Archive for May, 2012
Police arrest driver after major smash
(CNS): One man is being treated at George Town hospital for head injuries and a second was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving following a major crash in Bodden Town on Saturday night. Police are appealing for witnesses following the two vehicle collision which occurred at around about 10.30pm in the vicinity of Midland Acres. According to the report, a black Dodge caravan was travelling west towards Bodden Town but the driver apparently lost control as he negotiated a left hand bend and swerved onto the east bound lane, colliding with a grey Toyota Gravia and causing it to flip over.
A 67-year-old man who was driving the Toyota Gravia was taken to George Town Hospital with head injuries where he is currently being treated but the 66-year-old male driver of the Dodge Caravan was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Both vehicles received extensive damage.
Anyone with information who witnessed the smash is asked to call PC 320 Gordon of the Bodden Town Police Station on 947 2220
Cop wrestles suspect for gun
(CNS): Police have arrested three people and recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun after a routine stop in the early hours of Saturday morning. Officers on patrol 1am on Saturday in the Seymour Drive area of George Town stopped a white Honda motor vehicle. Suspicious of thepeople in the car, the unarmed officers search the two men and one woman and found the handgun, after which one of the male suspects ran off chased by one of the officers on foot. The second man then wrestled with the remaining officer in an effort to get his gun back, police reported. Meanwhile, an hour later, in Sheddon Road, uniform support officers were confronted with another man in possession of what appeared to be an AK47.
In the first case where unarmed cops seized a real, loaded weapon, the officer who chased the suspect who had tried to flee eventually caught the man. His colleague also managed to retain possession ofthe illegal weapon after a struggle with the second suspect. Fortunately, police said, no shots were fired during the struggle and no one was hurt. The two men aged 26 and 24 years old and the woman, who police said was 21 years old, were all arrested on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm and taken into police custody.
The firearm (pictured above) was seized and exhibited for further evidential purposes.
“The arrest overnight of these three individuals is a prime example of what good policing is about,” said Acting Chief Superintendent Kurt Walton. “These officers were simply on routine patrol when they spotted a vehicle under suspicious circumstances and decided to investigate. They never expected to be confronted with armed suspects. Their bravery demonstrates the level of commitment shown by our officers in the continued fight against criminality in the Cayman Islands”.
USG officers just an hour later were also confronted with a potentially dangers situation. At about 2am the 911 emergency centre received information that a male was in possession of a machine gun in the Sheddon Road area of George Town.
Officers from the USG were sent to the location in the vicinity of Funky Tangs. On arrival they saw a male fitting the description holding what appeared to be an AK47 type machine gun (right). The officers made their presence known to the suspect and shouted to put the weapon down. The suspect turned to face the officers still holding the firearm. Officers again shouted to the suspect to put the firearm down and eventually he did as instructed.
The male was subsequently arrested but a preliminary inspection of the weapon determined that it was not a real firearm and the suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an offence. No one was hurt and no police weapons were fired, even though the officers were unaware that the machine gun was not real.
“The level of restraint displayed by those officers in this instance is unbelievable," Walton said. “It shows the level of training and high standards of our armed officers. They could have never known at the time that the weapon held by this suspect was not real. This could have easily had a different outcome. Again, it highlights the commitment of our officers to tackle gun crime and other criminality in the Cayman Islands”.
Anyone who has any information regarding criminal activities, is asked to contact George Town Police Station on 949-4222, the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777 or the confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477(TIPS).
PPM to reveal new faces
(CNS): The opposition has said it will be revealing some new faces to the public on Monday evening at what it hopes will be a mass meeting in Savannah where the public can show their dissatisfaction with the premier. Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin said that a number of people who have expressed an interest in running on the PPM ticket in 2013 will be making an appearance at the meeting. This appears to be marking the start of a year-long campaign to oust the UDP government but also part of what he hopes will be a short campaign to persuade the premier to step aside while he remains the subject of three police probes.
