Mac says bank robbed CIG

| 08/07/2013

Mac good1.jpg(CNS): The former premier of the Cayman Islands attacked Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson, accusedCIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank of robbery and expressed his distrust of members of the Central Tenders Committee in correspondence relating to his failed attempts to once again re-package the public debt by circumventing the tendering process towards the end of last year. Correspondence released following an FOI request by CNS reveals a tirade from McKeeva Bush to FS Jefferson after he had advised the premier to use the CTC and follow process. However, Bush blamed Jefferson for the collapse of the Cohen deal in 2011 and the subsequent deal with the local bank, which he described as "robbery".

The exchange of emails (attached below) between the former leader of the Cayman Islands and Jefferson was copied to the governor, who expressed his concern about the abusive correspondence, and reveals that Bush believed the local authorities were conspiring to make him “look bad” and undermining his constitutional right to make the potential new loan deal.

The correspondence, which includes expletives, also shows that Bush regarded Nick Freeland, who was appointed as chair of the CTC last year, as the “governor’s man” and he expressed his distrust of the appointment of Richard Harris, which he said had been made without his knowledge. Inaddition, Bush accused Jefferson and other government officials, including the governor and the auditor general, of conspiring to deliberately stop him from trying to get a better deal for government and the country.

Warning the FS that he would not allow him to go “down the same road again”, as he had implied that it was Jefferson who had “shoved” CIBC into the mix, Bush said that if the governor, Jefferson and others got their way, it would not be the last of it.

The emails sent in October and November of last year make it clear that Bush believed Jefferson had a hand in the collapse of the controversial deal with Cohen and Co and suggested that Peter Young, who had advised on that deal and who was a leading member of the UDP at the time, “should have sued everyone” in relation to the failed deal.

This latest correspondence relates to attempts by Bush, with the assistance of attorney Wilton McDonald, to contract Caledonian Bank to organise the re-financing on more than $300million of the government’s debt. Bush made it clear he did not want to use the tendering process and was insisting that Caledonian, with whom he signed an engagement letter, remained in the mix, even if the issue went to tender.

The finance ministry confirmed Monday that an invoice sent to government for $300,000 for that bank’s services, as per the engagement letter signed by Bush, without the knowledge of the UK or local ministry officials, was never paid. Wilton McDonald also contacted CNS and stated that he had taken no fees for his services in arranging the negotiations with Caledonian.

Emails between Jefferson and Freeland, the CTC chair, indicate the concerns raised by officials by the efforts to circumvent process once again. Freeland told Jefferson that his advice to Bush to terminate attempts to deal solely with Caledonian and engage in a proper tender was not just a matter of rates but penalties that the CIG could incur by an early termination of some loans. He also noted the need to consider the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility, an agreement the premier had signed with the UK the previous year, and the need for an independent business case to justify the re-packaging.

Bush’s efforts to re-finance the deal were eventually scuppered by the UK. However, the ministry has withheld part of the FOI request relating to the letter sent to the FCO requesting the re-packaging and any response that may have related to it. CNS has requested an internal review of the decision.

See related article on CNS:

Mac tried more loan deals

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: FOI

About the Author ()

Comments (81)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    LOL

    Looks like Big Mac needs to go back to primary school, even though I doubt he's ever been there to begin with.

  2. So Proud says:

    Ladies and Gentlemen, I present your First Premier for your history books.  For all time he will be remembered as your first…  You might consider abolishing the position, in the circumstances.

  3. Anonymously says:

    This is very embarrassing and should have not been released as a world class financial center I can only imagine what our competitors in other jurisdictions must be thinking and the comments that they are making over these emails. I am confident that the present administration will deal with this in a more professional manner.

  4. Anonymous says:

    "My hands are clean and my heart is pure".

    This is the kind of language this Christian is using!

    Anything done in the dark shall come to light. Bet the former premier didn't expect to see his email end up on CNS.

    I am not surprised or shocked. 

    • Anonymous says:

      "My hands are clean, my heart is pure, but I have a potty mouth" or

      "My hands are f*****g clean and my heart if f*****g pure, so f*** you".

  5. Anonymous says:

    The pot calling the kettle black

    • Anonymous says:

      Thanks to our brave and loyal civil servants- once again you have made me proud.

