Immigration board member faces corruption probe
(CNS): The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has received a report of corrupt activities relating to a sitting member of the Business Staffing Plan Board. Although police have given no details about the allegations, which are believed to have been made by a senior civil servant, a spokesperson confirmed that an allegation of corrupt behaviour had been received. “As with any allegation made to the Anti-Corruption Commission referencing corrupt behaviour, the complaint is firstly registered, the details are then reviewed to determine the validity or otherwise of the accusations made and the existence of evidence as part of that process,” the RCIPS stated, adding that it was inappropriate to identify the subject or the complainant.
However, the spokesperson said the allegation was unrelated to one also made by Joey Ebanks about Ezzard Miller.
Ebanks, who was himself arrested recently in relation to financial irregularities at the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), has publicly posted on his Facebook page that he has reported long-standing allegations against Miller to the anti-corruption unit. Ebanks alleges that correspondence between Miller and the Ritz is evidence that he had acted improperly when he was chair of the work permit board in relation to thepossible recruitment of Cubans for the project. The same accusations were made against Miller in the 2009 election campaign when Ebanks was running against Miller on the PPM ticket but the accusations seemed to gain little traction.
Since then Ebanks, who lost to Miller, has switched political allegiances and there had been talk that he would run in the district again in 2013, this time on theUDP ticket or at least as a supportive independent. However, since his suspension from the top job at the ERA and his arrest it appears he is no longer considering running for office. Nevertheless his public attacks on Miller have continued.
Category: Crime
Immigration consistently approves all Work Permit renewals. The Business Staffing Plans (rubber stamp to crony corporate buddies) is the CAUSE of our 13% unemplomyent rate. The complete disregard of the LAW should be thrown in the face of every Immigration Board Member -shame on you all.
There is no glass ceiling….We qualified and degreed Caymanians, married to Caymanians, paper Caymanians, Young degreed and certified Caymanians are all passed by for WP fees for Canadians, Americans, & UK middle management workers.
These Immigration Boards only serve themselves and their corporate cronies.
I think it is very sad that the member who is being probed does not step down or maybe they are all alike. Mckeeva appointees but fabulous five turning a blind eye and they say they are better!! Cayman wake up.
The memebers only found out last week that one was being probed now they are going to do something about it.
the bus station is where the bus stops. the train station is where the train stops, at Immigration they all have work stations. hmmmm
Corruption and influence peddling happens everyday on every board XXXX and with Senior Civil servants. It always has happened in this tiny country. Corruption is systemic and in some areas accepted as the normal practice as people seek to consolidate power, influence and favors. The concept of Conflicts of Interest is alien in this country and whoever speaks out is targeted as a trouble maker. Elected MLAs, Senior Officials, Cabinet Ministers all know the games being played but so long as you protect the party, help to finance the machine and person who appointed you they will all turn a blind eye or pretend not to know or even care. It's only worth talking about during the election cycle it seems.
Boy some people just dunno when to quit….
Joey needs to go sit down and deal with his own issues and stop acting like a vendictive spoil child.
The people of North Side didn't want you as a PPM candidate and would not have taken you as a UDP one. YOU have no one to blame for whatever happens to you!!!
Whatever you did (IF you did anything that is) the consequences is of your own making.
So please do us all a favor and dissapear from public view, as it is disgusting to see these childish antics unfold in the public arena.
Howling at the moon! If he knew this was going on why wait until now to expose it?
Absolutely correct. Believe it is an offense under the Anti-Corruption Law to fail to notify the Authorities, within a reasonable time, of any knowledge or suspicion you have of persons involved in corrupt practices – be careful what you wish for Joey – it may jump up and bite your ass.
Spot on. The same goes for the CIAA scandal, to know about corrupt conduct and not report is a criminal offence.
Really? Where does it say that?
Surely there cannot be too many people left in any sort of responsible position that arenot under investigation, suspended, drink driving, exalting sacred vessels, whipping people with bulls penises, sacked or linked to some other shady dealing.
It is starting to make the TCI look squeaky clean!
What needs to be investigated is all that paving that went on in Cayman Brac!!!
How come that has slipped under the rug?!!! Or was that part of the deal Juju? To save your own A Square Sus you threw Mac under the bulldozer?
That is a shame, and the people on the Brac driving around smiling looking at it as if will improve the standard of living for them.
And we wonder why this country broke!
You are wrong about the people on the Brac. The roads needed to be paved as they hadn't been in like 30 years. However, she should have made people pay for the parking lots. That would have been money in government coffers.
Keep it going with LEGITIMATE reports of corruption. We are all responsible for reporting corruption unless we want to drown in it. Don't waste the police, civil service or anyone elses time with vindictive nonsense tho'. Kudos to the civil servant who reported this.
Cant this person name be given? After all if it was anybody from the public the name would be published.
The oversight of the Boards fall under Linda Evans/Franz Manderson, CIO/Deputy Governor, so they should demand that the member step down!
The innocent members should not step down, but call a vote of no confidence against the member being investigated.
Anybody worht their salt should not want to hold on to a position where their peers can no longer trust them.
This situation is so like what happened at the HousingTrust, and the parties under investigation there had to step down.
Come on LInda/ Franz/Kim do the right thing for your Board Members and call for the person resignation, suppotr YOUR board bobo.
The Boards are appointed by Cabinet
Heard a rumour that it is one of the more senior members of the board. Don't know why they put that person there in the first place.
When you say senior, is that person senior in age or position on the board? Far as I knonw, everyone is considered a board member.
Please enlighten me someone.
Give us a name – somebody do a FOI, please.
Understand from a good source that some of the board members are considering resigning if the sitting member does not remove themself, in light of this startling announcement.
Can' t imagine anyone wanting to sit on a board with these type of allegations hanging over the head of one of its own; according to the source the members were in total shock to hear that there was an investigation going on and that they are unclear as to activities that have been alleged.
They have not been able to confirm who the member is that has found themself in this dangerous situation.