Search Results for 'Bush dynamite'
Bush due to report to cops
(CNS): The former premier of the Cayman Islands is expected to answer his bail on Tuesday in connection with his arrest in December. McKeeva Bush was bailed in February after the police said that the investigations had widened and they were making enquiries overseas. The veteran politician has persistently denied doing anything illegal and has made it clear he expects to be charged before the election as a result of a conspiracy against him but he will fight the wrongful allegations and is confident of exoneration. Meanwhile, his former political colleague Rolston Anglin is listed for sentencing tomorrow in traffic court in connection with his DUI conviction, but the minister is currently in Brazil.
Bush, who was arrested at his West Bay home in December on suspicion of theft and several offences under the anti-corruption law, was questioned by police for two days in connection with accusations relating to the misuse of a government credit card and his involvement with an imported consignment of dynamite without the correct paperwork.
The director of the company, which was fined in Summary Court last year over the shipment, intended for blasting at a Bodden Town quarry to fulfill a contract with Dart, was also arrested shortly after Bush. Suresh Prasad, who is a close friend of the former premier, is also expected to answer police bail Tuesday.
Alongside the allegations of theft in relation to the government credit card and Bush’s involvement with the dynamite shipment, the police are still investigating allegations that have been made about Bush in connection with a questionable demand for payment to Stan Thomas in 2004. In a now infamous faxed letter to the US developer, Bush, who was the leader of government business at the time, appeared to be soliciting payment for the re-zoning of land in the West Bay Road area, which was then owned by Thomas but has since been bought by Dart.
In addition, it is understood that there could be at least two more probes surrounding the former premier that police are continuing to investigate in relation to accusations of corruption.
Since his arrest and the first two days of questioning, Bush returned to the police in February but he was immediately re-bailed to appear again on 19 March. The police said that enquiries were on-going and that the probe now included locations in Europe, the United States and in Asia. Continuing to deny any wrongdoing, Bush has been arrested on suspicion of certain offences but he has not been charged with any crime.
Bush’s former Cabinet and UDP colleague, Rolston Anglin, the education minister and deputy premier, who is dealing with legal difficulties of his own, is scheduled to be sentenced in Summary Court tomorrow. However, despite being listed to appear, the minister who also has responsibility for financial services, is in Brazil at a hedge fund conference and so will be a no show at his hearing.
Bush to answer bail
(CNS): The former Cayman Islands premier is due to answer bail Tuesday morning when he is expected to face further questions regarding the RCIPS investigations following his arrest on suspicion of theft and various offences under the anti-corruption law in December. McKeeva Bush was released on police bail after two days of questioning and he has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. However, at a public meeting following the arrest and his subsequent oustingfrom office by his former Cabinet colleagues, Bush said he still expected to be charged at some point before the general election in May as a result of a conspiracy against him.
Bush was arrested over allegations of misuse of a government credit card and abuse of office regarding his involvement with a consignment of dynamite, which was imported by Midland Acres, a local quarry and property business based in Bodden Town, without the correct permits and licenses.
The owner, who is known to be a close friend of the former premier, appeared in Summary Court last year after he and his company were charged with the unlawful importation. As MD and owner, Suresh Prasad chose not to fight and pleaded guilty to the offence and received a fine of $1300. However, Prasad was arrested again by police on the afternoon of 11 December and questioned on suspicion of offences under the anti-corruption law, including breach of trust, abuse of office and conflict of interest. He was also bailed by police to return for further questioning this month.
Meanwhile, Bush is also understood to still be under police investigation for at least one other matter, which relates to a real estate bill sent in 2004 to Stan Thomas, a former land owner in Cayman, regarding the zoning of property that Thomas owned at the time along the West Bay Road that he was seeking to develop but which has since been bought by the Dart Group.
Following Bush's arrest on 11 December, his former Cabinet colleagues supported a 'no confidence' motion filed by the opposition in the Legislative Assembly, which resulted in the downfall of the UDP administration. The opposition then agreed to support the remaining Cabinet members in a minority government by offering to ensure that there would be a quorum in the Legislative Assembly. As a result, the governor agreed to appoint the then deputy premier, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, as the new premier to head government until the general election on 22 May.
