Archive for June, 2013
Ozzy queries lack of local medical staff
(CNS): The new health minister has already pointed to one of the many issues he hopes to tackle in his ministry as he toured the departments now under his area of responsibility following his appointment. During a tour of the hospital in George Town last week Osbourne Bodden commented on the apparent shortage of locals administering healthcare to patients. Stating that the provision of health services offered a rewarding and lucrative career for Caymanians, he promised that he would address this area in the future. Bodden also said that he would be looking closely at local employment in his other areas of responsibility as he gets to know his new ministry.
Bodden is now responsible for Health Regulatory Services, Mosquito Research & Control Unit (MRCU), Department of Environmental Health (both Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac offices), National Gallery, Department of Sports, Youth Services Unit, Cadet Corps, National Museum, Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF), Cayman Islands Museum, as well as Faith Hospital in Cayman Brac.
Expressing his gratitude to the staff at the Health Services Authority (HSA), which was the first stop on the tour, Bodden said that visiting the hospital really drove home the level of commitment and hard work of staff members. He said he was very encouraged by the progress being made and the dedication and professionalism shown.
“I am confident that you will continue the great work and I look forward to getting to know you more closely, as we provide quality services and programmes for the people of these islands,” he told hospital workers.
Child protection cop is CS employee of the month
(CNS): Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Detective Sergeant Dausea Scott was awarded the civil service Employee of the Month for May for her dedication to duty. Sgt Scott works with victims of domestic abuse and began working as the sole employee in the central referral unit (CRU) of the family support unit (FSU) just over a year ago. Her job is to centralise the management of reports made to the police about child protection, domestic violence, vulnerable adults and welfare related issues. She also works to facilitate a multi-agency approach, by RCIPS departments and external public sector organisations. The RCIPS created the post following recommendations made by an independent review of the (FSU).
On presenting her with the Employee of the Month Award for April, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said she was a genuine humanitarian “who remains impartial, courteous, understanding, receptive and patient with clients” who obtained positive outcomes and left clients feeling satisfied.
“I have also learned that you follow up with external agencies or internal departments, which provides the sense of urgency that is expected. Finally, I understand that your dedication to the Cayman Islands Government is beyond compare, despite the demands of your personal life and devotion to your family,” Manderson added.
In the time that Sgt Scott has been with CRU, her superiors say that she has embraced her role and quickly created a referral system so sound that it impressed a follow-up review of the new unit’s work, according to a release from GIS.
In her work Scott processes referrals which involves meeting with clients, assessing their needs, including any risks, as well as determining whether there is a criminal component to the case.
Although this is time-consuming, Sgt Scott manages a workload that should be shared by two, processing an average of 25 referrals a week. She regularly works long hours and sacrifices annual leave to ensure her clients’ needs are met. She has been praised by clients and managers for her willingness to listen to individuals who are in an understandably emotional state. Her readiness to follow-up with external agencies and internal departments to expedite results also drew commendations.
Cayman to host regional ladies footy tournament
(CNS): The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football has revealed that the 2014 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 will take place in the Cayman Islands in January of next year. The competition will include eight teams from across the region vying for the three spots in the 2014 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, to be played in Canada,in July of that same year. The three qualifying teams will join a fourth CONCACAF nation, Canada, which automatically qualifies as host of the World Cup.
“We are proud to witness the continued growth of the sport inclusive of both genders in our Confederation, traditionally among the strongest in the world in the women’s game,” said CONCACAF President and Cayman’s own Jeffrey Webb. “The CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship in the Cayman Islands and the upcoming World Cup in Canada will give us yet another opportunity to showcase these advances on the world stage.”
The regional championship kicks off on January 9 and concludes with the third-place match and final on January 19. The host Cayman Islands will be joined by three-time Confederation champion the United States and 2010 runner-up Mexico, as well as teams from the Caribbean and Central America yet to be determined.
