Archive for December, 2012
CoP warns rumourmongers
(CNS): The head of the local police is threatening to take legal action against the people spreading what he says is an entirely false story about his involvement in a road crash after drinking alcohol but not being asked to take a breath test. The commissioner of police (CoP), David Baines, has also pointed out that a picture circulating on social media of a sleeping police officer is not a member of the RCIPS. Baines said he was not oblivious to the fact that the emergence of the rumour and the picture coincide with the high profile sensitive police investigation currently underway, but the attempts to damage the RCIPS and his reputation would not undermine the probe.
“It has come to my attention over the past 24 hours that there have been two very separate but distinct attempts to undermine the credibility of both the RCIPS and me personally,” Baines said in a statement released Wednesday morning. “It is not lost on me that these attacks come at a time when we are in the midst of a very sensitive and high profile investigation. However, let me assure the public, and those who would seek to damage both my reputation and that of the RCIPS as a whole, that we will not allow them to detract us from the job in hand.”
The top cop said he was aware of rumours circulating that he was involved in a car crash sometime in the past two weeks and, that despite the fact he was allegedly driving under the influence, he was not asked to provide a breath test to the officers at the scene.
“The incident referred to did not take place and anyone who suggests it did is a liar,” Baines stated emphatically. “I do not drink and drive and if I had been involved in a crash, I would expect my officers to act professionally and to administer a breath test, as per our normal procedures. Let me make it clear that it is my intention to take legal action against anyone who has made, or continues to make, pass-on or publish, these defaming comments.”
The commissioner asked anyone who has received such comments to come forward and name the people responsible to allow those proceedings to commence.
“I would urge anyone who believes that they have evidence of wrongdoing by me, or indeed of any RCIPS officer, to contact our Professional Standards Unit. However, if individuals don’t have confidence in the internal investigation process they should send the information to the Governor’s Office for attention. I expect the highest standards of my officers, not least as that is what the public of the Cayman Islands deserves. Those same standards apply to myself and anyone else on the Island, as none of us is above the law.”
Baines also pointed to a photograph which has circulated on social media showing a sleeping police officer wearing a cap with a red band. “This photograph is being circulated with the headline – RCIPS at its best. The individual in the picture is not an RCIPS officer and the cap badge is clearly from another jurisdiction.”
Baines said although the picture has been circulating round the Caribbean for several months – the headline stating it is an RCIPS officer has only just been added for greater local impact.
Crown gives up on appeal over old drugs case
(CNS): Efforts by the crown to appeal against a Summary Court decision to quash drugs charges in a case where prosecutors ran out of time appear to have been abandoned. The director of public prosecutions (DPP) had begun an appeal when charges against Richard Parson for possession and consumption of cocaine were dismissed back in August 2010. However, the crown appears to have given up on the case, which now joins a list of cases where charges were dismissed because of a failure by the police to file charges within six months as required by law. According to an FOI request filed by a local attorney some two years ago, at least 45 cases had gone the same way because of delays in the process.
Enquiries have determined that the Parsons case was last set to be mentioned more than a year ago but it has not returned to the courts. Although members of the public have to post a CI$500 bond to pursue an appeal, this is not the case for the crown so there will be no sanction for the DPP’s decision to abandon this course of action.
Premier back with cops
(CNS): McKeeva Bush, the premier of the Cayman Islands, has been returned to police custody following his overnight bail at his home in West Bay. An RCIPS spokesperson confirmed Wednesday morning that Bush was once again being questioned by officers in connection with corruption enquiries. The premier was arrested on Tuesday morning and questioned throughout the day before being bailed in the evening. The RCIPS did not state at what time the premier was arrested or where he was being held. CNS understands that Bush was taken to the new marine base at Newlands yesterday but was moved from that location in the afternoon. Suresh Prasad, the second man arrested in the police probe and also bailed yesterday evening, is expected to return to police custody for further questioning later today.
While a number of Bush’s political opponents, his chief of staff, the governor and industry bodies have all released statements regarding the premier’s arrest and its impact on Cayman, the UDP and government ministers have remained quiet, stating only that they are aware of the “gravity” of the situation and that caucus meetings have been convened.
Several members of the party and Cabinet were at Bush’s House Tuesday evening but no statements or information about that gathering have been released.
Check back to CNS throughout the day for continued updates.
