Bridger defends allegation
(CNS): The former Scotland Yard cop who headed up the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service corruption investigation, which took place in Cayman between 2007 and 2009, has defended the allegations that he has made to the British police regarding Cayman Islands Attorney General Samuel Bulgin. In response to Bulgin’s accusations that Martin Bridger’s allegations are "scurrilous", the ex-senior police officer noted that it was the UK police, not him, that had decided the evidence against Bulgin, former Cayman Islands governor Stuart Jack and Larry Covington, the FCO’s security official for the overseas territories, warranted an enquiry .
Following an article on CNS, which stated that a Scotland Yard review has concluded, based partly on documented interviews that Bridger had given the UK police, that Jack, Bulgin and Covington could face a criminal inquiry for allegedly lying to officers during the investigation, Bulgin launched an attack on Bridger. In a statement delivered to the local press Monday, he said that there was not a shred of “independent or contemporaneous evidence” to support the allegations that Bridger has made.
However, the leader of the ill-fated "Operation Tempura" investigation said that the evidence he had presented was supported by witness statements from former RCIPS commissioner Stuart Kernohan and his deputy, John Jones, and as far as the London police were concerned, the evidence had reached the threshold to warrant investigation
“As with all criminal allegations, made either in the UK or the Cayman Islands, it is for the police to decide whether or not there is 'reasonable grounds to suspect' that a criminal offence may have been committed and whether or not an investigation should be commenced,” Bridger noted. “The Metropolitan Police have decided that this threshold has been reached and that the allegations warrant investigation.”
The Met is conflicted in this case, however, because at the start of Tempura the London-based police force had oversight of the Tempura investigation and was, therefore, Bridger’s employer.
Whoever investigates what really happened during the bungled internal enquiry and whatever the outcome, Bridger pointed out that the start of the investigation will not point to anyone's certain guilt or innocence.
“Once the investigation is complete, the police will submit a file to the prosecuting authorities for them to make a decision as to whether to charge the people concerned or not. If the decision is made to charge, then it is for the courts to decide on guilt or innocence,” Bridger added, making it clear that he has merely given his evidence to the police that a crime might have occurred, and in turn, the UK police have decided that there is enough to suspect criminal behaviour.
“I have read, with care, the statement made by the Attorney General, Samuel Bulgin, in response to this criminal allegation,” Bridger stated Tuesday evening. “He would be familiar with the above procedures. What he has said is a matter for him. I do not intend to get involved in a debate with the AG or anyone else concerning these matters whilst they are still under consideration by the governor, Duncan Taylor. If an investigation is sought by the governor I will support that investigation in whatever way I can.”
Bridger added that he had not instructed legal counsel in this matter.
However, the former police investigator is currently in a number of legal battles with the attorney general to clear the way for him to use documents relating to the Tempura enquiry to defend himself in a civil action brought by Stuart Kernohan regarding his ousting from the police commissioner’s post in 2008, following a chain of events triggered by Bridger’s Tempura probe.
Meanwhile, the governor, Duncan Taylor, who has received a letter about the allegations and the position of the Met that an investigatoin is required, has not yet made a decision on whether to launch such an enquiry. The UK's representative, however, is currently fighting an order by the information commissioner in the local courts to release what is believed to be a damning documents related to the Tempura enquiry.
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Category: Crime
The AG NEEDS TO GO!
I've always felt that Bridger was onto something hidden under many layers. Perhaps it will all now come to light!
I don't suppose all this sudden posturing has anything to do with a desire to divert attention from the fact that one of Bridger's infamous old CIB3 cases from the late 1990s has just been been referred back the Court of Appeal after a decade long legal battle?
Let the public inquiry (televised) begin!!! AG, McCarthy, Jack, all of them. We must demand that those holding high office be held accountable.