Privy Council ends legal saga with big pay out
(CNS Business): Alastair Paterson, who has fought a more than seven year legal battle as a result of what were found to be malicious and unjustified civil proceedings against him, has been awarded damages of CI$1.375 million. The payout for the Caymanian surveyor came in a landmark judgment by the UK Privy Council that re-writes the law books and vindicates him after his professional reputation was damaged by the legal action brought against him by Cayman General Insurance (now Sagicor). The ruling is being described as a ground-breaking departure from a law that has stood for over 300 years and lifts the centuries old restriction that has stopped payoffs following malicious civil proceedings. Read more on this and other stories on CNS Business
Stepping Stones crowned touch champs
(CNS) Steppingstones finish the season undefeated, overcoming Sidebar NWNT in a thrilling back-and-forth final. After starting the match with a wide early lead, thanks to a hat trick from Weder, the result looked inevitable. Sidebar came out strong after the restart but ultimately, the National Touch Rugby Champions 2013 winners held off a second half comeback to end the game 9 tries to 5. The third/fourth place match was just as entertaining as the final. A nerve-rackingly close neck-in-neck battle saw Genesis Trust edge out Heineken Brew Crew 6-5 to claim the bronze spot.
The opening game of the day saw DART take on Walkers. A 3-3 draw with tries by Michael “Tana” Umulligan and Sheila Crosby for DART; Brad Stephenson, Paul Smith, and David Byrne for Walkers. Controversy came at the end of the match when DART mysteriously stopped playing as the timekeeper blew for full time. Of course, the game is not over until the referee blows and Brad Stephenson ran through and scored what he thought was the winner. However, the ref cancelled it out and the final result was determined in the more traditional social touch rugby fashion, with Walkers putting in a fine effort to win 5-4, in added time.
Accountant to be CI governor
(CNS): Cayman will be welcoming a new face from the UK later this year when Helen Kilpatrick CB will become not only the first woman to take up the governor’s job in the Cayman Islands when Duncan Taylor departs, but the first accountant rather than an FCO diplomat. Kilpatrick, who does not have a Foreign and Commonwealth Office background, will take up her appointment in September when she will transfer from the Home Office, which she joined in April 2005 as the director general for finance and corporate services. She is currently acting Home Office permanent secretary and accounting officer and has a background mostly in UK local government. A chartered accountant, Kilpatrick has never worked in the diplomatic service or served overseas for the British government.
The official announcement was made Tuesday and the governor’s office released the information under embargo until Wednesday morning.
The first female to be appointed as the UK’s representative in the Cayman Islands, Kilpatrick has extensive experience working in local government. Before her appointment to the Home Office she was deputy chief executive and director of resources for the West Sussex County Council, where she was also treasurer of the Sussex Police Authority.
According to the governor’s office, on her appointment Kilpatrick said she was honoured to be appointed governor of the Cayman Islands.
“I look forward to working in a constructive partnership with the newly elected government to ensure a safe, successful and sustainable future for the Cayman Islands,” she added.
There was no other comment from the FCO or any further explanation for the unusual choice but it clearly indicates the UK’s desire to have a financial expert overseeing the UK’s interest in Cayman rather than one skilled in the art of diplomacy .
Kilpatrick’s curriculum vitae:
Full name: Helen Kilpatrick CB
Children: One son, one daughter
2005 – present Home Office, Director General (Finance & Corporate Services)
1995 – 2005 West Sussex County Council, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Resources. Also Treasurer, Sussex Police Authority
1989 – 1995 London Borough of Greenwich, Controller of Financial Services
1988 – 1989 London Borough of Greenwich, Assistant Borough Treasurer
1987 – 1988 London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Chief Accountant (Technical)
1986 – 1987 London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Group Accountant (Housing)
1985 – 1986 Greater London Council, Group Auditor
1982 – 1985 Greater London Council, Graduate Trainee (Finance)
Election challenge hearing set
(CNS): Justice Alex Henderson got down to business Tuesday and pressed attorneys involved in the petition challenge to Tara Rivers’ election to move quickly because of the public interest. The case is now set for 17 July, when the lawyers representing John Hewitt, the petitioner, and Rivers will argue whether or not she was qualified to be elected to office in West Bay at last month’s election. Given that Hewitt is the husband of Velma Hewitt, the UDP candidate who came fifth in the political race and who is a former officer of the local courts, Henderson told the attorneys involved that if they wished to make representations to have the local judges all recuse themselves from the case, they must do so in writing by Friday.