At a heavily attended PPM national council meeting on Thursday evening McLaughlin said eight people have already stepped forward to be considered as People’s Progressive Movement candidates for the May 2013 General Election to run alongside the five existing members also in coalition with Ezzard Miller. The member for North Side denied completely throwing in his lot with the PPM, however, saying he had not joined the party and would remain an independent candidate.
As the campaign for a return to government for the PPM gets underway, the opposition leader hopes that Monday evening’s public meeting will also serve as a mass protest against the premier. He said he wanted to see hundreds of people come out to express their displeasurethat McKeeva Bush is persisting in office as the Cayman Islands premier even while under investigation for financial irregularities and his involvement with an illegal shipment of explosives.
McLaughlin spoke of the need for the people to be more militant in their opposition to the premier remaining in office given the circumstances. He said the people have to put pressure on Bush to step aside and it was only big numbers of people on the street and in protest that would make Bush recognise that he had to step aside.
In preparation for Wednesday’s meeting at the Legislative Assembly, where it appears government will not be placing the no confidence motion ahead of the day’s business and where what the opposition calls a flawed referendum bill are at issue, McLaughlin said the PPM and the independent MLAs would be standing up against the premier. However, he said they needed the people’ support. The opposition leader said that Wednesday would be a critical day for politics in Cayman and the people had to mobilize against what the premier was doing.
“We need your support and I am issuing a call to arms of all right thinking people in this country but in particular the members of the PPM," said McLaughlin. “We have to become more militant about these matters. It is not enough for us to sit down and complain amongst ourselves we have got to stand up and demonstrate our dissatisfaction.”
He encouraged everyone to come out to the meeting at the empty lot by Savannah Meadows on Monday in preparation for a mass demonstration on Wednesday outside the LA if necessary. McLaughlin appealed to PPM members to go out to talk to their friends and neighbours and bring someone with them to Monday night’s meeting.
The opposition leader said the people had to pressure the premier into explaining the letter he sent to developer Stan Thomas in 2004 demanding a balance be paid of $350,000 for a service that has never been outlined. He said Bush also had an obligation to tell the people what he had said in emails regarding the unlicensed dynamite shipment and answer the questions regarding the third investigation and what those financial irregularities were.
"It is those sorts of questions that have to be answered,” McLaughlin said, if Bush expected people to support his persistence in remaining in office.
The PPM open public meeting will start at 8pm Monday evening on the empty lot at Savannah Meadows.
Bank heist suspect released
(CNS): Update Monday 7 May — Police say the 25-year-old man they arrested on Friday in connection with Thursday’s bank heist at the downtown George Town branch of Scotia Bank has been released on police bail while enquiries continue. Officers investigating the armed robbery are appealing for anyone who has information in relation to the robbery or who witnessed the car being abandoned in Bronze Road shortly after Thursday morning’s crime to come forward. The bank was held up at around 11:45am when three men, two armed with guns, entered the bank and demanded cash.
They escaped in a waiting dark blue Honda Accord saloon, which was later found abandoned behind Church of the New Testament off North Sound Road. However, the car was caught on camera by a visiting cruise passenger as one of the robbers was getting into the car. The armed masked men reportedly fled with an undisclosed sum of cash but no shots were fired and no one was injured during the bank heist.
Police continue the hunt for the individuals involved in the crime.
Information can be passed to George Town CID on 949-4222, the RCIPS tip-line 949-7777 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477(TIPS).
Mac attacks Taylor
(CNS): The Cayman Islands premier has launched a full frontal attack on Governor Duncan Taylor as relations between the elected leader and the UK’s representative deteriorates to an all-time low. McKeeva Bush accused the governor of doing “nothing of substance” to help Cayman and of “stealthily and insidiously” undermining what Bush said were his efforts to get the local economy off the ground. In his attack on Taylor the premier said he was playing the UK’s “age old game of divide and conquer” as he once again claimed to be innocent in the face of three police investigations and implied that these were nothing more than a conspiracy. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
“He’s done nothing for three years to help us but to throw cold water on whatever we were trying to do,” Bush said in an official statement. The comments came in the wake of a short statement issued by the governor on Thursday in which he denied Bush’s accusations of a conspiracy between himself and the FCO bureaucrats.