Despite his difficulties, Bush came out fighting and carried one Cabinet member and two of his back-bench UDP colleagues on to what became a very crowded opposition bench. Shortly after his arrest he held a public meeting in George Town, where it was clear he still carried considerable support.
He told the crowd that he had been questioned by the police regarding overseas dry cleaning bills and political books he had purchased in London for a library in the premier’s office. Describing his arrest as a conspiracy and pointing the finger at the governor and the Foreign Office, Bush vowed not only to fight the allegations but also to continue the political fight with a full slate of UDP candidates in West Bay, Bodden Town and George Town at the May election.
When Bush was released on bail by police in December, the police stated that this was to allow for further investigations to take place both here in the Cayman Islands and abroad, in connection with the allegations made against him. They also confirmed that a considerable amount of property, including computer equipment, was seized during the searches of his home and office following his arrest.
"The investigations involving Mr Bush are still very active and the RCIPS will be pursuing all lines of enquiry in consultation with the Legal Department," the RCIPS said as Bush was bailed to return on Tuesday 5 February.
Bush set to face the people
(CNS): The former Cayman Island premier is scheduled to hold a public meeting in George Town this evening, when he is expected to speak about his recent ousting from office and the new shape of the United Democratic Party. The political group is now divided between support for the ‘former UDP Five’ now holding government and the ‘Bush Four’, following theousting of McKeeva Bush’s government on Tuesday. Following a meeting with Bush and the UDP membership last night, it is understood that he moved to oust the five from the UDP and is alleged to have accused them all of various questionable dealings.
Bush, Mike Adam, Capt Eugene Ebanks and Ellio Solomon walked across the floor during the no confidence motion on Wednesday, causing a split in the party. According to sources inside the UDP, Bush is not going quietly and will remain in the political game. Confident that his arrest will not impede his political career and insisting he has done nothing wrong, Bush appears to be ready for what is likely to be a major political battleground in the May 2013 general election.
When Juliana O’Connor-Connolly held her first press briefing yesterday as premier, she and her new cabinet colleagues admitted that they did not now know exactly where they stood in relation to the UDP and being ousted from the party was a risk the five of them took when they made the decision to put country first ahead of their leader.
It is understood that the membership is now lining up behind both sides but it appears Bush will be laying claim to the continued leadership of the original UDP, while those supporting the new government are likely to take on a new moniker in the coming months as the election campaign begins in earnest.
Although the former UDP 5 were unsure of their party label, they did make it clear they would all be running in the next election, including Cline Glidden, who, after joining the new Cabinet, said he was reconsidering his earlier decision to exit the political arena at the next election.
The UDP boss will now be seeking to redefine the party, create a new West Bay team to ensure his own return the Legislative Assembly and take stock on the other districts. With time ticking on the election calendar and as a veteran of the political game, the former premier is likely to concentrate only on George Town, where the six seats will prove a critical component, given the loss of his two Bodden Town members, who will now inevitable split the UDP vote.
Bush is scheduled to speak at 7:30pm at the courthouse in George Town. The former premier was arrested at his home in West Bay some ten days ago (Tuesday 11 December) on suspicion of theft and various offences under the anti-corruption law. The allegations relate to the misuse of a government credit card and the importation of a consignment of dynamite without the correct permits. He has denied all of the accusations and described the arrest as a witch hunt by the UK fuelled by his political foes.
UDP split on support for Bush
(CNS): In the face of mounting rumour and speculation Monday, members of the United Democratic Party caucus spent the day flip-flopping over their decision to withdraw support for the premier in the wake of his arrest last Tuesday, sources close to the party told CNS. There was still no official word from the UDP almost a week after the arrest and the beleaguered premier also remained silent on the cracks in loyalty to him, but UDP backbencher Ellio Solomon publicly stated that he was backing McKeeva Bush in his decision to remain in office. With the party split down the middle over his refusal to step down, the caucus was unable to retain a united front. As a result, Cayman is now likely to face an early general election and could be going to the polls in March.
