Headline News
MLA launches petition
(CNS): The opposition representative for the district of East End, in partnership with the independent member for North Side, will launch his official ‘no’ campaign to the East End Sea Port on Saturday. Arden McLean, who has said he is vehemently opposed to the proposed development of the commercial dock in his district, says he will be starting the petition against it in Frank Sound, which is in the middle of the three districts most likely to be affected. He explained that he would eventually go door to door with the ‘no’ petition island-wide but the campaign will be launched at the heart of the communities that will be directly impacted.
The development is a proposal by local landowner, Joe Imparato, which has been submitted to government for consideration and involves cutting a channel into the island in East End at High Rock and digging a basin for a commercial shipping dock that would deal with oil and gas, offer home porting for cruise ships, transhipment, a container port and a mega yacht marina. The proposals has raised enormous concern in the area about the potentially catastrophic damage to the environment, the potential contamination of the fresh water resources in the area, as well as the dangers levels of surge and flooding it could cause in bad weather.
Both McLean and North Side MLA Ezzard Miller are campaigning against what they both have said is nothing more than an excuse for a quarry that will offer little or no benefit to their constituents. McLean said Saturday’s rally would be the start of the public opinion campaign and their goal to raise awareness about the problems associated with the proposal.
“We want to provide a way for people to register their objections to this proposed project so that government will know what the public thinks before any decisions are made,” McLean said of Saturday’s public rally. “If this project goes ahead it could cost the country millions. The developer may be saying he is giving it to the government but there is nothing for free and the roads alone will cost the public purse as much as $200m.”
McLean said recently at a public meeting that he would do all he could to stop the project as his constituents were opposed and if he had to he was prepared to lie in front of the bulldozers. "We have to stop this now," he said, warning that as a member of the minority opposition, if the proposal gets as far as the Legislative Assembly then he could not stop it. "I am here to lead you right up front and we need to send a message and we need to say it loud enough."
His legislative colleague Miller is also strongly opposed and intends to hold a public meeting in North Side on 7 December. Miler said that one of the problems he has was that no proper analysis over the need for such a development has been made by government.
“Rather than a business plan, what we have is an often controversial investor who, having bought large tracts of essentially useless land, has now decided he can make money by quarrying the rock and shipping it over seas,” he said.
Miller suggested that, having now seen the plans, he estimated there was as much as half a billion dollars worth of fill to be gained, given the depth of the basin the developer proposes to dig.
“He is then going to donate that hole in the ground to government to turn into a port,” Miller added. “I don’t think that is the way we should be developing our infrastructure. Moreover, Grand Cayman is not that big of a land mass that we can afford to add a piece of it to Texas.”
The anti-port petition rally is scheduled to begin at 7am and will last throughout the day at the junction of Frank Sound Road and Bodden Town/Seaview Road. The Young Progressives will also be there and President Denise Miller called on all the young people in Grand Cayman who care about the future of the island to come and sign. She also indicated that there is now an online petition.
Visit the developer’s website at www.eastendseaport.com
Cops plan Christmas crime prevention campaign
(CNS): Following the announcement that the police will be cracking down on poor driver the cops have also said they will be launching a campaign next Friday for a Christmas crime prevention drive. A police spokesperson said the RCIPS will be encouraging Cayman residents to pick up some crime prevention tips when they go shopping next weekend at the supermarket. Police officers will be stationed at the islands main supermarkets to provide shoppers with advice, information andtips on personal safety. “We hope that this will help to combat burglary and other thefts of personal property this Christmas,” the spokesperson added.
From 3pm to 6pm on Friday 10 December officers have enlisted the assistance of Fosters ,Hurleys and Kirks supermarkets in this one day anti crime partnership. The festive season often sees a spike in burglaries and break-ins and given the current increase in crime in Cayman the police can expect a particularly pressing holiday season.
Inspector Tricia Bodden is the officer in charge of the event and she explained that the main purpose of the campaign was to get people thinking about protecting their property in the run up to Christmas. “We want everyone to have a great holiday without the anguish of being a victim of burglary and theft,” added Bodden.
AIDS claims 35 Cayman lives
(CNS): Although Cayman has one of the lowest rates of HIV infection in the Caribbean, complacency towards the disease is a serious problem, the Red Cross has revealed. Four people died of the disease in Cayman during this year and there are still 60 people living with the virus. Every year since 1985 more people have tested HIV+ and so far in 2010 another five new cases have been reported. Thirty-five Caymanians with HIV went on to develop AIDS and died since the first case was reported. Today (1 December) on World AIDS Day the Cayman Islands joins the rest of the world in raising awareness about the virus and its transmission, as well as fighting against the stigma attached to the diagnosis and the complacency that makes people think it won’t happen to them.