CI premier may still get honorary Jam doctorate
(CNS): The dean of the University College of the Caribbean has confirmed that the institution has had to change its arrangements for Thursday’s commencement ceremony as a result of the arrest of the Cayman Islands premier; however, it may still bestow an honorary doctorate at a later date.McKeeva Bush was scheduled to give an address on integrity at the ceremony when he was also set to receive a Doctor of Public Service degree for his years of service as Cayman’s longest serving legislator. Bush was described by the college as a friend of Jamaica who took risks on behalf of Jamaicans living in Cayman.
Dr Herbert Thompson, chancellor of the University College of the Caribbean (UCC), told the Gleaner Tuesday that Bush had done a lot of things for Jamaica and other nationalities who were struggling in Cayman. "He did some risky things and the Jamaicans there will sing his praises every day," Thompson told the Jamaican press. He said that Bush had made his presence felt at a time when several Jamaicans living in Cayman were without status or citizenship. He was referring to the 2003 status grants, when close to 3000 people were given the right to be Caymanian, many of whom were Jamaicans who had lived and worked in the Cayman Islands, in some cases for decades, with no rights.
Bush was taken into custody by police Tuesday in connection with a corruption investigation. The police revealed more than 18 months ago that Bush was under investigation over financial irregularities. Then in April of this year, following comments by the governor that there was a second probe into Bush, the police commissioner confirmed the RCIPS were investigating two further matters relating to the premier confirming that three separate enquiries were on-going.
However, Thompson appeared to believe that Bush's arrest, days before he was to be conferred with the honorary degree, was political. "We don't know what this is about. A lot of what is happening is a political thing, and the timing could not have been worse," he said, adding that while the arrest had forced the university to alter its plan it had not ruled out conferring the honour at a later date.
“We will make some adjustments, but we are not passing any judgement and we hope that whatever difficulties they have will blow over and the truth will come out," he stressed. "We had made it clear as to why we felt that McKeeva Bush was a good person to be a commencement speaker," Thompson said." McKeeva Bush, as premier, deserves his day in court like any other person."
Local personality Robert Hamaty, the retired Jamaica honorary consul to Cayman, told The Gleaner that many people in Cayman were shocked by the arrest. "It is a sad day,” Hamaty told the paper. “No matter who it is or what it is, it is not a nice situation to have your first premier under investigation…I don't think anybody expected it to come to this. It is a sad day, but we can't say anything until we hear what is happening. A person is not guilty until convicted," he added.
Bush’s top civil servant says don’t rush to judge
(CNS): The chief of staff from the premier’s office, Leonard Dilbert, has called on the people not to judge his boss as he said that McKeeva Bush had not been charged of any offence. In an unusual move for a civil servant, Mr Dilbert released a statement in his official capacity on Tuesday evening pointing out that "being suspected of having done something is far from it having been proven,” and lamenting his belief that being accused of wrongdoing tainted a person's reputation in Cayman, even if they are cleared. “It is also important to remind the people of the Cayman Islands not to rush to judgment,” he stated.
Dilbert said that negative press regarding leaders and those with a high public profile affected everybody. He urged the community to “all examine ourselves if we feel moved to condemn the person who may be under a cloud.”
The senior civil servant went on to say that, “we all sin every day, in word and thought and deed,” before urging people to pray for the premier.
“I do not presume to speak in his defence, only to say that any fair minded person must acknowledge that he has worked hard and long in the interests of the people of the Cayman Islands,” Dilbert added in his statement about the premier, posted in full below.
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.
Second arrest in Mac probe
(CNS): Following the premier’s release on bail Tuesday evening, the police announced a second arrest in connection with the probe. The RCIPS did not name the George Town man, but CNS confirmed via other sources that it was Suresh Prasad, the director of Midland Acres and the man who was convicted of importing explosives without the correct permits after pleading guilty in August and fined CI$1,300. Although Prasad is not a public official, he was arrested on suspicion of breach of trust, abuse of office and conflict of interest (contrary to Sections 13, 17 and 19 of the Anti-Corruption Law 2008 respectively) and inciting a breach of the corruption law. Prasad was also released on overnight bail and was expected to face further questioning Wednesday.
Police said that the local man who was arrested on Tuesday afternoon remained in police custody while enquiries continue.
