Archive for April, 2013
Mac released over explosives
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CNS): Although police say the investigation relating to the importation of explosive substances without valid permits last February is continuing, the former premier and the owner of the company involved were released from police bail Tuesday. McKeeva Bush and Suresh Prasad, the Managing Director of Midland Acres, the quarry company involved, met their bail conditions when they presented themselves to anti-corruption officers this morning and were let go. Bush still faces 11 counts relating to allegations of theft and corruption offences but no charges have been brought against the UDP leader in relation to the explosive importation or the emails he sent to senior civil servants asking them to release the illegal shipment after it was seized by the authorities.
Bush will be appearing in Summary Court on Friday morning in connection with the charges that were brought last month and he is understood to be the subject of other corruption investigations. No other arrests or charges have been made against the Cayman Islands former leader and veteran politician.
Bush has denied all of the allegations against him, pointing to a conspiracy driven by the UK because of the defiant position he has taken towards the British authorities and what he considers the undue interference of the mother country into local affairs. Bush also believes the UK is attempting to undermine his election chances as he fights for not just his own West Bay seat but to regain government and the premier’s job once again.
The second man questioned in the dynamite probe was already convicted in Summary Court last year after he agreed to plead guilty on the basis of administrative and technical errors relating to the process of importing the explosives which were meant for quarry blasting.
Prasad said that steps in the importation process were missed as a result of efforts to expedite the importation to meet a contract to supply fill to the Dart Group. The director of Midland Acre was fined $1,300 in his role as the company boss in connection with four counts of importing explosive materials without the correct permits. The court found it was a regulatory error and accepted the argument that there was “no sinister motive” and that the explosive materials had been imported for a legitimate purpose.
An RCIPS spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that the investigation surrounding the circumstances continued, despite both men being released on bail, and updates would be provided to the public as and when appropriate.
Magistrate moves up, new appeal judge joins panel
(CNS): Chief Magistrate Nova Hall has been sworn in as an Acting Judge of the Grand Court and is sitting in the higher court throughout this week and as the need arises. Officials from the courts said that the Grand Court is exceptionally busy dealing with a large number of criminal and civil cases, necessitating the need for more hands on deck. Meanwhile, Sir Richard Ground will be sitting in the Court of Appeal for the next three weeks for the first time since his appointment last year. Sir Richard a former Cayman attorney general was sworn in by the Acting Governor, Franz Manderson, on Monday.
Welcoming him back to the Cayman Islands, the President of the Court of Appeal, Sir John Chadwick said: “I am delighted that Sir Richard has joined the Court of Appeal. He will bring expertise and experience to the Court and, I have no doubt, will make a most valuable contribution to its work.”
Ground was a Crown Counsel in Cayman between 1983 and 1987 before he became attorney general he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Bermuda in 1992 and was Chief Justice for the Turks and Caicos Islands from 1998-2004 and for Bermuda from 2004-2012. He already sits as a Justice of Appeal in both Turks and Caicos and Bermuda.
Chief Justice, Anthony Smellie welcomed both appointments expressing his confidence that they will strengthen the abilities of the Grand Court and the Court of Appeal to manage their respective demanding and complex workloads.
Further details of both Justice Ground and Acting Judge Hall can be seen at www.judicial.ky
Complaints boss to probe whistleblower protection
(CNS): How well whistleblowers are protected will form the subject of the complaints commissioner’s next 'own motion' report. Nicola Williams said she has launched an investigation to find out if there are adequate protections and protective measures in place for those who report wrongdoing, often called 'whistleblowers', in government. She said she is hoping for the cooperation of all of the relevant public sector entities as she examines the protection both across the civil service and up and down through the ranks of government. Williams said notice of the investigation was served on the deputy governor and the attorney general last Thursday.
“At its simplest, a Whistleblower, or Reporter of Wrongdoing, is a person who exposes wrongdoing within an organization in the hope of stopping it,” said Williams. “This should and must be viewed in a constructive and positive way, and should be encouraged.”
The civil service complaints boss said she had determined under the Complaints Commissioner Law in accordance with her powers that there are reasons of special importance which has triggered the own motion report. However, she has not indicated what those reasons are.