The Red Cross has headed the campaign in the Cayman Islands since 2002, and the programme manager, Carolina Ferreira, says that while the known numbers in the Cayman Islands continue to appear low, the Caribbean has the second highest rate of HIV prevalence in the world, second only to Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, Cayman is vulnerable and the CIRC continues to advocate for greater preventative measures, such increased interventions amongst vulnerable groups and a greater push towards voluntary testing, among others.
"Part of our work is fighting the apathy and complacency that comes when people compare our local known numbers to global statistics," Ferreira explained. "In comparison to the figure of 33 million persons worldwide, our statistics of 95 persons since 1985 seems like something to cheer about. It isn’t. Every country which now has a high incidence of HIV prevalence once had low numbers. We have a limited window of opportunity to step up our response and work towards stopping and even reversing this trend before we become another global statistic, but we can only do it together, as a community."
As a result, Ferreira welcomed the support from a local bank which will pay for this year’s education campaign. Since the Red Cross joined the fight to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS it has worked to educate and raise awareness about transmission prevention and the stigma and discrimination people living with the virus suffer.
“Over the last eight years what started off as a pilot project has become a department, which runs awareness sessions, education programmes and social marketing campaigns, some of which have been hailed in the region as examples of ‘best practice’. This year we have received a much needed boost from HSBC Cayman, which has allowed us to launch our latest campaign. This is incredibly encouraging as this is a topic of tremendous importance that needs to be continuously discussed and promoted within our community,” she said, expressing her appreciation to the firm.
Local HSBC CEO Gonzalo Jalles said the bank was proud to support the Cayman Islands Red Cross. “This is a disease that not only affects the Cayman Islands but the entire world. As a global bank we focus on supporting educational projects that not only affect ourlocal community but communities around the world. Local educational programs like this one will contribute to the overall success of combating the disease globally,” he added.
With HSBC’s assistance, the CIRC’s HIV & AIDS department has launched its new campaign today, 1 December. Created and executed completely in house by the Red Cross with the community’s assistance, the campaign posters, ads and promotional material will roll out today but continue throughout the year.
“One of the most disturbing statistics about HIV is that approximately every ten seconds someone becomes infected with the virus. When it comes to AIDS, approximately every 15 seconds someone loses their life,” Ferreira revealed. “Our campaign, appropriately titled ‘every ten seconds’, aims to not only make people aware of that statistic but also draws attention to what exactly ten seconds feels like.”
The “every ten seconds” campaign is composed of four parts: t-shirts, awareness and education efforts, video public service announcements (PSAs), and audio PSAs. It has been officially launched on World AIDS Day and is accessible online at the Red Cross websit., The ads will enter rotation at Hollywood Theaters and begin radio rotations on dms broadcasting, Paramount Media and Radio Cayman.
The community awareness efforts began 27 November, when Red Cross Youth Peer Educators gave residents of Grand Cayman the opportunity to win this year’s campaign t-shirt while learning some facts about the virus, the situation in the Cayman Islands, and how one can protect oneself and their loved ones. Over three hundred people stopped by the booths, which were located at Foster’s Food Fair Airport, Hurley’s Grand Habour, and Kirks Supermarket location.
Their work is still far from over: the Peer Educators will be hosting awareness days at Clifton Hunter High School this week and nearly 200 young people are expected to attend the 3 day “take over”.
“It never ceases to amaze me how, when given the opportunity, the youth of this country will tackle head-on that which so many adults are hesitant to even acknowledge, and they need to be commended for that more often,” Ferreira added.
A candlelight vigil will take place this evening at Heroes Square and free HIV testing is available at the hospital and district clinics Friday.
Watch the ads on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtPyEJyRgvI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiDltowm0zg
Port deal teeters on brink
(CNS): The chair of the Cayman Port Authority said Tuesday evening that speculation over a collapse of the cruise berth negotiations between government and the developer was not accurate but admitted that negotiations were very sensitive. Stefan Baraud said that despite the challenges DECCO was still at the table and involved in the process. In the face of rumours that government was examining options to the DECCO partnership, Baraud said there was a lot of work to do but thedeveloper, government and the Port Authority were all still talking. He said that they were examining the business case presented by the Camana Bay developer over the lease length on the upland part of the project.
Although the port chair said he could not reveal the details of the negotiation stumbling blocks, he indicated that the main area of concern was the length of the lease. In the Legislative Assembly earlier this month the premier had pointed to the lease length as an area of contention when he said government was seeking the shortest time period possible and the developer the longest time possible, in a span of 20 to 99 years as set out the framework agreement.