Simple solution arrest those who provide false and misleading information that started this whole thing second arrest those who aided and abetted and conspired with them in that endeavour. We all know who they are and where there are finally take out a civil suit against them to pay back the monies wasted on this Bull$#!%
If this investigation is going to happen I hope that they do it absolutely by the book. I don't want to wake up 2 years from now to read about ' an investigation of the investigation of the investigation'.
They all dropping like flies, may it continue until we have cleand up all the dirt!
Gov Taylor, in the true spirit of Transparency as you are a champion of, please release the reoprt.
We paid for it so we should be able to see it!
One mess after another. Gross negligence and gross incompetence if you ask me. Now each one of them just fighting to score points. I say if the Met wants it investigated, they hire another Police Service, such as the City of London and pay them from their funds. At the end of the day, the conclusion will be the same; they were all incompetent!
What the heck is going on here?! is the governor to decide if the investigation goes ahead and will we then have to pay for that? if so, i dont care to have it. We all know that we have at best a XXXXX AG and possibly others in such positions of authority. But if this is going to cost us more money to have more bungling UK cops frolicking in Cayman at our expense, lets just quietly sort out the AG, sort out some of our judiciary, sort out our police and draw a line under the nonesense that took place before!
What about the people harmed by all of this? Are they to just draw a line in the sand and move on whithout so much as an apology as compensation? For too long lines have been drawn in the sand and wrongdoing goes unpunished. Let the truth be told.
The Judge quickly received his compensation, but poor Burmon Scott hasn't had any compensation yet. He's the only one deserving of compensation now.
I do not disagree. But these issues in Hendersons arrest for instance were created by at best, the poor behavior of the UK cops, Governor Jack and the negligence of our AG (and maybe some of the judiciary). We paid for that. We the people! Not the UK, not the tooth fairy, but we the people. If this continues, there will no doubt be proof that we have bigger problems right across the board from persons duly appointed in high positions (and no wonder the Governor doesnt want us to see the report, it would probably frighten the bejesus out of us). But we are now broke! lets clean it up and move it along. Really sorry to all hurt and injured in this but i already pay dearly and have no more money to give to cover this tab.
Re: "let's clean it up and move along".
It would seem that's why an independent inquiry is needed. To shine light on the entire situation. Otherwise we can't see what to clean up!
To do otherwise is akin to sweeping it under the carpet….and will end up costing us all even more. Not to mention those responsible would have not been held accountable….nor will an example have been set for others / us all.
As i said i dont disagree with the theory, its the practical implications that i have a problem with! We the people cannot afford to pay for the mistakes of those that we already know need to be moved out of the system. We can clean house without the inquiry. That is not unheard of all we need is the political will to get it done.
I want to see how transparent the Governor will be on this particular portion of the Tempura fiasco. What is he hiding? What does he not want the Caymanian public to see?
About as transparent as he was when it was discovered 18 months ago that the Tempura/Cealt audit had been interfered with. I think his response then was along the lines of 'lessons have been learned'. The only lesson learned was you can lie your backside off and get away with it on these islands if you know the right people.
From what I know of all of this it does seem that a formal independent inquiry is warranted!
Only then might the truth be known!
As for the AG…."It doth seem he protests too much"!
The UK Met looks like they are in need of a long holiday of sea, sand, sun and fun in the Cayman Islands again, of course, on our tax payers expense and not of the FCO or the UK Met themselves.
Of course, as a retired senior police officer, Martin Bridger must also have been aware that it was a gross breach of protocol to release the contents of a complaint like this to a national newspaper in the UK before the Met ever got a chance to investigate his allegations. I suspect this is all going to turn round and bite him.
I don't know who's telling fibs but one thing I do know is those involved in this investigation who are based here in Cayman need to err on the side of caution and be completely truthful, otherwise, this WILL be your undoing. The stuff you guys can get away with here, don't wash in the UK – you don't stand a chance of getting away with it. Time to fess up.
what are you baabbeling about ? 99% of the people involved are UK people
Shut your hole !
Am I the only one getting fed up with this ongoing debacle?