  6. Anonymous says:

    What an embarrassment this man is!!

  7. Anonymous says:

    "F****** Robbers?"

    Like the ol' Caymanians use to say…

    Need his mouth washed out with soap…

    Made to pick a strong Tamarind switch to get his bunkey beat… 

    Needs to have someone "tan his hide"…

     

  8. Anonymous says:

    What an embarrassing example from someone holding the Title of "Honourable premier"!

    Mac; you need no help with making yourself look bad….you do that very well by yourself!

  9. Anonymous says:

    I finally found who McKeeva was named after.  From Wikipedia:

    the adjective Machiavellian became a pejorative term describing someone who aims to deceive and manipulate others for personal advantage.

    Kudos to his parents for hitting the nail on the head!

  10. Another Anon says:

    Somehow I am not as shocked and surprised at the email exchange – textbook MacBully. I am more embarrassed that such an uneducated oaf was allowed to lead the good people of these Islands.

    • Anonymous says:

      Velma and Bernie,

      is this really who you support and what you stand for? How can you even still look in the eyes of your fellow Caymanians?

  11. Peanuts says:

    The Jamaican people have often said " The higher monkey climb the more you can see". It would be interesting to see his emails to CHEC 🙂

  12. Anonymous says:

    What a completely embarrassing idiot Mac continues to prove himself to be!

    Congrats to the FS for standing your ground with professionalism. And also to the Governor and Deputy Governor.

    Mac….you make yourself "look bad" all by yourself! You're clearly nothing more than a bully who has gotten away with far too much for far too long!

    Why would any ethical person insist on not following due process? One can conclude only very few answers to this question!….and the answers are not pretty!

  13. UH UH UH says:

    And this is the person who wants to be addressed as "HONORABLE" in perpetuity!

    WOW!!  His ability to blame others for his "INEPTITUDE" knows no bounds!  Mac, if you're

    thinking about writing your biography let me save you some time. Find a good dictionary

    and look up the word "NARCISSISM". There you'll find everything that describes your

    character.

    • Anonymous says:

      No wonder that degree would have cost $1 million dollars… Any one else's would have been EARNED.

  14. Carrots n' Milk says:

    His hands are clean and his heart is pure… but his mouth is a cesspool and his mind is a wasteland void of any rational thought and concience.

    You know what's a scary thought? Reading McKeeva's emails and seeing how unintelligent and arrogant he is and realising that he ALWAYS wins in every election he has ran in… what does that say about the voting public who "wotes" him in?

    Now I understand why he and his cronies are so against schools being built.

  15. Cat says:

    Oh my gooodness! Did he really say F#cking Robbers? I thought he said he was a christian man. Well I do declare! If his hands and clean and heart  is pure, his mind and mouth sure ain't. Any what is just as bad is his Grammar and spelling! I pray that he made his personal assist and Mr. Jefferson draft  any emails that needed to be sent to foreign delegates and officials and not him himself, because the whole email will be riddled with red and green correction lines before he sends it.How embarassing.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, please keep your children busy this summer by printing Mr. Bush's emails and let them correct them then re-write them-minus the F..ing Robbers part,so they can spell ,start,format sentences and paragraphs correctly as well as how to compose professional letters and how not to be rude in them. Then mail the corrected ones back to Mr.Bush,so he can see how to do it correctly. Also remind your children to have good manners,treat their peers with respect and kindness,that being a bully is very wrong,and that education is very very important so they do end up like him or writing like him. That is so embarassing!

    Thanks!

  16. Keen Observer says:

    "I guess  Richard P. will now be blamed for sending the emails"  Keen Observer!

  17. Anonymous says:

    I believe him. Between the banks and insurance companies, we’re all getting ripped off!

  18. Anonymous says:

    A true conspiracy, worth a Hollywood movie. Someone should write a script for Mr. Bush. 

    So glad it's all over and we can move on with others at the helm. Mr. Bush time as Premier will be remembered in history as very interesting, to say the least and to keep it polite.

  19. Anonymous says:

    I would suggest to NOT publish anything this man says or does.

    It is extremely annoying . . . . .

     

  20. Anonymous says:

    Where did Big Mac learn to write an email ? And a so called Christian man cursing in his email he nah easy

  21. Anonymous says:

    Thank God for Mr Jefferson

  22. Anonymous says:

    blah blah blah   old news   get on with it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   CNS = cayman snooze serive ????????????????????

