UCC: $1M was not solicited
(CNS): The donation that was made on behalf of McKeeva Bush in relation to the honorary doctorate that he was scheduled to receive from the University College of the Caribbean was unsolicited, the board of directors said Wednesday. In a statement released to CNS in the wake of revelations about the anti-corruption investigation in Cayman surrounding the transfer to the college from a US-based bank in connection with the degree, the board said at no time was there “anyrequirement for a contribution”, which it said would have been contrary to its protocol. The board said that when the contribution was made to the UCC Foundation for a Scholarship Endowment Fund it was “accepted graciously” but after “subsequent developments” the cash was returned.
Worried that the news of the donation, of which Bush has denied any knowledge, is tarnishing the reputation of the UCC, the board said it was “not unusual for well thinking members of society to make a contribution to a University or its Foundation”, and after careful consideration this donation was accepted and later returned.
“The University College of the Caribbean is therefore most concerned about the different suggestions and allegations in the press, which seek to tarnish its image and to make it appear less in the eyes of well thinking members of the society and its many local, regional and international partners, affiliates and stakeholders,” the college said in a statement to CNS.
“It has now come to the attention of the UCC that this matter may be of interest in an investigation which is being conducted by the Caymanian authorities and as such have taken the decision not to make any further statement at this time,” the officials added in the latest development regarding the donation.
In a statement on Friday Bush said he knew nothing about the donation and that the allegations were all part of the conspiracy against him to prevent him from winning the election
See the statement and related articles on CNS:
Category: Politics
The University College of the Caribbean is worried about its image being "tarnished"? Ha! What a joke! In light of their abysmally poor judgement in choosing the likes of Mac for ahonourary PhD, they don't have much of a reputation to tarnish. If honouring people like Makeeva Bush is where their values lie, I would not send my dog to UCC to learn to sit.
If your dog has friendly New York bankers, then it could be "Dr. Dog"
UCC's lawyer (and Board Member) Dr. Velma Brown-Hamilton received her PhD from Washington International University.
http://www.hbhalaw.com/profile_dr_velmabrownhamilton
McKeeva could have earned his PhD from Washington International University for a whole lot less than US$1 million. Check it out.
https://www.google.com/search?q=ucc+jamaica+velma&oq=ucc+jamaica+velma&aqs=chrome.0.57.6432j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#sclient=psy-ab&q=%22washington+international+university%22&oq=%22washington+international+university%22&gs_l=serp.3..0l4.96802.110959.0.113011.37.37.0.0.0.0.593.6634.0j33j2j5-2.37.0…0.0.0..1c.1.12.psy-ab.64AhgXsN2ls&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47008514,d.dmg&fp=feb79b512fef99ff&biw=1026&bih=641
Can we get a group together and see what is the lowest rate available for a PhD from Washington International University?
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120523124783
All UCC and their foundation needed to do is be transparent about their donations and there wouldn't be any question regarding their integrity. This is standard foundation/non-profit practice – you ALWAYS provide clarity about where the money comes from. On the occasion when a donor wants to remain anonymous, you still declare the money on your annual report/financial info but as anonymous…. the board (particularly the treasurer) then have to back up the validity of accepting this sum, if questioned by relevant parties such as the government or stakeholders.
So the fact that this 'donation' has not been handled with the correct protocol has raised (quite rightly) suspicions. The fact that this money can be donated and hidden is distinctly fishy and any donor or foundation worth their salt would not operate this way! The fact that $1million has been transferred either personally or on behalf of the government (as many commentors have already suggested) without trace is worrying at best!! Even if it was a donation to the 'save the little fluffy animals' foundation and nothing related to personal gain, the protocol hasn't been followed and professionalism is distinctly lacking.
While we are on this subject, can someone please clarify the yearly $175,000 that is supposedly donated to UWI in Jamaica for the CIG to secure placement to Caymanian students wishing to study at UWI? If this is true, then Caymanians are being shortchanged once more or maybe it is for just for Jamaicans with Caymanian connection to study at UWI.
1500 people can't be all wrong unless they are the West bay Bushits!
It is beyond belief that the former Honourable Premier knows nothing about this whole affair. C'mon Mr. Bush. You must be as foolish as you think we are. I don't believe that the UCC did anything wrong — they did the right thing and returned the money. I don't believe that CNS did anything wrong — they reported the news and even the email exchanges. No, the only wrongdoing lies in the lap (as usual) of the former Premier Bush. I wonder what deeds he had promised in exchange for the million dollar donation?