Meanwhile, Rivers, the newly appointed education minister in the PPM administration, has been given just two weeks to prepare her affidavit addressing the facts of the allegations challenging her qualification by the petitioner, who is represented by Steve McField.
Paul Keeble, who along with Grahame Hampson is representing Rivers, was only able to squeeze one extra week from Henderson, despite his original pleas for four weeks so they could consult with constitutional expert and lead counsel, Jeffery Jowell QC, in London. The judge pointed out the need to address the issue quickly but bent on his original seven days once a date was secured for mid-July.
The lawyers on both sides were instructed to have their skeleton arguments submitted to each other and the court by 12 July in preparation for the two-day hearing, which will decide whether or not Rivers is qualified.
It became apparent that Rivers may still hold a US passport during the directions hearing and that her lawyers will be arguing the case that the passport was “thrust upon her by birth” rather than an acquisition demonstrating any allegiance to another country as alleged.
The hearing move quickly as Henderson pushed the lawyers into action in front of a packed courtroom, where significant numbers of Rivers’ supporters from the Coalition for Cayman, the political platform on which she ran, as well as friends were in attendance, including Mervin Smith, Rivers' West Bay Running mate. John and Velma Hewitt and their supporters in West Bay were also in court for the hearing. The new Speaker of the House, Juliana O’Connor Connolly, now a member of the government, was also in attendance.
Aside from the stumbling block that Rivers has to cross in connection to her alleged possession of a valid US passport, she must also deal with a second ground in the petition that relates to her time resident overseas before the election. It is no secret that Rivers was based in the UK between 2006 and 2009, when she was employed as a legal associate for a London law firm. However, she was also studying part-time.
The elections law requires that all candidates are primarily resident in Cayman during the seven years prior to any election they wish to contest. There are, however, a number of exemptions, one of which is for the purpose of study, but it is not clear if this also applies to those who were employed full-time while studying or just full-time students with part time jobs.
Be sure to follow coverage of the July hearing on CNS.
Ex ERA boss still not officially answered charges
(CNS): The former managing director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), Joey Ebanks, has still not entered any formal pleas to the catalogue of charges against him despite his recent appearance in the Grand Court. Ebanks is facing more than two dozen charges relating to allegations of theft and fraud during his time at the electricity regulator, all of which he has vehemently denied from various other public platforms aside from the courtroom dock. Appearing in the higher court Friday, Ebanks remained silent while his attorney asked for a three week adjournment to enable him to review the details of the multiple charges. Ebanks is expected to return to Grand Court to fix a trial date on 5 July.
His alleged offenses include obtaining property by deception relating to the purchase of several iPhones and iPads, amounting to almost $78,000. In addition, Ebanks, who recently ran for office in North Side while under investigation, is facing eight charges of making documents without authority and of obtaining property by deception, all of which are being handled in the Grand Court. Meanwhile, he also faces seven charges of theft relating to amounts under $5,000, which will be dealt with in Summary Court, and two drug related charges which will also be handled in the lower court.
During the recent election campaign, in which Ebanks was beaten by the independent member Ezzard Miller, Ebanks had suggested that the charges against him were part of a conspiracy and had expected all the charges against would be dropped once the election was over. However, this does not appear to be the case.
No decisions re Tempura
(CNS): Despite the Scotland Yard recommendation that the bungled investigation into alleged RCIPS corruption should itself be investigated, along with the role of very senior local officials, Cayman Islands Governor Duncan Taylor has still not made a decision about how to deal with the on-going fall out of Operation Tempura. As numerous legal battles relating to the discredited enquiry continue in the courts, Taylor said he is still waiting on advice regarding the potential probe into the probe. It is not clear who has the legal authority to trigger a new enquiry, which the UK cops have recommended be undertaken by a neutral service unconnected with the original operation.
From the governor’s battle with the information commissioner to keep the investigation into a complaint about the enquiry under wraps, to the attorney general’s fight to keep the former lead investigating officer of Tempura, Martin Bridger, from using documents in another courtroom battle against him by former police commissioner Stuart Kernohan, the controversial enquiry continues to cost the Cayman taxpayer significant sums.