In the wake of a number of leaks of government documents during the previous UDP administration, the former premier had been critical of people who were leaking documents and had asked for investigations.
“This is an issue which I have determined, in accordance with my powers under the Complaints Commissioner Law (2006 Revision), Section 11(1), that there are reasons of special importance which makes this Own Motion investigation by my Office desirable in the public interest,” she said. “Whether employed by government or not, what happens in government affects us all, directly or indirectly, so if a Whistleblower is punished for doing the right thing, government maladministration will continue unchecked.”
Williams added that as government has publicly stated a commitment to good governance, she expected that the office’s investigators would receive full co-operation.
The report is expected by the end of the year and anyone with information relevant to the investigation may call the Office of the Complaints Commissioner at 943-2220.
Joey took salary advance
(CNS): The former managing director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) appears to have taken a salary advance of $10,000 during his time at the power regulator. According to what appears to be a summary of controversial payments, brought to light by the auditor general, in a move similar to events at the Turtle Farm in 2009, Joey Ebanks seems to have borrowed the money against his salary in July 2012 and at the end of February. A few days before his arrest the MD still owed the public body $3,000. The report lists a catalogue of financial question marks, from unjustified expense claims, forged signatures, travel expenses not accounted for and cheques totalling over $15,000 over a three month period paid to Ebanks without support.
Ebanks, who is standing for elections in North Side, is currently under police investigation following his arrest on 2 March and he is expected to answer bail Wednesday morning (10 April). Since hitting the campaign trail, he has indicated that he expects to be charged and the North Side candidate has said he anticipates that the charges will relate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to derail his political aspirations. The report suggests than Ebanks may well be correct as a question mark hangs over some $120,000.
The document shows a list of red flags picked up by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) that have not been properly justified. Almost $68,000 was reportedly spent in the Cayman Mac store with cheques from the ERA account signed by either Ebanks or board member Mike Herland, or both men. More than $6,000 was written on cheques with possible forged signatures. Over $4,000 was spent on I-Phones, only one of which the audit office said may be justified, while more than $5,000 was spent on roaming charges on what appears to be around eight trips over a six month period.
Ebanks has denied all the allegations made against him and has insisted that the authorities are ignoring significant corruption in other places while conspiring against him.
After his arrest Ebanks took to the pages of Facebook to defend himself and has madeaccusations of corruption against his opponent, Ezzard Miller, in connection with an email he sent regarding the possible recruitment of labour from Cuba for the Ritz, as well as accusations concerning Cayman Islands Governor Duncanand the chair of Judicial Legal Services Commissions, Dan Scott. As a result, along with his difficulties regarding the criminal investigation, Ebanks could also be facing law suits from both Taylor and Scott before Election Day.
His continued allegations about the award made to DECCO, the Dart Group’s general contractor, when he was in the MD’s post, for the generation of some 36MW of future power has now triggered an investigation into the tendering process and how the islands' largest developer was awarded the contract to generate a significant portion of the country’s future power needs.
Despite his allegations that he was asked to fix the bid as a result of a ‘typo’, he was the MD at the time and a release in the wake of the reward stated that DECCO Ltd had submitted the best deal for the consumers. Ebanks said in the release that DECCO came in first, followed by CUC and then Navasota, a Texas-based firm. He said that two separate and independent consulting firms conducted the analysis of the bids and made comparisons, and once they reached consensus, the board was informed.
“A clear explanation was given to members for their insight to allow approval," Ebanks said at the time.
This is not the first time that Ebanks has courted controversy. During the last election in 2009 it was revealed that he had taken a salary advance of some $40,000, the details of which were never fully explained. Audits later revealed that during his time at the cash-strapped government company, which sucks up almost $10 million in public money every year, he had also run up a tab of some $6,000 at the on-site bar and taken turtle meat on loan.
