Bush calls for enquiry
(CNS): Following a not guilty verdict after a four week trial into allegations of abuse of his government credit card, the former premier has called for a public enquiry into the circumstances of his case. McKeeva Bush, now the opposition leader, had claimed he was the subject of a political witch hunt, and despite revelations during the trial that he had used his CIG card to withdraw cash to gamble in casinos, it also became apparent from a series of emails that the former governor, Duncan Taylor, had gone further than would be expected to see Bush charged. Bush told CNS after his acquittal that he wanted a public enquiry and Premier Alden McLaughlin has lent his support to that call from Bush.
Outside the courthouse, which was crowded with friends and family, the opposition leader was clearly relieved and emotional about the verdict. He said that he would be taking advice from his attorneys about what happened next, but given all of the circumstances, he said there had to be an enquiry.
"Obviously, I will be guided by my attorneys but they will hear him in Westminster; it cannot stop here," he said, referring to Geoffrey Cox QC who is a government back-bencher in the UK parliament.
In a short statement he pointed to what had been described as a witch hunt during the trial.
“The events which have occurred evidenced abuses of power by UK appointed officials, which unfortunately continue to reoccur in our Islands; and hopefully in the near future the necessary checks and balances will be restored,” he said. “We need to re-establish the partnership between the Cayman Islands and the United Kingdom, which existed on the basis of mutual trust, cooperation, clarity of purpose, and I stand ready and willing to participate in that process.”
Bush described the situation in Cayman as “a police state” as he spoke of concerns over how the investigations of him over the last three years were conducted.
The opposition leader said he planned to spend time with his family over the next few days but would be embarking on a series of public meetings over the next week around the islands and was planning on making a statement to the country on television Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, following his State of the Nation address at the Chamber of Commerce lunch, Premier Alden McLaughlin said he had every confidence in the local justice system and the jury had delivered their verdict, which should be respected. However, McLaughlin told CNS that he fully supported the opposition leader’s call for a full public enquiry into the circumstances of the case and how the investigation was conducted.
The current governor, Helen Kilpatrick, declined to comment and the office said in an email response to CNS’ enquiry: “The Governor’s Office will not be commenting on the verdict of the former Premier’s trial. The verdict is a matter for the courts of the Cayman Islands.”
CNS has also contacted the FCO and the former governor for comment but has not received any responses to the enquiries.
In the prepared statement that Bush gave to the press in the wake of the verdict, he said once again that he had done nothing wrong. He said that he had been the “most investigated person in the Western Hemisphere” because over the last three years the authorities had probed every aspect of his life since he was a teenager.
“They took my bank accounts, my business documents, my travel records, my credit cards, taped my phones, monitored my communications … and they have been unable to find anything that I have done which is unlawful.”
He added that his opponents “who participated in the conspiracy and encouraged it for the purposes of removing me from my democratically elected position as Premier have used all their conspiratorial ammunition.”
Bush made no comment about the use of his government credit card or about the public revelations regarding the extent of his gambling and the amount of money the evidence showed he had lost in slot machines over the 45 days that were the focus of the crown’s case against him.
See Bush's prepared statement below.
Category: Politics
I sympathize with you for what you have been subjected to. You’ve broken no laws – that has now been proven in a court of law, and the law is the law.
Now – what laws have they broken? What constitutional rights have they violated? Where are your rights? What about the trauma you and your family have been subjected to – your career, your name, and your reputation – how can that be repaired? You can’t take away what you and your family have suffered.
I agree with you – it is a police state. Where are our constitutional rights? This is a free country with a constitution that was designed to protect that freedom, yet some of us are subjected to things that make us live in fear and intimidation. I, for one, will not continue to tolerate what I am being subjected to by the R.C.I.P. and other various government departments here on Cayman Brac. You stated you felt you were the subject of a witch-hunt, and I am feeling the same way. Neither of us is a witch to be burned at the stake or crucified on a cross.
I am a free man. I am an artist. I express all my thoughts and feelings and emotions through my art, and often they are religious in nature. That is my constitutional right as a Caymanian and a British subject.
So you see, Mr. Bush, I can sympathize with you more than most. I find myself in a very similar situation.
Submitted by –
Ronald Kynes Sr. (A.K.A. “Foots”)
I'll do the inquiry for you – you gambled public money for personal use…..thus there was an investigation! As it turns out you need a policy to tell you this was wrong….sheesh
Hope the inquiry will investigate the use/abuse of Government credit cards by ALL those who use was revealed, including some who were removed from their positions for such allegations and nothing more has been heard.
Alden, don't you dare! There must be standards in Public Life.