The latest twist, however, has become increasingly serious as the Metropolitan Police announced recently that they believed an enquiry into the events that triggered the probe was warranted. This was based on evidence given by Bridger, Kernohan and the former RCIPS chief superintendent John Jones. The ex-cops all say that former governor Stuart Jack, the current overseas territories security advisor, Larry Covington, and Cayman’s sitting attorney general, Samuel Bulgin, were all aware of Kernohan’s decision to allow staff at Cayman Net News to make a late night entry into their place of work hunting for evidence.
The decision, according to Kernohan and Jones, to look for evidence that they believed may have pointed to a corrupt relationship between the late owner of the paper, Desmond Seales, and Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony Ennis, based on allegations by two reporters at the paper, was made in the full knowledge of Jack, Covington and Bulgin.
Bridger claims that he was never told the crucial and fundamental fact that these three senior officials all knew of Kernohan’s decision and had given their tacit blessing. As a result, he now believes that the almost two year long and costly discredited Operation Tempura, which he triggered, along with the subsequent catalogue of issues would never have happened had he been aware of this.
Bridger recently filed a complaint with Scotland Yard, which had original oversight of the probe, with evidence suggesting he had been misled, which was backed up with statements from both Kernohan and Jones, who have pointed the finger at the three senior officials. Given the Met’s compromised position, however, the UK police force wrote to the current governor, Duncan Taylor, recommending that he begin an investigation using an external police service to find out if the evidence presented to them supports the allegations made by Bridger.
Answering enquiries from CNS last week, the governor’s office said no decision had yet been in this matter, despite the recommendations made by the Scotland Yard boss.
“The Governor is still awaiting receipt of the independent legal advice which he has commissioned in response to the letter from Commander Gibson of the Metropolitan Police,” officials said.
Sources in the UK state that the Metropolitan Police have real concerns as they believe that, if Bridger’s position is accurate, the London-based cops as well as Bridger were also misled. Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey has backed the position of Commander Allan Gibson, with whom Bridger filed his complaint, that an enquiry is needed to establish how Operation Tempura began.
It is not normally the remit of a governor to instigate a criminal investigation. In theory it should be David Baines as the RCISP commissioner that triggers the enquiry, but because of his own conflict he would need to ask an outside force, such as another OT territory's police service, to investigate what happened.
Bridger recently revealed that had Jack, Covington and Bulgin all told him that they were informed about Kernohan’s decision, there would never have been an operation Tempura, Kernohan and Jones would never have been suspended, the associate burglary case of Lyndon Martin would never have happened and the Grand Court Judge Alex Henderson would never have received a $1.275million payout from the public purse as he would never have been arrested, unlawfully or otherwise.
The former senior investigator has always claimed that he acted on advice of Andre Mondesir, legal counsel at the time, who now works at CIMA. The advice, he has said, was based on the position that Kernohan and Jones had instigated the entry into the newspaper without any authority, which both men have categorically denied and recorded the meetings they had where the issue was discussed with the three senior officials.
The issue has now become increasingly complicated as the current efforts of Attorney General Bulgin to prevent Bridger using documents in the wrongful dismissal case brought by Kernohan would need to be used in any enquiry which now points the finger of suspicion at Stuart Jack, Larry Covington and Bulgin himself.
With the ironies and conflicts mounting in this case, if a criminal investigation is launched over allegations that the UK police, the Tempura team and legal counsel were all misled, it would be hard to see how Covington and Bulgin could then continue in their respective offices.
As the twists and turns of Tempura continue almost four years after the investigation was shut down, the bill for the entirely innocent Cayman taxpayer continues to grow and a catalogue of incompetence by just about every official involved in the investigation, from start to finish and now beyond, continues to be revealed.
Owner asks for public’s help to trace stolen car
(CNS): The owner of a white Honda Civic that was stolen from George Town on Monday morning is appealing to the public to help him trace his car with his own all-points-bulletin. Although the police have not released any information about the stolen vehicle, the owner said that the car, registration 114-642, disappeared from Walkers Road opposite Vampt Motors, where it was parked in the early hours of 17 June sometime after 1am. The owner has reported the missing car to the RCIPS, which is conducting the investigation. Anyone who has since seen the white Honda Civic is asked to call George Town police station on 949-7777 and ask for Officer Michael Seal, badge # 439.