The premier and his supporters cannot count on all of the UDP members to defeat a no confidence vote and those who have declared against the premier cannot reform government without all eight standing together, leaving Cabinet members and the UDP mute.
The governor’s office has stated that it has received no word from either side. The office confirmed to CNS Monday that it had not heard anything from the party membership or the premier about the situation and until the governor heard from one or the other, the premier remained in charge of the Cayman government.
The premier was arrested on Tuesday 11 December on suspicion of theft and various offences under the anti-corruption law in relation to the alleged misuse of a government credit card and the importation of dynamite by Midland Acres without the correct permit. Since then, the UDP government has been silent about whether or not the party remained behind him. However, caucus members, with the exception of Solomon, handed Bush a letter this weekend asking him to step aside until the police investigation into corruption was concluded.
Bush was released on Thursday on police bail until February. Following his departure to Jamaica last Thursday, he issued a statement confirming that he had no intentions of resigning. The premier has maintained that he is innocent of all allegations and planned to remain as the Cayman Islands premier but his colleagues appear to be hopelessly split over their support for the party leader. Although Bush insists he is staying, the UDP caucus does have the power to oust him, but so far the eight remaining Cabinet members and back benchers have been in turmoil and have failed to use that power.
Throughout the weekend and all of Monday at least four members of the UDP caucus have flip-flopped over their support for the premier, with three members solid in their opposition and only one solid in support.
By Monday evening there was still no word from Cabinet, caucus or the party’s general council and only Solomon spoke up publicly for Bush, saying in an interview with Cayman27 that he supported the premier remaining in office and had not signed the letter. However, sources tell CNS that Solomon’s continued support for Bush is because the rest of his party colleagues refused to sanction him taking a Cabinet post rather than any genuine support for the UDP boss and political veteran.
The indecision of the UDP leaves the country in crisis as the premier was reportedly insisting he was not resigning Monday. While he clearly no longer carries the cross-rank support he had managed to maintain since last summer when the police interest in him was revealed, the party membership has still not been brave enough to oust their leader. With the UDP split, neither group will be able to command a majority and the government is increasingly likely to fall before Christmas, triggering elections within ten weeks.
Bush himself remained silent Monday, despite stating that he planned to deliver a statement to the people in the evening. He was said to have accused his party colleagues of stabbing him in the back and that he would not be resigning but was taking some time off on the advice of his doctor until Cabinet reconvened in January.
He was, however, spotted at a charity football event in the evening while his West Bay political colleagues were unable to join him as they remained locked behind closed doors wrangling over who would and who wouldn’t stand by the UDP leader.
Bush bailed, no charges
(CNS): Updated — While the RCIPS has emphasised that investigations involving the Cayman Islands premier remain active, a spokesperson said that McKeeva Bush has been released on police bail following a number of interviews with Financial Crimes Unit officers today and yesterday. Police said Bush has been placed on police bail until early February 2013 to allow further investigations to take place both here in Cayman and abroad, in connection with the allegations made against him. They also confirm that a considerable amount of property, including computer equipment, was seized during searches yesterday. "The investigations involving Mr Bush are still very active and the RCIPS will be pursuing all lines of enquiry in consultation with the Legal Department," the RCIPS said.
Meanwhile, Suresh Prasad, who had been questioned by the RCIPS in connection with allegations of corruption relating to the dynamite probe, was also released Wednesday on police bail until February next year while enquiries continue.
Police did not state what, if any, bail conditions had been placed on either the premier or Prasad at the time of their release from custody.
Despite, his release sometime on Wednesday afternoon and the news that the premier will face no more questions from the police until next year, there was no comment from him, the government in general or the UDP on his position. Cabinet, which was cancelled on Tuesday to allow the UDP party to meet, was convened today in the absence of the premier.
UDP gathers at Bush’s home
(CNS): Several members of the United Democratic Party were seen arriving at the premier‘s house in West Bay Tuesday evening after McKeeva Bush’s release from police custody following his arrest. However, there has still been no public comment about the party’s position on the premier remaining as leader of the UDP and leader of the government. The UDP released a very short statement yesterday (Tuesday) via the deputy premier’s ministry stating that the caucus was convened and the government understood the gravity of the situation. Since then, no further official statements have been made by any member of the party.