Calling for an enquiry for what? You don't think the Governor was right? If I was the owner of a company and I had hired Mac as the foreman and given him a credit card to use to purchase materials for the construction jobs he was assigned and I found he had used the card to buy numbers everytime he went to buy materials in Town, and had in fact owed me money for a period of years from doing that, I not only would have taken my credit card away from him, but I would have fired his ass too. I don't care if he says I didn't tell him he shouldn't use my card to buy numbers with, common sense should have told him that. Now he wants an enquiry into the fact that the Governor had concerns about his remaining in power? Alden, I hope you ain't foolish enough to waste money on Mac's warped thought process. Remember, a not guilty verdict doesn't mean he didn't do what was alleged; it simply means the jury let him go.
Surely he is calling for an "inquiry". "Enquiry" makes no sense.
Dear foreign readers : Please note that every country, probably including your own, produces a nut-case every now and then whose utterences never fail to defy common sense, decency and honesty. Thank you for your patience and good humour!
But do they elect him? Repeatedly?
Appearantly in Toronto, Washington D.C. (local – see Marion Berry and the national government), Detroit, eh the list of locations goes on and on….they do elect loons – REPEATEDLY!!!!
Toronto's Rob Ford comes to mind.
Oh so your reasoning is that because other countries have corruption, dishonesty, lack of judgement, misuse of government money (no matter whether its legal or not), its ok to have it here in our beautiful country. Dear God, what has happened to us?
and your point?
Here is the enquiry that should be done: Where does a politician fine 400+ thousand dolalrs to pay back. All MLAs, Queen councel and authority figures bank accounts should be made transparent. They serve the public, if their salarys are made public, so should all other income.
This is a joke, We have lawless people running the country, and you dont know where they are getting this type of money from? Really? Just doesnt seem right to me.
In cayman people from another country has to give their originating country, full acess to their accounts for tax purposes, yet we can not do this with people who work for us?
If any politician, objects to this, well I call foul play.
By the way, Im not saying it isnt possible for him to make this type of money legally, but when you make less than 200k a year, and can fork out 400+k and being a MLA, questions should be ask. Its called due diligence.
You have to Zone in on the how this land is Zoned, the height and number of what is Zoned can change your fortune. Those who Zone in will get the picture. Ask Tom, Dick, or Tom they all know.
Excuse me, please get your facts right. Mr. Bush spent 50,000 on the Government card. What he spent on his personal cards are none of our business. Also, who are you to ask where he has gotten this money from all these years. For a man who has been involved in politics for over 30 years, I would assume he has made some serious investments in that time, hence the ability to spend 400,000 of his OWN money. GET OVER IT!
The $400,000+ "invested" in the one-armed bandit was a total dud. From what I have been hearing, anyone who "invested" in the Midland Acres Quarry has now lost all of their money as well. Maybe he secretly has thousands of shares in CUC while he rants about them charging the poor people too much money.
08:41, if he has investments then he should declare it on the register of ineterests which he is bound to do by law.
100% agree. There should be a public inquiry into the abuse of government credit cards and the possible payments of cash to shadowy "guards" which could well constitute criminal activity in the United States.
The plan worked. He is finished. Maybe now he knows whose turf it really is.
I am your stalker, Pit Bull, though I have been silent for many months. I wish your comment were true but I am not so sure in Mr Bush's case. Time will tell. He has more than nine lives thanks to the excruciating ignorance of far too many West Bayers. As a mark of goodwill, I will not comment on your final sentence
I wish that were true, Pit Bull, but alas it isn't. All this has done is to wipe the slate clean for him in the eyes of many and made him more dangerous than before. It is a catchy narrative to say "They've been investigating me for years and this was all they could find to charge me with and that failed therefore I am clean."
Whether or not one respects Bush and or agrees or disagrees with his behaviour, it is clear that the former governor behaved in a most disgraceful manner that was unbecoming of one in his position. I believe in large part his exposed actions strongly influenced the outcome of this case. he should be held accountable for it.
The Governor behaved disgracefully! Man your eyesight is warped really bad. Perhaps you eyeballs are in backways! It wasn't the Governor who was gambling and using Government's credit cards to pay for it! It was our dearly, beloved McKeever Bush! Had the Governor done something like that I could only imagine the outcry from you and our dearly beloved Bush, but it wasn't the Governor who behaved that way, so please praise the Governor for wanting to see an end put to such occurrences and who can fault him for wanting to celebrate the restoration of good governance. Had Mac been using your credit card to gamble with I am sure you would see things in a different light. Now stop with your ignorance please and think on those things which are pure and clean and honest and above board.
Exactly 7:35. Spot on.
Whether unna like Mac or not all the case proved is that he gambled heavily. THose who knew him well already knew that. The use of the credit cards is the same as when other people in Government travel and have not got enough of their own personal funds and they use the money Government gives them for official travel to purchase personal items. Just like Mr Bush did, they pay it back. If a man intended to steal he would never leave a blank cheque. The accountants could have put in any figure they wanted.
THe problem with people who hate Mac is that even if he does the right thing they will find fault with him. Look at the entire cabinet and look in their closet. XXXX
So even though Mac was stupid to do what he did, he was charged for a criminal offence and no criminal offence was committed so the court could never in its right mind find him guilty. Hating someone is not enough to find them guilty to prove a point. Thank God the jury was made up of a bunch of sensible Caymanians who though not lawyers, understood their role and made the right decision.