Meanwhile, Baraud noted that negotiations with the cruise lines were still moving forward and Carnival Cruises had now made a proposal regarding the per passenger fee it was prepared to pay for the upgraded facilities. Royal Caribbean, he explained, the leading advocate from the cruise sector for the infrastructure improvement, was also close to supplying a figure.
However, Baraud pointed out that between the increase in fees from the cruise lines and the cost of the project there was still a significant financial gap that needed to be filled by the upland element of the development, which would ultimately offer the commercial profit for the developer’s investment.
In order for DECCO (aka Dart) to recoup that investment it needs to have access to the profits generated by the upland development, including the hotel, marina and shops, for a given period. Baraud explained that there were many elements to the negotiations on the optimum length of that lease, which is key to the projects future for all parties.
“The negotiations are sensitive but we have not parted company. DECCO is still part of those negotiations. There are many things to be considered and we are all still committed to working through the negotiations with a view to breaking ground on the project in the New Year,” Baraud said optimistically.
The port chair also admitted that he had not envisioned the magnitude of the legal work that would be involved in order to ensure compliance with the law during the early processes of the project, but regardless of the necessary bureaucracy, everyone involved was still working hard to achieve the common goal of creating modern cruise berthing facilities to boost the country’s tourism sector.
Baraud also stated that, as far as he knew, DECCO had completed the environmental impact assessment on the project, which was waiting to be submitted. He confirmed that once the EIA was handed over by the developer, in the interest of transparency the Port Authority would release the document to the public.
The development of cruise berthing facilities has been a key goal of the UDP government but the project has been controversial and plagued by speculation and rumour from the get go. While the chair told CNS that DECCO remains at the table, other sources close to government revealed that the length of lease requested by the developer is not unacceptable to the government, which is now examining the other proposals that were received when the requests for proposals were first made.
The cruise berthing facilities will be developed on land owned by the crown or, ultimately, the Caymanian people. As a result, the time period that the land in question will be leased to the cruise port developer is sensitive. Too long a period and it will be seen as a sale of the people’s property — a controversial political position — but on the other hand, offering too short a lease could undermine the feasibility of the project for the developer. This would also cause a political headache for government, which is relying on the project to boost the country’s flagging local economy.
MLA to answer charges in New Year
(CNS): Following his second brief appearance in the dock, government backbencher Dwayne Seymour was bailed this morning and will return to the court in the New Year. Charged with assault and attempting to pervert the course of justice, the Bodden Town MLA’s case, along with that of his co-defendant, Joseph Hartwell Minzett, has been adjourned until 11 January. Steve McField, who is representing the two men, asked Acting Magistrate Valdis Foldats for the case to be adjourned until the magistrate with conduct of the matter would be able to deal with it, as the next stage involved pleas and elections. Seymour is expected to answer to the charges against him at this next appearance.
Seymour is expected to enter a plea regarding the two charges at his next appearance, and should he choose to defend the charges he will have the option of having the case heard in the Grand Court in front of a jury.
Although few details of the more serious charge of perverting or obstructing the course of justice have yet emerged, all of the charges relate to an incident at the Grand Cayman Beach Suites on Seven Mile Beach in May of this year. Seymour and Minzett are accused of assaulting Florida based personal trainer Garrone Yap, who claims that, aside from being involved in the assault on him, Seymour had used his position as a politician to have Yap also arrested in connection with the incident. Yap was, however, released while both Minzett and Seymour were placed on police bail.
After the charges were brought against him, Seymour said in a televised address that he was both innocent of, and “surprised by", the charges and he did not understand how what he called the "baseless charges" were laid against him. The MLA, who has received the public support of the premier and UDP party leader McKeeva Bush, also denies knowing the people involved in the charges and has said he looks forward to clearing his name in court.
“I have no earthly idea where and how they (the charges) could have arisen over the last five and a half months. It seems that everyone knew I was being charged with some offence before I did,” he said in a prepared statement which he read on Cayman 27. “All I can say at this point is that I do not know the persons involved and the charges made. I am also completely unaware of the circumstances being described in the charges.”
Gang of robbers hit Shoppe
(CNS): One man has been arrested following an armed robbery in West Bay last night in which a group of four or five men held staff and other people at gun point and made off with cash, cell phones and passports. Police said that at 8:33pm officers responded to a report that The Shoppe, at the junction of Watercourse and North West Point Road, had been robbed. The suspects first attempted to rob a cashier who had been outside the shop. A man threatened the victim with a handgun and demanded money. He then focused on other workers and people who were also outside. They were all then held at gunpoint by two other men armed with what appeared to be a shotgun and another handgun. During this time they were robbed of their cell phones.
Simultaneously, two other men entered the shop and robbed other workers who were inside the store, police said, and an undisclosed amount of cash and some passports were stolen. The suspects were seen to leave the location in a white Ford Explorer the first numbers being taken as N132.