The 57-year-old premier, who has served as the representative for West Bay since 1984, was expected to be back in police custody Wednesday morning to face further questioning regarding his arrest in connection with a police corruption investigation.
Officers from the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit arrested him on Tuesday 11 December at his home in West Bay at around 7am. Although the police have given only broad information about the probe, a police spokesperson said Bush was arrested on suspicion of theft, in connection with financial irregularities relating to the alleged misuse of a government credit card, and various offences under the Anti-Corruption Law.
These include suspicion of a breach of trust, abuse of office and conflict of interest, contrary to sections S13, S17 and S19 of the law. The police said that this related to the importation of explosive substances without valid permits on or before February this year.
Bush has been under police investigation since 2010 in connection with the now infamous Stan Thomas letter, which the premier sent to the developer in 2004 from the ministry of tourism, where he was minister at the time, asking for $350,000 in relation to re-zoning of land owned by Thomas along the West Bay Road. However, Bush has persistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with the issue and described it as a real estate bill.
The police confirmed that an enquiry into that correspondence was underway in June last year. Then in April of this year the governor revealed that the premier was the subject of a second investigation. Shortly afterwards, the RCIPS commissioner confirmed that the police were following two further enquiries in addition to the Stan Thomas probe. It was confirmed that one related to “financial irregularities” and the second related to the importation of dynamite by Midland Acres without the necessary permits.
On Tuesday evening the police confirmed that a second man had been arrested in connection with the Bush probe and CNS learned that the man was Suresh Prasad, the managing director of Midland Acres. Earlier this year, Prasad pleaded guilty to four counts relating to the dynamite importation, admitting that the regulatory oversights were down to the need to rush the explosives consignment in order to meet a contract with the Dart Group to supply fill for the developer’s latest projects under the ForCayman Investment Alliance.
At the time that the explosives were seized by the authorities, the premier wrote to the NRA and collector of customs asking for them to release the dynamite. Bush also publicly statedon TV that the email requesting the release was an effort to assist his friend.
Prasad and Bush are understood to have had a friendship spanning many years and the local businessman was also involved in the financing arrangements for the re-development of the Cayman Turtle Farm, among other projects.
Man charged over dynamite
(CNS): The director of Midland Acres appeared in court Wednesday morning facing charges relating to the importation of dynamite. CNS understands that Suresh Bhemsein Prasad was charged by police on Monday with four counts of importing explosives without a permit as an individual and another four counts as the owner of Midland Acres. The case relates to an ongoing police investigation that includes Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush, who wrote to the collector of customs asking him to release the explosives in question after the shipment was seized by officials. The crown asked for an adjournment as a result of "ongoing discussions" with Prasad's defense counsel and the continuing investigation.
The Midland Acre director was bailed over to return to Summary Court tomorrow morning (Thursday 16 August) by Magistrate Kirsty-Ann Gunn, when prosecuting counsel Candice James said both sides would be able to indicate how the matter was to proceed.
According to a letter that Prasad wrote to Bush on 4 March of this year (see below), he admitted omitting an important step in the importation process regarding the NRA and asked the premier to intervene and get the dynamite released in order to fulfill a major order for marl. Prasad pointed to the investment made in the blasting materials and the need to get people in work, as he appealed to Bush for assistance.
Three days later Bush sent a memo to Collector of Customs Carlon Powery, which was copied to NRA Director Brian Tomlinson, asking that the dynamite be released. However, given the failure of Midland Acres to go through the proper process, it is understood that the NRA director reported the matter to the police.
In April the police confirmed that the premier was under investigation in connection with the explosives issue and confirmed that this was the third police probe that McKeeva Bush was involved in.
Bush remains the subject of two other investigations, one which has yet to be explained but described as financial irregularities, and the first which concerns a land deal with US developer Stan Thomas and a payment of around $3/4 million for real estate advice.
Soon after the announcement that the police were investigating the dynamite shipment and the circumstances surrounding the issue, Tomlinson was let go from his post as director of the roads authority. The official reason given by Board Director Colford Scott was that the authority was forced to downsize. However, the deputy is now acting in the position.
In the wake of the revelations, the premier denied any wrongdoing and said that the memo he sent to the collector of customs was merely an effort to assist a friend and local business person to get things moving in the economy.
See Bush's memo to customs here
See Prasad's letter to Bush here
Allowing Bush to fail us is failing ourselves
The ongoing farce of McKeeva Bush’s continued leadership in the face of three separate police investigations is now reaching the point of ridicule. In any other democratic country a leader facing such intense police scrutiny would have stepped aside months ago in order to allow investigations to be carried out swiftly and successfully and in order to prevent further damage to the reputation of the government and of the country itself.
But Bush’s petulant refusal to let go of his power even temporarily not only risks making Cayman a laughing stock, it also makes it very difficult to take his own political position seriously.
Who could seriously acknowledge Bush’s calls for fiscal prudence at the Caribbean Development Bank meeting, for example, in light of the knowledge that his own financial irregularities are under intense police scrutiny? Who will listen to a leader who urges others to exercise financial caution when the Stan Thomas letter, revealing his demand for a $350,000 payment which still remains to be properly explained, is in public circulation? Even if Bush’s claims that the payment was for ‘consulting fees’ are true, the proximity of his wife’s company’s involvement in the West Bay land deal seems too close for comfort for those who hope to see complete professionalism and impartiality from a political leader.
And when one reaches the point at which the highest elected official of the Cayman Islands goes publicly on record with a damaging, babbling and paranoid statement of aggression against the representative of the British government in Cayman, any voter must start to ask whether the price of keeping Mac in office isn’t becoming too high for that office to bear.
How great is the value of Bush’s questioned, debated and investigated leadership compared to the cost of irrevocably damaging the relationship between the premier’s office and the governor? Are we really so desperate to keep a man in office who we KNOW requested the release of an illegal shipment of dynamite despite a complete lack of proper licensing that we are prepared to watch him reduce the office of premier to little more than a public joke?
Bush’s insistence on remaining in office must inevitably damage the position of premier, as it has required him to make several weak attempts to swipe at the accusations against him, each one only resulting in making him look more desperate, as he tries to twist language and motive to conceal the truth rather than clarify matters. While Bush was quick to try to dismiss allegations surrounding the Stan Thomas letter by blaming his assistant, Richard Parchment for making a simple ‘mistake’, the sentence “I have ensured that all of the proposed re-zoning issues have been agreed and approved by Cabinet” is pretty hard to explain away as a misunderstanding.
Indeed, Bush’s subsequent letter, which he has provided as ‘proof’ that he immediately rectified the situation, reads “I need to clarify to save any misunderstanding that the bill sent to you today for the West Bay Seven Mile Beach purchase transaction is for consulting fees for work carried out and advice given by Windsor Development Corporation. The rezoning was done before and without Windsor participation.”
Yet it was not Windsor Development, but Bush himself, a member of Cabinet at the time as Leader of Government Business, who was in a position to influence the Cabinet decision on re-zoning. So whilst the claim that Windsor Development had no influence on the Cabinet may be technicallytrue, it is in fact completely beside the point and fails to address the issue of Bush’s influence at all. (Not to mention reports that a witness statement given to police casts doubt on Bush’s claims anyway.)
Of course, even if Bush’s claims about his involvement in the whole affair are completely accurate, they still present a worrying picture of a government minister deeply involved in and influencing local deals and land transactions in a way that many would consider inappropriate anyway. He told the Cayman Compass “My job was to convince Gil Freytag to sell the property to Stan Thomas,” with the Cayman Compass reporting that he added “there was another developer interested in buying the property, but he was able to convince Mr. Freytag to sell it to Mr. Thomas instead.”
Is this the level of influence and involvement we want an elected minister to be having in local business transactions? And can it possibly be ethical for him to be involved in this way when he also sat on the Cabinet which made the decisions about zoning to enable such schemes to go through, whether or not he claims to have acted impartially in this instance?