It is important to note that Mac gambled up to 2012 according to the charges and he made restitution both financially and spiritually. The great thing about God is that he is a forgiving God. Haters who claim to be Christians and unforgiving need to repent yourselves.
Now if this was a court of morals all you people having sex before marriage, that fly to Miami for your abortions, buying numbers and lotto tickets overseas, getting drunk, usning your computer at work for personal emails and so on would all have to go to Court for your immoral behaviour!
I pray that Mac will be humble and appreciate that it was by the Grace of God that he is able to give a testimony and I hope he uses this opportunity wisely. I love Mr Bush and am able to forgive him for his human failings but I can only do this because of the mercy that God has bestowed upon me in my own life. If not for the Grace of God I would be in a mess but he forgave my every sin and gave me the ability to love those who ordinarily I or you, would not even consider speaking to.
So go in peace Mac and spend some time pampering and loving Ms Kerry who stands by you through thick and thin. She is now the reason you should celebrate. I feel it for her because she has a heavy burden being your wife because of the hatred that comes her way too.
God bless your family and put God first !
I agree immorality is everywhere, but the one place it should not be is with elected leaders. What example does this set for young people. The people you mention are not charged with the responsibilty of leading the country. If it is realy ok to borrow from the public purse as you suggest then why is it now we have a policy in place to prevent it?
Are you an idiot. Politicians are ppl we all make mistakes they are no different
And therein lies the problem. Because my opinion differs from yours you resort to name calling as opposed to a cogent counter argument.
The trouble is McKeeva hasn't admitted any mistakes.
Well said 19:39. A strong, unbiased comment. Hard to find these on the notorious PPM CNS sight.
Now the jordanian happy
There should be an enquiry into why it took so long to get a policy in place on government credit cards. If MB broke no laws why is it only of late that a policy is put in place. There should be an enquiry as to why there is a severe lacking in moral values in government where they should be the highest. Yes enquiries should be popping up all over the place.
How does a man who makes just over 100,000 a year gamble nearly 500,000 in under two months…and then pay it back legitmately???
Maybe there is a magic machine in the family condo at the Ritz that prints money?
He doesn't, you need to pull cash out of the mattress in your feathered nest to do this.
I hope Geoffrey Cox finds a little more time to give Big Mac some advice. Here is what I found out about him.
Bush calls for enquiry, I say that BUSH and premier McLaughlin should not be calling for enquiry . This is the time for them to show some HONESTY AND INTERGRTY to the people of the Cayman Islands . We have had too many C I goverment credit card scandals of useing gov credit card for personal use as buying $3,500. oo watcht / over $50,000.00 on gamling , and no one CONVICTED OF ANY CRIME . The not guilty verdict of Mac was because of not HAVEING NO RULES OF LAW ON USEING GOV CREDIT CARDS FOR PERSONAL USE . I say again Bush and McLaughlin you need to get a bill on the floor of the LA to put some teeth/ rules/ law in the use of useing GOV credit card for personal use. Unless you 2 dont think that it is NOT WRONG to use the peoples money for your personal use . I use my company credit card , but if i use it for my persona use i would be FIRED / TERMINATED, i dont see that there is no differnce in our credit card use , except useing it for COMPANY / GOVERMENT use.
He best had used that damn credit card to donate to the West Bay Half-way house and turn on some people's electricity who have children living without light and running water for months! This is insidious and more than disgusting! If he wanted to use the card for something worthwhile and pay it back then fine, but gambling it away!?
He should use this damn not guilty verdict as a good learning experience in HONESTY AND INTEGERITY . Dont use anymore CI Gov money for your gamling , bcause KARMA will be next . Remember what goes around comes around .See O J !
And is to say that he hasn't learnt his lesson? Has the Members of your Parliament learnt theirs???
Why has nobody asked the obvious question: Where did he get the money to payback/gamble away $400,000 (that we know about)?! On the surface he may not have done anything illegal, but behind the scenes something fishy went on!! This case should not have been about what he did with the funds, but WHERE the funds originated!
none of your business, where did your cash come from??
From my salary, and I make about the same as Mac. And I have no where near $400,000 at my disposal where I can lose it in the casino. Do you? Guess I need a Government credit card.
My guess is his 'real estate company' that got set-up at the same time as the Ritz was selling it's condos. So man stories not in the press but 'known' by many.
And your response that "it's none of my business" is obvious that you have 0 sense about fraud in the financial world. Not drilling down to find the source of funds when a red flag is raised is basically turning a blind eye to the potential criminal activity. Do you think you can walk into a bank and deposit $400,000 cash without them asking where the money came from? Good luck with that.
I'm sure this was already looked into, as hard as they were working to find something on him, If he got the money illegally it would have came out.
All you need to know about is where it is going!