  23. Anonymous says:

    You tell 'em Mac !!!

    • Empty Chair says:

      And to think that this man claims to be a christian??????? Is this what he calls christian behavior, swearing like this, XXXX

      • SSM345 says:

        As long as you go to church on Sunday……you can do what the hell you want.

        That seems to be his motto as a "Christian"…

    • Stiff-necked Fool says:

      I did not know that "Christians" used the F word!

      • Anonymous says:

        The so called "christians" of today's society probably use the "F" word more than anyone else ! and I can probably tell you why – because they live a miserable life, trying to be what they are really not !!!! stop running to church – those people live in a very tiny bubble and are oblivious as to what goes on in the real world !  what a waste of time !

      • Anonymous says:

        His church gave him that special privilege in exchange for our million dollars.

  24. Anonymous says:

    "I am no financial expert."

     

    — Direct quote from the forever and ever and ever honourable McKeeva Bush.

  25. Michael says:

    This shows his public outcry was also voiced internally as well.

    The Governor has been behind everything.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not just the governor.  It seems the overseas office, civil servants, and many others have all been behind trying to get him to follow proper procedures.  He simply refuses.  It seems that since he doesn't really understand these basic governance procedures, he views them as some sort of conspiracy against him.

      Politics gets too ugly for me.  I’m guessing he isn’t a bad guy and I even thing he truly has the islands best interests at heart most likely.  Sadly he just seems completely out of his depth and emails like this just reinforce that view.  Mac having to ask what basic terms like selective tendering was really another face-palm moment.

      I think many things he’d like to do (like refinancing the public debt if can get better rates) would obviously be to Cayman’s benefit.  I just wish he could get out of his own way and try to do these things in a responsible way following established procedures.  After seeing this so many times and reading emails like this, the only conclusion I can really come to is perhaps comprehending the proper methods and procedures and following them is simply beyond his capacity.

      Kind of sad really.

  26. Anonymous says:

    I love the capital letters and sentence starting from our 'so called' first premier. I would not even give him a capital 'P' becauser of my discust for him and his use of language to other business professionals. You cannot go around bullying and pushing your way around. 

    He represented our country? My country? Wow is all I can say.

     

    P.S. Better go back and check my capital letters and spelling like normal people do, even school kids that finish school. Did he finish high school?

  27. Anonymous says:

    This all reads like another good reason to enact the Mental Health Law 2013 ASAP.

  28. BORN FREE says:

    Isn't it past time that he was put away for a very long time? How much more are we going to hear about this man? He needs a long rest at our northward hotel! 

  29. Anonymous says:

    ZZZZZZZZZZZsnore ZZZZZZZZZZ   "The emails sent in October and November of last year make it clear that Bush believed Jefferson had a hand in the collapse of the controversial deal with Cohen and Co and suggested that Peter Young, who had advised on that deal and who was a leading member of the UDP at the time, “should have sued everyone” in relation to the failed deal."     Thank God Jefferson woke up and did something then!!!! Cudos to you Ken … I actually have some restored faith in you after reading this.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Disgusting. These emails reveal a paranoid megalomaniac.

    • MI6 says:

      Just because you are a paranoid megalomaniac does not mean we are not out to get you.

  31. Don Donkeyface says:

     

    Hey you people ina de cayman islands, don't you asee whata disa man isa trying to do?
    He'sa trying to pull a Vincent Gigante, you know the guy froma New York who wanna make people beleve he'sa crazy, so alla the people feela asorry for him. DUNT BUY DATA SHIET!  He'sa triyin to foola the people.
     
    But thena maybe not! Causa he'sa go to alla the churches ana tella them he's hands ara clean ana his hart isa pure, so maybe you shouda leta him comea to New Yotrk ana have a sita down with me and we giva him a good deal ona  special loan, and while he'sa here we willa take him to Lasa vegas so he cana wina more money for you. 
     
    THEN EVERY BODY ISA HAPPI.
  32. Holy Crap says:

    CNS has great coverage, but as always once a report starts with "Mac says…", I tune out.  Mac speaking always reminds me of the words of the Principal in the movie Billy Madison at the academic contest: "Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."  I avoid reading what Mac says to prevent myself from becoming even more dumberer (I read something he said before, and you see what it did…).