Bush accused Taylor of announcing the additional police probes into his affairs as deflection form coverage in the UK press about the governor’s family as well as extending his stay in Cayman without telling Cabinet.
“When the London press went after him a few days ago, he made the commissioner send out that statement on me to draw attention away from him, and his troubles,” Bush claimed in his statement. “To top it all off, he went and got an extension of his time in Cayman without so much as a hint to me as Premier or to my Cabinet because he figured I would oppose it. That is not how Governors are supposed to behave,” the premier added.
The premier said neither the governor nor the Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials had done anything to help the Cayman Islands and when criticized in London they have not stood up for the Islands.
“We have suffered unemployment. Has he tried to help us? What has he done? He has done nothing of substance to help these islands,” Bush added, accusing the governor of opposing his projects. “He opposed Dr Shetty’s hospital project and I had to tell him 'you don't like this but you have no vote in cabinet' He didn't support me hiring Lord Blencathra. This is just a bit of what I've had to put up with; that’s the way he has performed,” Bush said.
“He has stealthily and insidiously undermined what I've been trying to do to get our economy off the ground and get jobs for people. Meanwhile he's got an extension of time for his job where he's never had it so good,” the premier lamented.
The tirade against Taylor comes following Bush’s persistent comments over the last week that the three police investigations surrounding him are baseless and merely a conspiracy against him.
The police commissioner has confirmed that Bush is involved in an investigation relating to an illegal shipment of dynamite, one into a land transaction involving developer Stan Thomas and a further issue regarding “financial irregularities", all of which the premier says are without merit.
See Bush’s full statement below.
CoP says Dart $5m legal
(CNS): Updated with premier's comments — The police commissioner has confirmed that the Dart group has not committed any offence in connection with a $5 million donation that the company gave to government as part of the controversial ForCayman Investment Alliance. Following a complaint to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) by independent MLA Ezzard Miller, who questioned under what circumstances the cash payment was made, David Baines, in his role as chair of the ACC, wrote to Dart Management on Monday stating that the investigation was concluded and there was no evidence of a crime. The premier described the complaint as "political mischief making" and an "unfortunate waste of time".
The letter from the commissioner which was sent to Mark Vandevelde and Jackie Doak made it clear that the parties had cooperated with the enquiry, as Baines thanks them for supplying all of the necessary information.
In correspondence akin to that sent recently to Arden McLean thanking him for his cooperation regarding the complaint that he had not paid his CUC bills when he was a Cabinet minister, Baines acknowledged the assistance he received from Dart “to expedite this matter”. The McLean investigation was triggered by McKeeva Bush who reported the former Cabinet member to the anti-corruption commission as Bush claimed, McLean had not paid his CUC bills for one year while he was negotiating the licensing agreement with the local power firm.
McLean was also cleared after a few weeks having provided the commission with voluntary access to all the necessary documents and information to speed up the enquiry.
This latest complaint was made to the commission by Miller as he said it was not transparent as no invoice or explanation had been given for the early $5 million cash payment which, according to government and Dart, was an advance on a $20 million donation promised for community projects.
Government has said the cash forms part of a land swap and investment deal surrounding Dart’s plans for the property it owns around the West Bay Road and a new five star resort on the site of the former Courtyard Marriott.
The issue was questioned by Miller because the money was handed over before the main deal with Dart has been signed and as part of a preliminary deal to facilitate the start of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway extension ahead of the proposed closure of a 4,000 foot strip of the West Bay Road. With activists still campaigning against the closure, the crown land issue not yet sorted and an independent audit of the deal still underway, the signing of the early deal was treated with some suspicion.
When McKeeva Bush announced that he intended to give a quarter of a million dollars of the money to his preferred candidate in East End in order to implement community projects in that district, suspicions about the parameters of the payment were raised.
Miller asked to see the invoice from government which Dart was paying that could explain the $5 million cash donation. The premier also launched the start of a mortgage assistance programme with the money, which will help Caymanians who are facing repossession of their homes.
In response to the commissioner’s letter, a spokesperson for Dart said “given the open and transparent process that this contract with government underwent, the findings do not surprise Dart Realty’s Executive Team.”