The deeper one looks at Bush’s administration and activities, and the more closely one investigates his attempts to deflect the allegations against him, the more doubtful it seems that he is the best person to lead Cayman forward in a fair, accountable and impartial manner.
What kind of political acumen and wisdom can we expect from a man who lashed out in an undignified and apoplectic fit to hurl utterly groundless accusations and conspiracy theories at the UK’s highest representative in the Cayman Islands? Even the very statement itself was highly embarrassing, with a confused and enraged Bush seeming to utterly contradict himself by both accusing Governor Taylor of having “done nothing for three years” and “doing nothing of substance” and yet simultaneously suggesting that he was “stealthily and insidiously” working against the success of Cayman.
The very idea is farcical, but what should concern voters far more is the arrogant selfishness with which Bush is prepared to throw around such damaging and unfounded accusations in order to defend his own precarious position, with utter disregard for the damage it could do to the office of premier and the relationship between the Cayman Islands and the UK.
In almost any other democratic country in the world Bush would by now have been forced to step aside before he drags the position of premier into the dust. No, there is no legislative requirement for him to do so as a result of his being the subject of police investigations, but this is probably not a constitutional decision so much as an assumption that a person in such high public position would naturally have the decency and respect for his office to do so voluntarily!
But neither have Bush’s political allies and funders shown the backbone required to force him to step out of the limelight – and this is where Caymanians are not only allowing Bush to fail them, but also failing themselves.
Dynamite request in question
CNS): As pressure mounts around the premier to step aside while he remains the subject of three police investigations, a memo he sent to the collector of customs requesting the release of a shipment of dynamite has raised questions over whether or not it is a request or a direction. Although McKeeva Bush has claimed that the letter was nothing more than an effort to see if he could assist a friend, it forms part of one of the three police investigations into Bush. The opposition says that, coming from the premier, such a request could be interpreted as abuse of office as it reads more like a demand than a request.
Bush sent the memo to Collector of Customs Carlon Powery after receiving a request from the importer to assist in releasing a shipment of dynamite which was imported without the necessary licensing. A minister of finance, the premier also has responsibility for the customs department, and Powery therefore answers directly to Bush.
Despite the dangerous materials involved, the importers appear to consider their failure to secure the proper license as merely an oversight which the premier could resolve for them. In a letter to the premier, Suresh Prasad, the director of Midlands Acres (the importers of the explosives) tells Bush that although the quarrying firm normally uses Precision Drilling to do their blasting, they decided to by-pass the firm for a large job they had secured. As a result, the firm failed to clear the importation of the explosives with the National Roads Authority (NRA) and just went ahead and shipped in the dangerous materials.
In the letter dated Sunday 4 March, Prasad points to the investment and jobs that may be lost as he asks the premier to consider the problem and offer assistance.
On 7 March Bush sent a short memo to the collector of customs, copied to the director of the NRA, asking him to release the shipment, which was reportedly 32 tonnes of dynamite, and for his “request to be expedited” because the company was “desperately in need”.
Ezzard Miller has stated that, given the style and personality of the premier as well as the language used and the culture created by the premier in his ministry, the civil servant would have been in no doubt that this was more than a request for them to consider but a demand. Miller said the request was “equivalent to an order” and added that even if it was to be considered merely as a request and not a demand, it was a request to ask a senior civil servant to break the law.
“The premier has in fact given a written, what he calls a request, but we all know given the modus operandi, the personality, the culture and the character of the premier, the request is equivalent to an order to a department head to consider breaking the law,” he said, adding that this sort of thing should be dealt with via the administrative arm of government but if this was how Bush was running his portfolio then it was “very troubling”.
Bush has denied that his letter to Powery represented political interference and has described it as an effort to help a friend. “I have done nothing illegal,” the premier has stated on numerous occasions following the revelations that he is the subject of three separate police probes. He has accused the Cayman Islands governor and the bureaucrats in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of conspiring against him and the opposition leader of fuelling the flames in a bid for power.
See Bush’s memo and the letter of request sent to Bush by Suresh Prasad.
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 anoutstanding 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