You idiot it was not 400k. Get some sense before you talk
14:36, you are correct, it was not $400k, but $459k he withdrew for gambling, but he only lost $279k, so that's ok.
All the while his voters starve, have no electricity, witness rampant gun crime and the list goes on.
What a shining example of how a Honourable Leader should act.
Now he is going to sue for what? Because somebody exposed what he was doing? We should all be terrified of the stuff tat hasn't come to light, yet……
I’ve been without power, water,food and contacted alden numerous times for help he hasn’t as much as returned my call so don’t go there and use that as an example! All these politicians are the same in my book. I’m from savannah an none of my reps have ventured to assist me in any shape or form.
Well it seems that internet access is more important than your necessary expensies. If this was sent from work then you have a job so spend wisely, plus less internet time could mean a raise. Why is an MLA rsponsible? Would you take their advise on bugeting or just their cash?
stop looking government handouts and work like the rest of us. grow your food, conserve electricity, no alchohol, cigarettes, drugs, bb, trips to miami, etc
Well at least you have access to Internet Service and apparently a phone.
Not doubting that there are people in dire straits on these islands but I think most without basic services and food are not spending their time commenting on CNS stories.
Alden only answers your call if you are a wealthy Caymanian.
WAKE-UP dummies!
14:36, it was $459k in 45 days.
50,000 was withdrawn from the Government card. That400,000 figure YOU ALL are sucking on is ALL from his personal cards!
Stop trying to twist the truth. This is what is wrong with us now, can never say it as it is.
Always adding on like chinese whispers…
First of all, at no point did I say that all $400,000 came from the CIG card. I only raised the question of where did the $400,000 come from to pay for his gambling spree?! Second of all, comparing $50,000 to $400,000 is not justification for his vindication, and I'll point out that YOU ARE ONLY ADMITTING HIS WRONGDOING!!!!! Your arguemnt is that it is OK because it was only $50k and not $400l?! ARE YOU THAT STUPID?!?!?! $1 would have been $1 too much in my eyes. If you are fine for him to do that, why don't you personally give him $50,000 so that he can go and gamble it away. I am extremely upset by this blatant abuse of power, legal or not. The day Macis out of the political arena is the day Cayman will pop the champagne.
Umm, I think you're the idiot. Read the CNS report on October 2:
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/crime/2014/10/02/mac-cashed-465k-lost-263k-45-gambling-days
Ignore the kool aid drinker his ignorance is spread all over the comment threads, proof positive of a recipient of handouts
Mac has for many years relied on the generosity of those who hope one day to have their favor returned. There's a word for that sort of unscupolous practice in politics, just can't thnk o f it right now. He will surely turn us into anther Jamaica…
Mac's real estate company had exclusive rights to sell the residences at the Ritz. He is worht plenty of cash.
Yes, and prior to the Ritz hotel the zoning law limited buildings to 5 stories. The Ritz is all of a sudden granted the right to build 7 stories, and Mac has the exclusive to sell their condos. Hmmmm…… If there was ever a blatant abuse of power, that was it.
This was my position from the start. Is everyone so obtuse? Is the big picture that hard to see? Are we all that stupid? I guess so.
I am sure that Mac's QC will tell "Be very careful what you ask for ole chap". Lets remember too that there is a least one other investigation in relation to Mac that is still going on.
CNS can you get an update on this ?
can apply for a government credit card pleeeesssssssssssss?????????
I wonder if the Commissioner of Police had used the police credit card to gamble what Mac's supporters would have said about that? The Commisisoner of Police has nothing to resign about.
Immoral and unethical? YES. Illeagal? NO. Big Mac is the BOSS and the BOSS is free! Cayman Dan McKeeva Bush is a living legend whetheryou like it or not.
A legend in his own mind, poor guy. And he’d be one in yours too. If you had one.
So what ismoral doesn't matter anymore? Or did it ever in this country?
What is really immoral is when people like you try to make themselves into GOD – to judge and punish Bush. His moral life is his business. Cayman has not paid for what he paid back. But I can tell you if the Governor had his way to ruin our reputation, we would have paid dearly for it.
His moral life IS our business when there is lying going on, and using government credit card as a source of funding, no matter how temporary.
Oh my how the tables have turned, Geoffry Cox gonna fix unah business!! What a QC, I could sit an dlisten to this man all day. Just fabulous, congrats Mac well deserve victory!!
Lets get this Cayman ship back on track!!
This case was never supposed to be before the Courts in the first place. This entire case was politically motivated by our former governor.
People fail to realize that the Court is a Court of Law, and not one of policy and morals. Clearly G. Cox knew what he was doing. I say this because, he could've simply made a "No Case" application but he wanted everyone to hear the evidence that the police submitted. If a law was put in place regarding gov funds being used by our politicians this wouldn't have happened. But it can't be done because they all will be prosecuted.