During the Summary Court sentencing hearing Prasad admitted that the company had erred in its efforts to hasten the production of a significant quantity of marl for the first major contract Midland Acres had secured with the Dart Group.
The court found that this was a regulatory error and accepted the defence lawyer’s case that there was “no sinister motive” and that the explosive materials had been imported for a legitimate purpose, but an important step in the process, put in place by the authorities not as a revenue raising measure but for issues of public safety, had been omitted.
At the time of the importation but before Prasad was arrested Bush had written to the Collector of Customs and the director of the NRA asking that the dynamite be released.
Shortly afterwards the RCIPS confirmed that the issues surrounding the dynamite formed a third enquiry about the Cayman premier.
Cops release Bush on bail
(CNS): The RCIPS has released the premier on bail following his arrest this morning. No charges have been filed against him but the police said that McKeeva Bush was expected to return to police custody tomorrow for further questioning. In a short release on Tuesday evening, a police spokesperson said that Bush had been released following a series of interviews and the questioning would continue tomorrow morning, Wednesday, 12 December. Other sources told CNS that the police also searched the premier’s office Tuesday while Bush remained in custody.
As news of the arrest of the premier spread around the world, independent MLAs Arden McLean and Ezzard Miller both said it was now time for the premier to step down from his post and for the UDP to deal “expeditiously with matters concerning the political governance of the country in order to reduce any further local or international reputational damage.”
Meanwhile, there has been no further comment from the UDP since Deputy Premier Juliana O'Connor Connolly stated that the party was making no comment and had convened a closed door meeting.
Quickly and responsibly
The recent allegations relating to the Cayman Islands premier represents a major national crisis for the country's international reputation. Due process must be carried out, but this must occur quickly and not at the same speed as the previous investigations. The system of justice is just one of many institutions in the country and the way that it works must absolutely recognise the overall implications for the Cayman Islands economy and reputation when dealing with such high profile cases.
This country simply cannot afford a process that now drags on for another 6 to 12 months or, worse, years and all involved should work to apply the necessary resources to this case as it is very clearly in the country's interest to do so.
To ignore the wider implications of this case is to risk setting the country back several years as international investors and clients, including those from the global financial services industry, reconsider the Cayman Islands brand.
As bad luck would have it, the Cayman Islands are now perfectly placed to be perceived in the same light as Turks and Caicos, especially given the recent arrest of that jurisdiction's former premier, and we must act quickly now as a community to wrestle Cayman from this situation.
Political opponents: you will have your day to use this development against Mr Bush, but for the country's sake avoid adding fuel to the fire so that your country does not suffer the worst economic setback it has ever had in its history. Because make no mistake, everything is perfectly poised for that to happen if we do not act quickly and responsibly on this one.
International soccer pro to attend soccer camp
US women's scoocer pro, Carli Lloyd, will be attending the Dream Out Loud Foundation's 'Arie Smith Soccer Camp' on December 17th and 18th, 2012, at the Ed Bush Stadium in West Bay. The Camp will run from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. each evening and is free for boys and girls to attend. Lloyd will greet and take pictures with the campers and tell her motivational story about her journey as a professional soccer player. Carli Lloyd is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and has played for various clubs in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league. She has over 140 caps for the U.S. National team and 41 goals.
She is a two time Olympic Gold Medalist – scoring the 2 winning goals in the finals against Japan in the recent 2012 Olympics and the overtime game winner against Brazil in the 2008 Olympics. She also won silver at the last Women’s World Cup in 2011. Lloyd was a student-athlete at Rutgers University where she was named “First Team All – Big East” for 4 years running. She was also named the U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in 2008.
Dream Out Loud is a non-profit organization promoting and providing opportunities for young girls through football (soccer) in the Cayman Islands and empowering and educating them about leadership on and off the field. Over recent years women’s soccer has grown tremendously around the world and in the Cayman Islands.
Arie Smith is a young Caymanian soccer player and founder of the Dream Out Loud Foundation. She is currently a senior student at Kennesaw State University. Her goal is to further the development of programmes and initiatives for young women in the Cayman Islands. Her commitment to the Dream Out Loud foundation is a way for her to give back to her community in the Cayman Islands through a sport that she is passionate about.
Interested parties can call 345 925-3103 or (345) 916-3977 or visit the foundation’s facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/DreamOutLoudFoundation
The foundation can also be followed on Twitter: