says he sent the second letter on the same day?
If Bush was legitimately owed $350,000 why didn't he sue for it? It would have been easy to obtain a judgement and we know he is tenacious individual who is not afraid to sue.
Something just does not add up about Bush's story. At least he has in essence admitted that the first letter of 7 October, taken on its own, could be seen as evidence of a criminal offence since he says he immediately recognised the implications of it. That admission could be important to this case.
There are more questions than answers!
True, true.
I wonder the same.
Does his ‘assistant’ have the nuclear codes!?
Mr. Bush needs to stop the blame game and take responsibility for his actions. The public may then see him in a different light.
He can't do that! The people might not like him any more.
This seems a simple "explanation". Why did it take McKeeva Bush so long so bring this information forward?
Because someone did the political calculation that, by waiting, the opposition would make overreaching accusations and look like fools. Which they eventually did.
Or so he thinks.
It is anything but simple. It takes time to prepare if you are going to tell a story that long and winding.
What an interesting fable.
The most intriguing part is that he would plead, as part of his defence, that he was acting for for the buyer (Thomas) instead of the seller (Fretag) to assist Thomas in avoid to pay stamp duty on the real estate commission!! This, in and of itself, is an admission of a criminal offense under the Stamp Duty Law, which should result in his criminal prosecution for assisting someone to avoid paying stamp duty. The fact that he was at the time of the Leader of Government Business is an aggravating element (not a defence or mitigating factor). So, since we have an admission in that regard, thereby constituting prima facie evidence of the offence, let’s see if the DPP can at least proffer a holding charge for that offense, while they continue with their investigation.
After all, the US government had to resort to prosecuting Al Capone for tax evasion, since they couldn’t make anything else stick, so maybe we should take note.
At some point this country must demand an explanation from the AG and the DPP as to what is happening with this matter, as that is, in my view, long overdue. They owe us that duty as that is the job we hired them to do, and their office requires them to bring all criminals to justice, no matter what their title or station.
Okay CIREBA, you have rules now prove to us they were applied. If indeed Big Mac and his wife were agents, was the percentage due to CIREBA paid!? Was this an approved transaction? Was he acting as an agent within your organizations code of ethics? Looks like his membership should be revoked over his own admission. He was asking for commission, but not under CIREBA guidelines.
And what is the story on the other agents commission ?
Details please CIREBA, you are up……
Married to a Caymanian:)) some people will try anything to get McKeeva Bush. It will be a dark day in Hell when you all do that. Eating out of our pots and poisoning the water.
Enjoy you new fridge.
"The most intriguing part is that he would plead, as part of his defence, that he was acting for for the buyer (Thomas) instead of the seller (Fretag) to assist Thomas in avoid to pay stamp duty on the real estate commission!! "
Also, if he was acting as Buyer's Agent for Thomas, WHY, at his request, did the matter NOT make the Cabinet's agenda for sooo long?
If my Agent tried to delay my project being approved by Cabinet like that, I WOULD NOT PAY HIS COMMISSION!!
Ha…..Haaaaa,
once again it was not me. herehim,
it was not me i can assure you my h…s r c…n and i have a p..e heart.
I'm a perfect gentlemun! na na na not me
This is all a pile of molarky.
– Why did he not press to collect the balance if it was all legitimate business?
– Why collect $20,000 by ATM, is this the way business is done in his world?
– Why does his story directly confliect with the Affidavit of Mr Wight, who's not telling the EXACT truth?
– Why is someone in control of the digital signature of the leader of governement business?
– How did Mr Parchment decide on the language of the letter he supposedly created and send out on the Premier's behalf?
There is more to this than meets the eye.
Two excellent points –
The digital signature issue and, even more so, the drafting of the letter to Thomas. If Bush asked Parchment to write to Thomas, why wasn’t the format – ” Mr Bush has asked me write to you regarding…. ”
The wording of the actual request for payment has a remarkably ” personal ” tone.
Finally, as already mentioned, what was Bush as a government Minister doing, using his and Parchment’s time to further his personal business interests, and government communications facilities. On this last point, C&W and/ or LIME must be able to determine exactly when the fax was sent.
Perhaps the line of credit at the casino had dried up and he was calling in a favor?
Caught….
8.00 Yes, "caught" … with hand in cookie jar", but what scientifically untutored people fail to realize is that the refractive index of the soda glass, when combined with the high humidity of the Cayman Islands air, caused what is known to scientists as an R.I.D event, (Refractive-image-displacement.) so that in fact it was not McWhopper's hand in the cookie jar, but someone else's from a different location, whose name was something like "Joe Expendable." Please keep to the pure and clean facts when you make public comments in future.
Well, it all makes sense now. Richard Parchment is obviously a devil worshiper.
I guess Richard is actually the one trying to bring down the Premier and damaging the image and reputation of Cayman Islands.
Why would I keep someone like that on staff?
Mr. Bush is sclear
You can't touch him!
Not for using the wrong fax machine!
I'm sure Mr. Parachment is not a Real Estate person, so he
would not know what to put in a letter, if he made a mistake
it was a mistake, Bosses often re-write letters their
assistants draft or write for them, if the boss is not present
something will go wrong or the wording will more likely be
incorrect!
Such is this case!
Mr. Bush is clear.
"Mr. Bush is sclear. You can't touch him!"
Not real sclear on what you are trying to say 07:52, but you need to read the attached items. In particular, the afidavit from Brian Wight. That's sclear enough for me.
Scramble scramble scramble
You are really clueless if you think the issue is using the wrong fax machine.
If Parchment (who I believe was a manager at Wendy's) would not know what to put into a letter asking for payment of the final instalment of a sales commission (but if he is such a dufus why hire him to be your political assistant?) why on earth would Bush have asked him to prepare, sign and send one on his behalf without reviewing it first?
Did the wicked FCO get inside Parchment's head and tell him to put "ensuring rezoning approval" in the letter instead of what Bush had supposedly told him? Or may be Parchment is a part of the conspiracy. But then why would he still be around as Bush's political assistant 8 years later?