If they (the police and former governor) was concerned about breach of office and misuse of public funds, why wasn't the dock in court filled with more politicians like those who purchased watches, paid for hotel rooms on the brac, those who purchased from other stores for personal use?
Now the same critic's who hated this man because he was outspoken well have to pay for what was done to him. Tempura case brought about a mountain of funds to be paid out (and still is) because of poor advice and now this botched investigation will cost us more because I know this won't end here. What's good the geese is good for the gander.
Now let's see which caymanian is going to push more politicians to be charged for misuse of funds, I forgot, they won't because only Mac did wrong right!
If all you know has come from what's in the public domain then you either choose to ignore the information or you know notihng. You skate over 'morals' but what defines the law? Do I need a specific 'law' to tell me what is right and wrong? Maybe a lawyer does, but ask anyone on the street if it's right to condem a Cuban migrant to death by ofering no assistance, the Law says yes, what do you say?
go back to your drawing board on how to overthrow one of our political leaders!
He did make a 'no case' application. It failed. Also, those applications are made after presentation of the prosecution evidence, not before.
Thank you, from a Caymanian born and raise here.
Mac is Back, thank God we got someone that knows what he is doing rather than the fool fools in the house now!!
You mean he KNEW he was using public money to gamble while losing a quarter mil while swearing he was using public money to travel on official business while pretending to be working his a** off to improve our economy as he was being paid public money to do?
If anyone asks Duncan Taylor why he was so keen to see Mac booted out of government I have no doubt he will explain, with plenty of evidence to back it up, that it was because Mac was doing a terrible job and causing real harm to the country not to mention that he was involved in a lot of suspicious activity. Taylor was likely acting in the best interests of the country and I very much doubt Mac really wants to see that aired in public.
Maybe so, but it still appears that His Excellency overstepped his bounds.
The moniker, "Excellency" is somewhat outdated don't you think? Our leaders are hardly excellent.
I think given the effectiveness of the scheme, the title should be "His Most Excellent".
Or maybe small Mac shouldn't have stepped up to HE on the first day he was on island and said 'I'm in charge", go F yourself, or words that effect. The gov only expressed his delight in the prospect a failed business man (FICB) and a bully and (insert here whatever you know but know can' be published). If you know nothing about nothing stay silent, please. I am not about to expose everything i know abut this man here, most know his past,some benefitted from it, some prefer to stay silent.
Correct, and that is why we will NOT be seeing any lawsuit in this case. It would reveal more than McKeeva wants revealed.
They looked for dirt on McKeeva and could not find it, they tapped his phones and flew around the world looking – if they had any evidence they would have brought it up in court. They just concocted these charges so the UK could overthrow him. After all, how dare a little Cayman man stand up to them the way McKeeva did. That was unacceptable – and dats why he had to be brought down to size.
And indeed he WAS brought down to size. He just doesn't now it yet.
Yes 20:02! Enlighten these fools! They do not know how things run in this world!
LOL … LOVE YOUR POST
Tell me 8:44, if this is true, then why didn't the emails reflect this? The only thing the former Governor's emails reflected was a personal disdain for the former Premier, MB. We have major issues to deal with i.e:
1. Mt. Tashmore
2. Mental Health Facility
3. Public Education
4. Illegal Immigrants
5. Minimum Wage
6. Amendments to various laws across the board.
7. SUNDAY TRADING (at the emloyers discretion)
Where on that list do you see "Mac's gambling addiction"
Matter of perspective I suppose….
All of those issues are the responsibilities of the elected Ministers. The Governor's core responsbility is for good governance. His e-mails should be seen in that light.
The people of the Cayman Islands are wedged between a rock and a hard place when it comes to McKeeva Bush and the British Crown. One could do no better to guarantee continued dependancy on the Crown with the likes of Bush still around to create havoc and much worse. One who is looking through the veil of smoke and mirrors of these dual sources and forces can see that this was the reasoning behind all of this from the outset. Those who support McKeeva Bush are decrepid to say the least and one day it will inevitably come to a head because there are those in this country who are unwilling to allow such a charlatan to continue destroying Cayman from the inside out. Come what may to those with the courage to stand against him and those like him, McKeeva Bush is a detriment to the Cayman Islands as a whole, even if he is the sugar daddy of those among us who are devoid of ethics and who wallow in an abundance of spineless ignorance and soul devoid complicity. Yesterday was a very bad day for the authentic people of the Cayman Islands who have the long term good of the country at heart, it was a good day for those who would sell away their homeland for a piece of crack and a stove to cook it on.
I have no clue what ur on about…..
That's exactly what kool aid does to you my friend.
We can be quite confident there will not be any civil lawsuits. A plaintiff cannot dodge giving evidence in a civil action.
08:21, I don't think Mac or his retarded supporters understand the difference between a criminal and civil trial.
You must be retarded cause you certainly don't understand evidence. Stop being an idiot the man beat you all, and that means no bubbly for you this weekend!!
14:41, he has not beat anyone apart from us, the Cayman people. Do you not unerstand that yet?
But for a written policy dictating how a grown man should act responsibly with cash does not belong to him, hewould be guilty.
He has taken everybody for a ride, espcecilly those who voted him in. Know anyone without food or electricity in West Bay? The country is broke and this guy is galavanting around the world quite lierally gamblig away our money.
I swear some of you need a writtn policy just to understand how to tie your fucking shoelaces.
You pick him up, you lick him down
Him bounce right back,
What a hard man fe dead!
"a quite bottle of bubbly is in order…."
NOT TODAY BOBO!
Hey look at the bright side. Now that "Mac is back" things will return to normal. The much awaitd beach condos will finally move ahead at Tiki Beach. West Bay will regain its status as the political capital of Cayman. The other Party wlll realize that their honeymoon is over since the Real Opposition is back in town. We, the majority of people can all come out of our closets and openly admit we also love to gamble. The churches will finally understand the similarities between a church and a casino and learn from Mac's ideology that you can find happiness & heaven in the refuge of a Casino listening to the sounds of the faithful praying openly to God for assistance and giving joyfull thanks when they are rewarded . Most importantly Mac has shown us all that at the end of some days, money is'nt everything. Finally, let us give thanks that the local news will once again become interesting reading. Carry On Mac, Living Legend!
You are so right. Our money is obviously his. Lying is obviously ok. Having no moral compass is ok, having no shame is ok. Welcome to McK land.
CNS, has anyone identified the mysterious 'Tony' who Duncan Taylor was emailng?
Tony Bates-used to work here in the Governor's office in the old days, 4:17.
probably one of their spies named "tony" working in police department
Soprano?
Read the latest story – he's been 'outed'.
Thats Tony Curtis apparently he and Taylor were friends…
It was me.
Why not?
The behaviour of former governor Duncan Taylor and Commissioner of Police David Baines was beyond despicable.
Any Caymanian that accepts such infractions of duty deserves to be ostracized.
Nevertheless, I'm sure neither of those gentlemen had a good night's sleep … and poor Taylor's champagne will have to remain on ice.
I only hope he owns a mop to soak up all the water – it gets quite hot in Mejico this time of year.
😉
You know the tequila with the ugly worm in it … wiggle and jiggle .. HA HA HA HA HA
You are so right. We would be much better off with a dishonest addict running our island.
Your 'I ntellegence' is your blindfold. Not so unusual.
From the way the case started i found it ieasy to predict the outcome. How in the world can someone use a government credit card to gamble in a casino and be found innocent of all wrong doing. The legal process is a joke.
Its no joke. How can you convict a man for immorality such as this! I think the outcome is justified!
Mac leave it alone. Done. No More drama. Focus on something else now like your own district, It’s falling apart quickly and it doesn’t help that even the female rep living elsewhere too. Get back to stomping pavement and go door to door with your two fellow reps and hear your people. But I happy he got off because he did as allowed.
Lets crucify Mac ok. He used govt money. But investigate the others that did the same as him!
ja ja ja ja wonderful . lets do all of them 🙂
00:10, Why? They will all get off you idiot.
No one else did the same as him.
Enquiry in to what? If the Governor and the FCO determined that Bush’s continued incumbency was no longer good for purpose and threatened the internal stability and international reputation of the Cayman Islands, they were duty bound to do something about it. Their only error was that in the exchanges of emails, as reported in Court, that was not clearly stated, allowing the perception that this was a subjective rather than objective exercise. At the time, many people on and off the island, applauded his removal as premier.
As i recall a fullpage notice was put in compass applauding the governor with long list of names of very prominent caymanians, former deputy governor at the top
This was a man who, as premier of a government that supported legislation that gambling was illegal in the Cayman Islands, gambled himself to a standstill – are we missing something. Sounds like a classic case of – ” do as I say, not as I do “
McKeeva, can you please ask those carrying out the enquiy to comment on whether it is okay for me to use a company check to pay myself, or take company money paid by a client, or log on to the company's online bank (I think I can find the log on details), "borrow" some money (it doesn't matter what for), as long as I pay it back? I need to know just in case the company finds out, fires me, or bings charges against me?
I just want to know what is right and wrong. Oh and I'm an expat and will need to apply for PR soon, in case that makes a difference. And no, I don't live in West Bay.
Get over yourself, hater – it was ok to use the card once it was paid back. It's a common practice for those who carry company cards. Guess you don't know about that since you don't have a company card.
Where do you work? It is not common to use company credit cards for personal reasons other than in Government it appears.
05:43, enlighten us all with the names of those Companies here, or abroad, that allow their employees to use said company creit cards and company money used specificaly to gamble, "as long as they pay it back".
If he had been an employee of mine he would have been fired before the first bill was due, ask yourself that simple question, if Government were your business would you have let an employee use your company credit card to run up a bill 2 xs his annual salary, policy or not?
22:46
I know it hurts you that your wishes didnt come through for them to destroy Mac. just let him be, im sure you have better things to do, than spewing hate through the media.