The UCC Foundation Lawyer was interviewed on a Jamaican radio station and she acknowleged that "neither the UCC nor the UCC Foundation in the USA had any direct communication whatsoever with McKeeva or his office about any donation or gift".
He is probably speaking the truth that he didn't know about it or its source. The investigations will prove one way or the other!
Chris as usual is dead right. If the payment had nothing to do with Bush, why was it returned? Until UCC tell us who sent the cheque they are guilty of a lack of transparency, a commodity which the last Government bragged about. UCC nil Transparency one.
In conclusion UCC must be equally complicent.
Even if true that doesn't mean he wasn't fully aware of it. Take the blinkers off. It makes absolutely no sense for someone to give this gift conditional or Bush being given an honorary doctorate unless Bush was involved.
If indeed this money came from and went back to New York then no doubt the US Authorities will be as interested as their counterparts in Cayman. Give Dan Dugauy a couple of days and he would have got to the bottom of it all. They don’t make ’em like they used to.
It take it that this is a rather crass dig at the present Auditor General.
I know Dan Duguay which is why I made my comment. I am sure the current AG is equally as efficient.By the way you need to check your responses before sending them out in order to correct spelling mistakes.
We have the burning Bush but we have no smoke without fire. Thus Bush must have been smoking. I think I have finally got it. Celebrate with all tomorrow.
Perhaps our Attorney general can now feel unfettered in moving forward with scraping the veneer of corrrution allegations off the face of our country.
Zzzzzzzzz.
The sun, the moon, and the truth. Three things Budda said you couldn't hide. Its right there in front of you. Unless you have a good reason to hide it from yourself like a good gas card and a membership in the Bush "Money for nothing and your trips for free" club. Then of course Bush is "honorable for life" If you are one of the many Bushits get ready for a change. All the honest workers are getting tired of paying for your care and gas with nothing in return.
I don't believe for one minute that the UCC had no knowledge of any of this! They are just back-paddling now to get themselves out of a mess.
Who on earth would just randomly send a $ 1 Mil to UCC and why did UCC send it back if it has nothing to do with McKeeva?
If this money was not government money then this is crass journalism because you are being intrusive. There is no story here that falls in the definition of news per se, if there is no government money missing to the tune of 1 million plus then you are just being vindictive to McKeeva. Otherwise Mac as a private citizen is entitled to doing what he pleases with the monies that he has. The university has a right in getting money from any source too.
Moreover since he is no longer the Premier actually the Prominence principle of journalism does not feature in the choice of this story.
I am sure that you are not brave enough to publish this comment that challenges your choice of a news story which in this case is wanting but have this message for the record.
Who says it was McKeeva's money? Wasn't he pleading poverty the other day so that funds had to be raised to fund his legal defence for the upcoming criminal trial?
I am so embarrassed by the number of idiots we have in Cayman.
Your comment might have a slim chance of making sense except for the fact that Mr. Bush himself denies any knowledge of the donation. From the university's comments, it is obvious they had some proof that the donation was directly related to Mr. Bush, thus the reason it was returned when they chose not to give him the degree. If there was a donation (which no one is denying) and it was directly related to Mr. Bush's degree (which no one is denying), but he has no knowledge of it (which he has publicly stated), then who is the kindhearted soul out there that is just giving away millions of dollars with apparently no expectation of receiving anything in return? If he/she is reading this, please call me at 1-800-NOT-A-FOOL.
There is so much ignorance amongst some of our small island people! Many are clearly not very exposed. Reputable universities worldwide accept donations, grants and other gifts every day from wealthy benefactors who have been awarded honorable doctorates by these universities!!
Some well known examples include California State University, Harvard University, Wilfred Laurier University, Ryerson University, and Northern Caribbean University among many many others! Some very wealthy benefactors include Hon Mchael Lee Chin and Hon Raymond Chang who have both made substantial donations/gifts to the respective Canadian or Jamaican universities for which they were awarded honorary doctorates! They were even later appointed Chancellors by two of these universities! Check it out for yourselves online or elsewhere people and be properly informed! We are looking stupid!