  33. Anonymous says:

    I cannot believe that idiot was our first Premiere,  it goes to show how ignorant his followers are.

    • Anonymous says:

      u call him and his followers IDIOTS ??????????  You are the idiot. you are not very tolerant of people.  Maybe in YOUR country it works like this !

      We here in Cayman are not Idiots !!   no matter who we "follow"  so buzz off !!!

      • Anonymous says:

        if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck  then chances are it is a duck! Substitue for "duck" as appropriate.

      • Anonymous says:

        Anyone who continues to support McKeeva is either a certified idiot or just plain greedy.

      • Jes Jokin' bout it all says:

        Who's dat "we" you be talkin' 'bout?  I ain' t no idiot, but I got a different view about you.  You be trying to pretend this is about Caymanians versus furiners, but in truth it's about da smart Caymanians versus da idiot Caymanians, cause dem damn furiners ain't votin' fer no body round here.  All da smart Caymanians can easily say Mac is supported by da idiot Caymanians, cause you need an IQ da same as your shoe size not to see what he about.

  34. Flabbergasted says:

    Mac sounds like an idiot

    He's unable to write an intelligible email…

    He doesn't understand basic concepts…

    He needs constant shepherding by his ministers and officers…

    He would easily fall prey to any half-baked conman…

    How Mac could possibly lead the Cayman Islands for so long without a major catastrophy is a glowing  tribute to the SHEPHERDS, such as Ken and many others…

    He's his worst enemy!…

     

     

     

  35. Anonymous says:

    Lord help us, will we ever be rid of this man? it's like, "Can it get any worse?" And the answer is clearly "Yes" when we read the profanity used by our first premier, the "forever honourable" Mr.McKeeva Bush, in his correspondence with the country's financial secretary. Surely there's a clear indication here for some kind of action from the Commission for Standards in Public Life? If there is not then surely one must wonder if there ever will be. And what of that ridiculous title he gave himself ? His language can hardly be described as "honourable" – even by his most ardent supporters – so are we just a bunch of fools or will we demand it be taken away from him?

  36. Anonymous says:

    MacShambles is being exposed for the undiplomatic and dishonourable bully that he is. Thank God for FOI and CNS. Oh, and thank God we no longer have to listen to Foolio's spin on these types of things.

    • Anonymous says:

      Where is reverend Soloman now? I’m worried. How is he getting gas for his car?

  37. peter milburn says:

    Does this man ever stop blaming everyone else?Enough already.

  38. Anonymous says:

    vintage bush….. well done cayman for voting him into office so often…… hahahahah

  39. SSM345 says:

    Can Mac's legal counsel tell him to shut XXXX up once and for all!

    Every week it's something else.

    What an absolute disgrace to this country.

    • Anonymous says:

      This is NOT new ! It is old re-hashed stuff !!!  ZZZZZZZZZZZ  enough already ! 

  40. Anonymous says:

    I am so glad that we have the FOI act now so that we are able to see these types of emails and examples of PURE IGNORANCE of our former premier who doesnt even have a high school education. It is sickening to read his responses to the Financial Secretary. Plain and simple we can see how Bush only thought of HIMSELF and what the country would think of HIM.Thank the Lord this man's power has been diminished in the current governemnt and with any luck diminished all together should he be convicted of the crimes he has been charged with. I feel sorry for McKeeva's family – wife and children. He is a sickening fool and ignorant uneducated, uncouth man.

  41. Anonymous says:

    Well Jefferson has gone up in my estimation! Bush remains where he ever was!

    However, whenever any news of the Bush attempts to avoid due process come to light, my question is the same:

    Why is he so determined to do these deals behind peoples backs/ I do believe we are entitled to presume personal interest, though I would love to be proven otherwise!

    • Anonymous says:

      READ !! the cohen deal woul have saved the country many many millions of $ !!!!

  42. Anonymous says:

    Dear Big Mac

    You make yourself look bad. Congratulations!!!

    Sincerely yours
    The Cayman Islands

  43. Anonymous says:

    HOLY CRAP

  44. Anonymous says:

    The bottom line mac has no business negotiating this deals with a 5th grade education. He needs to be held accountable for the money he’s cost the people of the Cayman Islands.