Caymanians and foreigners alike are so hateful and got so much sin and skelelton in their own closets, that they have to point fingers at everyone else. f@@@ing hypocrites!!!! why dont you all shut to f@@@ up and stay off the media with your sinful selves??
You are the hypocrite! Look at how many people have gotten prison time for taking money from their employers with the intention of "paying it back". Why should it be any different for McKeeva?
And you dont have enough brain to know you cant judge perception, or emotions. let it go!
There were no evidence to prove Mac guilty. that the facts of the matter. You all want the court to put him on trial for morality.
You cant do that, if that was the case we would all be locked up. remember that immoral act you did two years ago?
Because they were allowed to use the card for personal reasons, providing he paid it back. That's just the way it worked; even the diamond studded watch was bought with one.
Is he paying his lawyer with his Government credit card?
No he using yours idiot
Strange, the banks got mine because I did not have $450,00 to spend. By the vay just where did your hero get his money from? Jamaica or TCI?
No, you paying the lawyer fees cause he 's going to sue us for defamation.
How was he defamed? Please explain. All evidence pointed out that Chancey borrowed public money to satidfy his lust of slot machines, not bodygards as he reported.
Hold on a minute ya now. We don't hear unna saying anything about the others that used their cards to buy watches, expensive dinners or shopping for other items. Unna try go sit down!! The man was found not guilty so deal with it and move on. Cha!
Now the fun begins, Alden better do a lot of @$$ kissing & impressing his people or you’ll be replace! Gt voter
Learn to spell, you ass.
McKeeva Bush, here after to be known as the Teflon Don of the Cayman Islands
The man's a joke.
you dont like him, but people like you look like fools for hating him. he is free and you are stil in bounds with your hateful minds, who is the clown now? you are!!!
well said 6:01
Yes hater 20:48 but the laugh's on you though. Suck it up and get over it!
I suspect Mr Bush's very eminent and expensive QC will advise him to calm down and take a low profile after all this. A genuine "public enquiry"-taxpayer funded again of course-would require Mr Bush to be questioned about all sorts of things that were not allowed to come out in the criminal trial (quite correctly). Much better for him to simmer down, seek counselling for a very serious gambling addiction and move on with his life.
Not his style to accept good fortune gracefully. Plenty of rope left in this noose yet.
calm down my ass, you better get ready for the real show. are you stupid or what?? no real Caymanian should let the FCO get away with this behavior. it should be you next and then tell us how you feel!!!
seems like you cant kick yourself out of that slavery mentality!!!
Straight back on TV again last night gabbling same ole same ole. Humility would have been his better option for a change! Needs to go home and sit down with his wife for a change!
Give me the FCO any day over the MNSCO – MIne & Not So Commonwealth Office. Mine being Mac's, of course.
I find your understanding of the entire matter rather basic and your presentation couthless. Indeed, your insecurity and prejudices regarding the FCO do nothing more than display the very inabilities you speak of.
Don't push it Mr. Bush you got off on a technicality. As the judge pointed out, it was simply differentiating between what is legally wrong and morally wrong. On a moral level you treated the people of Cayman and the trust placed in you disrespectfully. By using their funds as your own in order to support your gambling habit. While ostensibly on government business. If you were performing that function at the same time, how alert could you possibly be in conducting government business after spending until 4 am at slot machines? You are morally guilty on that level. The technicality you got off on was a lack of guidelines for what is and what is not an allowable expenditure in the use of a government credit card. You chose to interpret that as whatever it is you decide is allowable. It seems at the time the Minister of Finance completely overlooked the lack of directives and guidelines. The inescapable fact is you may have won in court, but you came out in the red at the slots and lost all your credibility as a person with a working moral compass.
Lost his credibility? What credibility? Actually he doesn't need any credibility as long as he has all of those gullible voters in his pocket. It's a case of "Same old, same old".
You are the gulliable one. You believe everything FCO and Government tells you. Get a brain of your own joker!!
Perhaps Big MAc could reciprocate by moonlighting and representing a Member of Parliament.
Please ask Geoffrey Cox if he would have to resign if he used his work credit card in slot machines.
19;42
you must live in the bushes, all MPs have there expenses paid in the UK by the public tax. whats wrong with our Government memnbers having the same. is it because of your slavery mentality that wont allow you to think differently and keep tearing down our own??
So in your mind 'there expenses' includes using personal gambling purposes? If so, and you are indicative of a large part of our society, then we are indeed in deep dodo.
The question that we should ask is why was there not proper policy in place for spending on government issued credit cards and who is responsible for putting this policy in place? To me this is not about Mckeeva Bush any more. Why was it said to begin with that policy was in place but in reality there is none? why did it have to come to this for a policy to be put in place? There was no case from the very begining. Now look who is going to have to foot this bill. Everyone just wants to call names and throw blame but not realizing the total mess our government has been in some years now.