From what I see it seems the university rightfully returned the donation when they also became concerned with the source of the fund. Kudos to them!
Okay! We understand what you're saying! We may not agree! That's okay!
The time to ask about the source of the funds is before you receive them. That's what reputable institutions do.
You are so missing the point which is whether this was an attempt to corruptly confer a benefit on McKeeva Bush for entering into the re-financing deal.
Dope.
So, as a hypothetical, company A wants to get involved in a lucrative contract with the CIG and a member of the government, a politician actively B supports CIG entering into that contract and later company A gives money to entity C in a manner which appears to be linked to a benefit to B. That is fine in your world? That isn't news in your world?
14:12, how on God's green earth can Mac afford to "donate" US$1M to some college for some "doctorate" when we are all being asked to sponsor his legal fund to fight the corruption charges he now faces in court ?
Enlighten us all with your answer please.
14:12, you are a fool! The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the RCIPS confirmed that the transfer of the USD$1M was the subject of investigation by the police and the ACC. This article is a justifiable and expected follow-up to the original story about the investigation. (See story ‘Gift’ for Mac’s PhD probed). This being the case, contrary to your silly ramblings, the story is certainly newsworthy on its own merit.
Your conclusion that "if there is no government money missing" then CNS was amiss in publishing the story shows an extreme degree of ignorance: in other words you manifest the prime characteristic of a Bush supporter. The crux of the story centres on the investigaton of the donation as potential corrupt behaviour. The fact that Bush was arrested and is now facing trial on 11 counts of theft and corruption makes just about anything about him, especially in association with sizable sums of money, a subject of deep public interest. CNS has an obligation to report on the new allegations.
You have much to learn about journalism. An investigation into possible further corrupt behaviour by a former Premiere and currently sitting legislator who is already facing trial for crimes could not be any more legitimately newsworthy! I challenge you to justify your moronic allegation that publication of the story is "crass journalism" or in any way "intrusive".
Of course it wasn’t solicited. If it were the university could be directly implicated in a global act of corruption using the US banking system.
On a completely unrelated subject, the police and regulatory authorities trying to clamp down on money-laundering regularly point out the risks associated with 'politically exposed persons' and emphasize that when dealing with such persons it is imperative to investigate the source of funds prior to accepting them.
You do not need a PHD to understand what went down here.
I wonder if CNS has a picture of the Hon. McKeever Bush in his Bozo the Clown outfit for articles like this….. ?
For an institution that is supposedly in the business of educating people, they sure leave out a lot of details.
Duh. The million bucks wasn't solicited, the fake doctorate degree was. Jeezeumpeeze, you university stiffs really take us yokels for fools. Mac's agents gave you the million and asked for the degree in return. When understandably you were not able to deliverthe degree because, well, it doesn't really look all that good for a university to confer an honorary degree on the leader of a country who has just been arrested, you returned the million. Props to you for your honesty and fairness in returning the money. I wonder if it will find its way back into the CI Government coffers, or the Nation Building fund, or where ever it came from. As you may know, we could use it.
The nation building fund has been FOI'd year after year. Look for yourself and see if the money appears to have come from there. Stop making ludicrous claims without basing it on facts.
It is no coincidence that the "GIFT" of one million dollars US was donated around the same time that the Hon Phd was to be bestowed to Big Mac. It's no coincidence that the "GIFT" was also returned when it was revealed that Bic Mac was arrested and chargedfor corruption. It no coincidence that the "GIFT" came from a financial institution in New York that was in negotiation with the CIG for which Bic Mac was the premier at the time.
With all of these coincidences, I guess that I do have an excellent chance of winning the Florida Lottery. Maybe, we will all win the lottery soon. 🙂
I also believe it was made clear that no funds were solicited from Stan Thomas in return for any re-zoning of property.
So…. one million dollars appeared as Manna from the Heavens and no one even asked…" But wait, where 'dis come from..is hoo give it..?"
C'mon guys, even us people without Phd's would have wanted to know the source and reason for the donation…if only to question any money laundering possibilities. But then it is Jamaica we're talkiing here.
I don't understand how we are expected to swallow such BS. What is even more horrifying is that supposedly sane people will waste their votes on this slippery serpent.
Corrrupted will always vote for corrupted. Or they will lose their gas cards and cushy jobs. Its still amazing that there is sooo many of them that are not yet in jail.