Dart said it was releasing the letter, however, as a result of Miller’s on going allegations of corruption and his repeated calls for “an invoice” in order to put an “end to the often irresponsible speculation about the validity of the process and legitimacy of this contribution to the community.”
According to a release from government yesterday regarding the audit of the NRA-government deal with Dart, if the independent review does not show value for money and government rejects the deal, the investor will be able to recoup the $5 million via development concessions.
in the wake of the commissioner's clearance of Dart, the premeir said government was pleased to see the commission affirm the legitimacy of the Dart contribution.
"This letter from the ACC proves that the funding of community investments through the NRA Agreement has been done in full compliance of the laws and regulations, and that the political mischief making is an unfortunate waste of time and resources that could
be better used addressing real problems and real needs in our community," he said. "In these challenging economic times, the UDP Government stands by the NRA Agreement and the ForCayman Investment Alliance as an innovative, win-win partnership for the good of the Cayman Islands,” Bush added
Bush still backing CHEC
(CNS): The premier has said that he is going to pursue the negotiations with China Harbour Engineering Company as government’s partner for the development of cruise berthing facility in George Town despite the comments of the Overseas Territories Henry Bellingham that he had concerns over the proposal. McKeeva Bush insisted on Tuesday evening that the Chinese were still offering the best deal and that the UK did not like the idea of Cayman doing business with the Chinese as they would bring too much money, meaning the FCO would lose control. He said the deal would not need to be retendered and he would be speaking to the auditor general and the new CTC chair.
During his appearance on Cayman 27’s "The Panel" on Tuesday, Bush said the Cayman Islands was going to get a lot out of the CHEC negotiations, much more than what GLF would have given.
Bush said KPMG were on board examining the proposals and that it would come before Cabinet and he said he was still hoping he would have an agreement by September. In the face of Bellingham’s comments about the need to get the port project back in line with best international procurement practice, Bush said that the UK only needed to worry about value for money.
“The important thing that England should be concerned about … rather than them not wanting the Chinese here, is whether at the end of the day value for money has been had … (sic) and that’s what we are doing and what that’s what we are going to show. At the end of the day our country is going to get many more benefits than would have had under any other deal,” Bush said on the TV show.
“We have got a good deal for this country. What are they talking about with this process?” he asked. “At the end of the day, is Cayman going to get a better deal? Will we have value for money? Those are the questions and we have not got to that point yet,” he said as he justified the selection of CHEC as a potential partner.
Bush dismissed the issue of the tendering process as he said that others had not been tendered properly.
However, a request for proposals was circulated shortly after the UDP came to office and rejected the Atlantic Star proposal, which had been placed on the table under the previous administration.
The Port Authority received around ten bids and DECCO was identified as the best potential deal. When the negotiations broke down, however,government moved on to GLF Construction, which was identified as the second best choice.
However, when the premier opted to reject GLF, a decision which was eventually to cost the public purse more than $2 million, he moved on to CHEC, which had never participated in the original tendering process.
Defending the failure to get any projects off the ground despite some three quarters of the UDP administration being completed, Bush blamed bureaucracy.
“We can go out and get people … we wine, dine them … make them feel good about Cayman, finally get them here, get them to announce a project, then the bureaucracy takes over … and the governor gets into it and puts a civil servant he wants in place … that’s what takes the time … it’s the bureaucracy; that’s what I complain about a lot."
He said that the world was looking at Cayman and if we continued to build laws that “bounce people away” Cayman would continue to suffer.
Bush said he tells the governor all the time about the need to get people to work as they are losing their homes. “Don’t come and talk to me about regulations," he said. “There is far too much regulation … to do what? To prove that this country is going to make money out of it?” the premier asked.
He lamented the process and wondered what it is “they” (meaning the UK) needed to know when they said they were not satisfied with the procurement process.
“At the end of the day, they need to know that this country will not lose money … and their contingent liabilities will be less. Or is that they don’t want to see us to get ahead?” he asked rhetorically.