I would assume that the lack of policy was brought about by the fact no-one would imagine the LOGB would run up huge gambling debts on a Government card. Some things are assumed, some are expected but you can't legislate for every morally corrupt action, sometimes you just have to ensure you have a moral representative who will do the right thing. Unfortunatly a lot of politicians around the world, not just here, are morally bankrupt.
Only if his company has a policy that says he cant use it. 🙂
Most of us don't need to be taken to court to realise that it is wrong to use our employers or the public's money (even if temporarily) for things like this. When will there be proper rules that prevent someone from bringing our country into disrepute? Imagine what the casino employees, shoe shop on 5th Avenue employees etc…. think if they see this happening. Tin pot African Dictator on a jolly is the impression I would get. The same goes for the mini bar emptying charges by the hangers-on who go on Cayman Airways inaugural flights.
What example does this set?
Could this be the same guy that was being very highly paid to run our country? Is there any wonder we have thousands of unemployed Caymanians while the rest of us cannot make ends meetin our own country? And all in the world he can do now is shoot crap about political witch hunts and suing decent people for hisown ignorant lunacy?
An enquiry is a good idea. As a banker it is quite embarrassing for me to have to pretend that I am from Nigeria when I meet someone new.
I am sure his lawyer has advised him to shut his mouth and let sleeping dogs lie, but knowing him, he is going to do anything but that. However, anyone that doesn't see anything wrong with using government's money for personal purposes needs a course in ethics and if I was the Minister of Finance, no one would have to write me and tell me it is unacceptable to do such a thing, it would be me setting the standard to ensure Government's money was spent only for carrying out Government's approved expenditure. Perhaps it is now time to make laws as to the conduct of politicians, because their behavior leaves much to be desired.
Jahhhhhhhh Raaaaaastttafsaaaaari
Didn't that crap go out in the eighties?
Congratulations you won the lottery, finally. The cards should be ready to use in the casinos. Clean hands and pure heart. Hello!
It could have happened to any man, but it happened to McKeeva.
They tried to destroy him, using his very own Caymanians (whom he had helped and prmoted) to topple his government.
But be that as it may, Who God bless , let no man curse. Mac is back, bigger and better than before. God bless McKeeva Bush, Premiere of the Cayman Islands
Sorry, lost that title a long time ago, many would claim he wasn't elligible for it, ever. You can fool some of the people all of the time, you can fool all of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. A failed business man, a self confessed gambling addict and now a morally bankrupt Christian, that's your definition of 'bigger nd better'? Good luck.
Is THAT the same Alden that took the poor guy's seat?
Alden is no fool. An Inquiry will reveal more than McKeeva wants to reveal.
The last paragraph speaks volumes. Mr.Bush, concentrate on obtaining treatment for your addiction ahead of anything else. (But not in Las Vegas.)
I am all in favourite of a public enquirey but to figure out how the megalomaniac with no known qualifications came to be the Minister of Finance who is appointed to look after the island's financial wellbeing. Subsequently he borrows huge amounts of money to satisfy his gambling addiictions abroad. This money he borrows is from taxes levied on the good people of the Cayman Islands.
Wearing this ministerial hat and borrowing from the public purse at the same time gave him a deep and inherent conflict of interest. Surely he must have known this albeit not a well educated person.
Thanks go to the Governor and certain senior civil servants who declined to use their allotted cards. They have integrity, a commodity unknown to Bush.
In conclusion I welcome debates but please no asinine remarks which constitute a large proportion of responses to CNS news articles.
Hey Foolio, would you PLEASE start another fundraiser fund raiser for daddy Mac? We STILL have folks among us dumb enough to support him you know. Plus if you do a good job you might just get back in come nex lections.
I am addicted to the slot machines and I am going to borrow the peoples money, and then I pay it back.
This seems not to be against the law, but whether I would have him represent me ? I don't think so.
The voters of the Cayman Islands have been warned.
Will they listen ? Of course not. . . . . .
He paid the money back. Isn't the man allowed to have a personal life? Gambling, or spending it on expensive cars and houses, we are free to decide how best or worst our money should be spent. He used a credit line that had no policy restricting certain uses and he repaid the monies advanced.
Does he have to answer any questions regarding his gambling or the amount of money he lost? He's earning a salary is he not? It's his money!
Not during a government trip with government money he isn't.
How can he take money from his employer, pay it back, where there are court cases things of the similar nature took place and the person was charged??? Especially when he is a government figure. I think though he needs to get help for has gambling addiction 1/2 million dollars is a lot of money to gamble don't you think??????? While people are losing jobs and houses, Mac is having a good old time gambling….my question, supposively he was away on business, but seems like it was for his own gain????
Do you REALLY think it was all paid back?
The point is it wasn't "his" money, it was our money. It never belonged to him to have the freedom to spend in the ways you mention, or indeed any other way other than in connection with official business. It was wrong of him to use our money. Can't you see that it was wrong? "He paid the money back" is besides the point.