JOCC gives church $100k
(CNS): The removal of the former premier from office has not put an end to the controversial donations from the public purse to local churches. According to several members of the congregation from the Church of God Holiness in Red Bay, George Town, the new premier, Juliana O'Connor-Connolly, recently announced during a prayer meeting that the government was giving the church $100,000 from the Nation Building Fund, which was established by former premier McKeeva Bush. CNS attempted to confirm the details of the donation to the church, where O'Connor-Connolly sometimes attends when she is on Grand Cayman, but officials refused to comment on the issue.
In response to questions Monday, civil servants in the premier’s office dealing with the fund said they could not speak about any donations or recipients and informed CNS that we would need to make a freedom of information request to ascertain the most recent recipients of the cash. Although a request has been made for details on the most up to date allocations from the start of the 2012 financial year, it could be more than forty days, if the ministry follows the letter of the law, before the information is released and longer if the ministry requests an extension.
CNS has now submitted the request for details on church donations as it is understood that the new premier has also allocated around $50,000 from the fund to a church on Cayman Brac. It is not certain what the donations are for but neither church is believed to be using the cash to make their premises into hurricane shelters.
Since its establishment in 2010 by McKeeva Bush, the fund has remained controversial as a result of the ambiguity of the allocation of cash from the fund. What is actually defined as 'nation building' appears to be very broad without clearly established criteria.
Cash grants of significant variations have been given to individuals who failed to get scholarships through the regular channels via the education department and money has been given to assist people in a singing competition. Some churches have been given large donations to help them build new premises or convert existing buildings into hurricane shelters, while some have received very small sums for after-school clubs. Almost a half million dollars was given to 11 churches from the controversial fund during the 2011/12 financial year, despite government’s budget crisis.
The fund has politicised churches as a result of the uneven distribution of cash among the differing institutions, with critics describing the fund as vote buying. Bush has called criticism of the donations an attack on the churches and described critics of the fund as anti-Christian.
HSA invites public to discuss ethical dilemmas
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) Ethics Committee is inviting the public to discuss ethical issues at a seminar on 10 April. The aim of the committee is to provide support and advice to healthcare providers, as well as patients and their families when faced with an ethical dilemma. Speaking about the role of the Ethics Committee, Lizzette Yearwood, the HSA’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “We come across many situations where we may be faced with very tough issues with no easy solutions. Where these issues lead to ethical dilemmas, it may be helpful to talk things through with the Ethics Committee."
She added, “We may not always be able to provide a solution but a healthy discussion with a group of people with experience may open up some avenues that lead to better solutions. Our focus is always on the best patient care and looking at any situation with an 360 degree viewpoint.”
The Ethics Committee meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:00pm in the Hibiscus Conference Room at the HSA offices in George Town. There is no charge for the event and refreshments will be provided.
DMS invites applications for scholarship programme
(CNS): DMS Organization is inviting applications for its Annual Scholarship Programme. The scholarship awards are presented annually to Caymanians who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education in the Cayman Islands or abroad. The deadline for applications is 3rd May. Over the past 4 years, DMS reports that it has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to students pursuing higher education. Last year, DMS awarded a total of $22,000 to three students, who were each awarded between $4,000 and $10,000 towards their studies. “We take great pride in recognizing these recipients for demonstrated academic achievement,” said Samantha Nehra, Vice President, People & Development at DMS.
Each of the scholarship recipients is given the opportunity to work at DMS to gain experience in a department related to their career path. “Our scholarship program gives priority to applicants, whose area of study is relevant to DMS and its business practices, enabling us to place the students as interns during their school breaks and provide them with valuable work experience to further support their futures, “ says Karen Kersey, Senior Vice President. She adds, “Work experience opportunities play an integral role in preparing them for their career.”
The programme’s 2012 scholarship recipients were, Asaph Scott, Danielle Martinez-Gibsonand Stephen Chin. Danielle Martinez-Gibson said, “Being awarded the DMS scholarship gave me the opportunity to travel abroad to further my education which also afforded me experiences that have greatly contributed to my growth and development as an individual. When I applied for the scholarship I was merely seeking funding to further my studies but was also generously awarded with career opportunities, and continual advancement. I am so grateful to be able to return to a full time role at DMS where every day is a learning experience.”