Auditors still reviewing NRA-Dart deal
(CNS): Although government has already signed a deal between it, the Natinal Roads Authority (NRA) and Dart to begin work on the Esterely Tibbetts Highway extension and the proposed closure of the West Bay Road, a statement from the public works ministry has confirmed that the auditors are still in the process of reviewing the agreement. With the deal signed, the road works already started and some $5 milllion given to government, officials said the project could still be stopped depending on the findings of PwC, the audit firm conducting the review. If it is terminated, government said, Dart can recover its US$5m through development incentives.
“The NRA Agreement signing allowed preliminary works and employment to begin on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway extension," officials said in a statement from both PwC Corporate Finance and Recovery and the ministry with responsibility for roads.
"This work is being carried out under the regulatory supervision of the National Roads Authority. The continuation of the work will be subject to government’s assessment of the Independent Review findings. The signing also allowed for the release of USD $5M to the Cayman Islands Government for funding of various community investments. Should the NRA Agreement be terminated after the Independent Review, Dart Realty will be able to recover the USD$5M through development incentives,” the ststaement released by the ministry said.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) are now in the process of reviewing the controversial agreement, which was signed in December by the Cayman Islands Government, the NRA and Dart Realty. The Independent review is a required component of the NRA and will provide an “objective assessment of the value of the NRA Agreement to the Government and the people of the Cayman Islands", officials said.
The review is also meant to assess government’s compliance with its Framework for Fiscal Responsibility which the premier signed with the UK government last November.
Government is paying for the review and based on the findings it will make a decision on whether or not to proceed with the NRA Agreement, suggest changes to it or terminate the deal completely.
“The Terms of Reference, which were approved by Cabinet, require a value for money assessment on all aspects of the NRA Agreement.They include a value for money analysis of the Esterley Tibbetts Highway Extension, the vesting of the land relating to the West Bay Road Legal Closure, Government’s concessions to Dart, and Dart’s community funding allocation for Government programs,” officials stated..
Once PwC has completed the Independent Review, the results will be presented to Cabinet for review but government has not said when it anticipates that will happen.
Police experimenting with beat-tweets
(CNS): The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) is turning to technology and social networking to keep the community informed. Starting on Tuesday, Neighborhood Officer PC Sharon Baillie “will Tweet from the Beat” as she works in the communities of West Bay, the RCIPS said. This pilot programme will be monitored over the next few weeks and it is hoped that it will then be rolled out to the other districts. Acting Superintendent Robert Scotland is an enthusiastic supporter of social media and hopes it will help engage people with their local officers .
“I see this as a very positive step forward in keeping people within our communities better informed,” he said. “It will, in a way, demystify the role of the police officer. Everyone is using smartphones nowadays and we aim to capitalise on that to break down barriers and engage with people, young and old.”
PC Baillie will message via the general RCIPS Twitter account – @ caymanpolice – but will sign her tweets “PC Baillie – WB”. She admitted to being a little nervous about entering into the world of social media but said she was is willing to embrace any avenue of communication that can assist her in her role.
“The concept of Tweet from the Beat is an interesting one,” she says. “But if it helps get our messages out into the wider public and encourages people to get more involved with what we do it can only be a good thing.”
If you want to receive Tweets from the Beat sign up to follow caymanpolice on Twitter.
In the court of public opinion an explanation is required
When the letter from Mr Bush to Mr Thomas was discovered two years ago it started two processes, and should have started a third. First, it started a legal process. As in any case of suspected crime, the process began with an investigation, which may lead on to prosecution, trial, conviction and sentencing. The question in this process is whether Mr Bush should go to jail. It also raised an important question for the court of public opinion.
The public has no power to send Mr Bush to jail, but it does have the right to vote at general elections, the ability (we hope) to influence its elected representatives, and the right to honest government. The question here is whether Mr Bush is fit to be an elected representative and our Premier. To many of us this question is just as important as whether he goes to jail.
Those who suggest that the public should not consider that question until the legal process has reached its conclusion remind me of Governor Jack announcing the suspension of our senior policemen, without explanation but telling the public not to gossip or speculate. Completely unrealistic and completely wrong. The public plays an essential part in any democracy. It is important that the public should consider very important, very worrying developments such as the discovery of the Bush/Thomas letter. We cannot and should not pretend that nothing has happened.