To qualify, applicants must produce proof of acceptance to an accredited college or university, community college or recognized technical or trade school at the time the award is issued. If they are already enrolled at an institution, they must produce proof of academic good standing. In addition to demonstrated academic ability, applicants must submit a resume and cover letter describing their career goals and why they are deserving of the DMS scholarship. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, in good health, of good character and be able to demonstrate financial need.
More information is available at www.dmsorganization.ky.
UK Paralympian joins Camana Bay swim meet
(CBAC): 95 swimmers, including one very special international guest, turned out on Saturday 23 March for the final event in the Camana Bay Aquatic Club Open Water Swim Series. This is the second year the competitive swim club has hosted the popular open water event. Open to swimmers of all ages and abilities, the Saturday afternoon races took place over the last two months on Governor’s Beach, with competitors swimming north towards Public Beach. Each event started with a 200m Lollipop Dash, designed for swimmers 10 and under, followed by a Sea Swim and Water Walk, which increased in distance throughout the series from 400m to 800m.
For the final event, Sea Swim participants were joined by 21 year-old Great Britain Paralympic swimmer Emma Hollis, who was on-island to encourage women’s and youth sports in the Cayman Islands. Hollis finished in 7th Place in the 800m Sea Swim – and was the first female swimmer to cross the finish line. “Not only did I survive the Camana Bay [Aquatic Club] sea swim yesterday, I actually was the first female to finish!” she tweeted after her swim.
Event organisers were impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of both the swimmers and volunteers despite the sometimes challenging conditions. “The series has been great for everyone,” CBAC Assistant Coach Jessica Siegele says of the beginner-focused events. “Although there was a slight chop, we had a great turn out and all the swimmers were excited to get out into the water, and especially to swim with such a well-known athlete like Emma. This is what the Open Water Series is all about – encouraging the community to come out and have fun, experience a new sport and gain confidence in the water.”
Hollis also visited the Camana Bay Aquatic Club at the Camana Bay Pool for a special training and Q&A session with the young swimmers. After joining the team for relay practice, Hollis sat down with the Club to talk about Paralympic swimming, as well as the importance of having a good balance between academics and athletics. Both Hollis and her younger brother, James, have osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic condition more commonly known as ‘brittle bone disease’. Both swimmers represented Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London – Emma competed in the S8 class and James in S9. Hollis is also the current World Record Holder for S8 800m Freestyle and S8 400m Individual Medley.
Hollis is in her final year of studies at Loughborough University in the UK and cites good time management as one of the keys to her success, both as a professional athlete and a university student. Hollis explained how she takes her books with her on away training sessions and keeps in constant contact with her university tutors while travelling for international meets.
“We were honoured to host such an inspiring, top athlete at the Camana Bay Pool,” says CBAC President Jeffrey Wight. “Emma’s dedication and drive has enabled her to succeed in both her swimming and her studies and she is a role model to all young athletes in the Cayman Islands. Her visit was a great final morale boost for the eight CBAC swimmers who attended the CARIFTA Swimming Championships over the Easter weekend.”
Seven CBAC swimmers travelled to Kingston, Jamaica as part of the Cayman Islands CARIFTA Swim Team. CBAC swimmer Danielle Boothe also headed to Jamaica to join the Jamaica CARIFTA Swim Team. All CBAC swimmers raised their rankings in at least one event, many in all of their events, and in total took home 5 medals for Cayman and 5 for Jamaica. Medal winners were Kavanagh Lambert (1 gold, 2 bronze), Lauren Hew (1 gold), Coral Tomascik (1 bronze), and Danielle Boothe (1 individual bronze, 4 relay medals). “The team’s hard work really paid off and I’m proud of each and every one of our swimmers,” says Wight. “I’d also like to thank CBAC’s platinum sponsor, MaplesFS, whose generous support helped to send our swimmers to CARIFTA.”
Next up for the busy Club is the Highlander Aquatics Long Course Invitational Swim Meet in Orlando, Florida. “Twenty swimmers from the Maples FS travel team will attend the Orlando meet,” explains Siegele. “This is a great event for our Age Group Development and Sprats Gold members, who haven’t yet reached CARIFTA level swimming. An event like this not only allows our swimmers to meet other competitive swimmers of similar ages and make new friendships – but gives them a further taste of competitive swimming and an opportunity gain international meet experience.”
Six days at sea sees two Cuban refugees leave boat
(CNS): Immigration officials have confirmed that a vessel with eleven migrants arrived off Cayman Brac on Sunday afternoon, 7 April. Two of the men from the group, which included three women, reportedly chose to leave the boat and end their journey in Cayman yesterday after six days at sea. However, the rest of the group continued on with their journey, leaving the Brac around 6pm with no assistance form the local authorities. The two men who disembarked from the vessel were transported to Grand Cayman Monday where they will be processed and likely repatriated to Cuba. This brings the number of migrants currently held at the detention centre to 23.
Animal charity and farm fail to agree on report
(CNS): Hopes of a possible working relationship between the World Society for Protection of Animals and the Cayman Turtle Farm have been dashed after the charity said Monday that talks between the parties have broken down as the farm refuses to recognise the animal welfare problems caused by its intensive farming operation. Having spearheaded a major international campaign to persuade the Turtle Farm to begin moving away from farming to a facility committed purely to conservation, the animal activists said that the CTF management wants the charity to renounce the findings of its year-long investigation and accept the farm's recent inspection report as “authoritative”.
Standing by WSPA’s evidence, Campaign Leader Dr Neil D’Cruze said the WSPA had hoped the farm’s recently self-commissioned report would provide a scientific basis for on-going discussion, but the charity said it lacked detail and was not broad enough to be treated as an authoritative piece of work.
“WSPA’s animal welfare concerns are based on robust evidence that demonstrates commercial sea turtle farming is cruel and inhumane. We see no reason to deny what we have already proven through scientific evidence,” he said. “WSPA cannot treat the Farm's report authoritatively as it only looks at the symptoms of poor welfare rather than the causes. Even if the Farm was to fulfil every one of the report’s recommendations, turtles would still suffer and the same problems would continue to re-occur”.
Having reviewed the report, the WSPA said in an official statement that it was not an authoritative piece of work that could serve as the basis for on-going constructive dialogue as the charity had significant concerns regarding the scientific and technical calibre of the report.
While the inspectors are recognized experts in the field of sea turtle biology, their report lacks the level of detail required for the reader to confirm that the report’s findings represent an accurate and unbiased reflection of the CTF’s operation.
No details are provided regarding how the panel assessed the CTF’s operation and there are concerns of bias as several of the inspectors have had prior and on-going collaborations with the farm.
“The WSPA feels that the independent nature of the inspection, subsequent report and recommendations within can be legitimately called into question,” it stated. “There are several key findings that contradict evidence collated via our own on-going in-depth investigation into the CTF and its operating methods.
"The WSPA challenges statements made in the report that there are ‘no significant issues of concern in the public facing aspect of the operation, that the handling of animals by guests raises no concerns or that there is 'strong evidence for the positive conservation impact of the CTF’.”
The WSPA has published photographic evidence of animal health and welfare concerns, such as inadequate captive conditions, stereotypic behaviours, injuries and disease in the public facing area of its operation.
The charity also notes that the report’s recommendations are aimed at addressing the symptoms rather than the root causes and, despite the CTF’s best efforts, severe animal welfare concerns will remain. The recommendations are fundamentally flawed, the WSPA states, as they are based on the false assumption that the green sea turtles housed at the CTF represent domesticated animals when there is no proof that there has a change in their phenotypical expression or genotype that enables them to cope better in intensive captive conditions than their wild counterparts.
Although the farm has not yet become a campaign issue, as there still remains broad support locally for breeding turtles to eat, the WSPA is still hopeful that the new Government will re-evaluate the future of the Cayman Turtle Farm for the sake of the green sea turtles as well as the Caymanian tax-payer.
The most recent annual reports from the farm re-confirmed the continuing subsidies to the tune of almost $10 million per annum that is being pumped into the farm because of on-going losses.
See full statement below.