Of course it would have been unfair and premature for the public to jump to the conclusion that Mr Bush had engaged in large-scale corruption. But the public certainly could expect Mr Bush’s explanation. Did he send the letter? What was the transaction under which he demanded payment from Mr Thomas?
This is one of the differences between the two processes. In the legal process the person under suspicion is not compelled to give an explanation. He does not have to help the police or the prosecutor. He can stay silent. But in the court of public opinion we can and should expect an explanation. And if no explanation is given, we can and should recognize the significance of that.
If there is a lawful explanation for the Bush/Thomas letter, Mr Bush could and should clear his name by giving it. The truth would free Mr Bush. It would also free the country. The suspicion that the Premier of the Cayman Islands is a crook is damaging.
But two years have passed and Mr Bush has still not given an explanation. He has acknowledged that he sent the letter, he has said it was a legitimate transaction, but he has not described the transaction. He has not tried to clear his name. Instead he says we should trust him – blindly.
What does he expect people to think? What can people think – except that he is unable to clear his name because the truth would put him in jail? If the truth would free him, it is in his interests and ours to tell it, and put an end to the suspicion and the investigation. I would like to hear what could possibly be his reason for not telling it. We would all like to hear.
It is not an answer for Mr Bush to say that his lawyer advised him not to clear his name. That makes no sense at all. If the transaction was legitimate, it is obvious that the best course for Mr Bush – in the legal process and in the court of public opinion – would be to disclose it. The legal process does not prevent him from doing so. Mr Bush does not need a lawyer to tell him that. He cannot use the police investigation as an excuse for not answering the court of public opinion.
The third process that should have started when the Bush/Thomas letter came to light was consideration by Mr Bush’s colleagues in the LA whether to continue their support for Mr Bush. The MLAs have the power to replace the Premier immediately, without waiting for the next election. They must have given thought to that, in the interests of the country, and in their own interests.
They must have asked Mr Bush about the Thomas transaction. They must have asked him for an explanation. If the truth would set him free, what possible reason might there be for not insisting that he tell it to the police and the public? If they concluded that their leader cannot clear his name, why do they keep him in power?
So now Mr Bush’s silence and the continuing support of his colleagues puts them too under grave suspicion in the court of public opinion – of something almost as bad as their leader.
If the truth will not set Mr Bush free, he has few options, none of them good, but his colleagues have a better choice; they can defend themselves in the court of public opinion by withdrawing their support for Mr Bush. It is late in the day for that but the public might forgive a repenting sinner who does his best to make amends.
What else can they do if truth is not on their side? Give up politics? Hope to delude or confuse public opinion? And how can they hope to do that?
Will Mr Bush’s colleagues suggest that large-scale corruption at the very top of our government does not matter? Do they think the public cannot see that, if it is allowed, it can only get worse? More and more government decisions will be made for corrupt reasons. Everyone will be vulnerable to extortion. The economy will take a nosedive. And we can look forward to the same fate as the T&C Islands.
Or will Mr Bush’s colleagues join him in claiming that this is all a conspiracy by their political opponents, or by the UK, or by the press, to frame their leader? Surely no one will swallow that? Who wrote the letter to Stan Thomas?
Or will they shout the famous line that a man is presumed innocent until proved guilty? But in the court of public opinion explanations are required from an elected representative suspected of gross misconduct. Now that we have all seen the letter from Mr Bush to Mr Thomas and we have spent two years waiting in vain for Mr Bush to explain, what else can we think but that the truth would incriminate him?
The bottom line is that Mr Bush and his colleagues must give the public a real explanation, unless they want the public to conclude that the suspicions of corruption, and supporting corruption, are well-founded and threaten the future of this country.
Mr Bush and his colleagues stand before the court of public opinion. We, the people, are the judges of whether their conduct makes them unfit to hold elected office. They are under suspicion of things that would make them all totally unfit to hold any public office. If they continue to stand together, refusing to give the simple explanation that would set them free, only one verdict is possible.