Following a search by police, this vehicle was located and shortly afterwards police said that a man was was arrested. He remains in custody this morning whille enquiries continue.
Police are appealing for any witnesses or information to West Bay CID on 949-3999 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477
Mac goes back on road
(CNS): The country’s premier has headed overseas again to promote the Cayman Islands, according to officials. The premier departed for the United States this weekend to attend the Financial Times (FT) Global Finance Forum in New York. Before the conference opens on Thursday McKeeva Bush will be delivering an address at the ‘Cayman Islands International Financial Centre Update Dinner’ tomorrow evening. A release from the premier’s office said he will be delivering an important message to various stakeholders in the financial sector about Cayman as a jurisdiction of choice. Bush is expected to speak to an audience of chief financial officers, chief operating officers, partners and general councils of major firms such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.
The speech themed “Ensuring the Cayman Islands Remains the Jurisdiction of Choice” will focus on the maintenance of the Cayman Islands tax neutral status and its commitment to meet the standards of international tax transparency.
“The premier will also give an update of developments in the Cayman Islands and government initiatives to enhance the Cayman business environment,” the press office stated.
The forum, which opens 2 December, is titled “Reforming the Global Financial System” and is sponsored by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. Forum attendees will discuss ways to strengthen the global financial industry. The premier will deliver the opening remarks at the FT forum, which will be attended by senior executives in the financial services industry, senior government officials, financial services lawyers and accountants, regulatory bodies and academic experts in international finance, regulation and economics.
During last week’s presentation in the Legislative Assembly of the government’s Strategic Policy Statement the premier spoke of the importance of travelling to promote Cayman’s position and that his efforts were beginning to bear fruit.
Bush said he intended to build up the reputation of the jurisdiction and was planning a comprehensive international marketing road show in conjunction with the private sector partners. He said that Cayman had to be at the table at important events and to actively pursue appropriate business and investors.
“We cannot just be the regulator; we have to be partners with the financial services industry and we need to be at the table wherever that is,” Bush said.
Accompanying the premier is his senior political assistant, Richard Parchment, and Financial Services Chief Officer Dr Dax Basdeo is also attending the FT forum.
The premier returns home on 4 December and during his absence Julianna O’Connor-Connolly will be acting as premier.
UK chancellor to review tax on multinationals
(FT.Com): George Osborne as expected to set out his stall on Monday for restoring Britain’s tax competitiveness with a consultation on a far-reaching overhaul of rules blamed for the departure of several multinationals in recent years. The Treasury will propose making the tax system more “territorial” by restricting its right to impose tax on profits earned in low tax jurisdictions, as part of a drive to make the UK “the most competitive corporate tax system in the G20”. The reforms to the “controlled foreign companies” rules, the anti-avoidance regime affecting foreign profits, are designed to stop companies moving their tax base out of Britain to countries with no CFC rules, such as Ireland.
The Treasury is under pressure to make the reform of the rules radical enough to satisfy footloose companies while reassuring businesses that fear their taxes may rise to pay for the CFC changes.
Murder convictions safe
(CNS): The Court of Appeal has rejected the appeals of Larry Ricketts and Kirkland Henry on their conviction for the murder of Estella Scott-Roberts. On behalf of the three appeal court judges, the president, Sir John Chadwick, briefly revealed the decision this morning but said a written ruling would be handed down later. "By any standards this was an horrendous crime," the president told the court. He said that the appellants’ lead counsel had advanced every point that could properly have been done on their clients behalf. However, the president told the court, "We are satsified there are no grounds for allowing these appeals. Accordingly they are both dismissed." (Photo courtesy Cayman27)
Ricketts and Henry were both sentenced to life in prison by the chief justice in February this year for the October 2008 murder. (Photo courtesy Cayman27)
Henry has already pleaded guilty to rape, abduction and robbery and was given 20 years for those crimes in the wake of the murder trial. Ricketts who has pleaded not guilty to robbery, rape and abduction is listed to face another trial for those offences. However, the crown may decide that with a safe murder conviction it is not in the public interest to continue with a second trial relating to the offence.
There has been no indication so far from either of the attorneys representing Ricketts or Henry if they intend to take the appeals to the UK’s Privy Council.
Full story on CNS later today.
UK court rejects appeal over murder re-trial
(CNS): The Privy Council has not allowed the appeal of Josue Carillo-Perez, who will now face a second trial for the murder of Canadian National, Martin Gareau, in May 2008. The UK’s highest court refused the appeal taken by Perez, who was found not guilty of murder in a judge alone trial in July 2009, a verdict which was then quashed by the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. Perez, who had been a free man for only four months, having been in jail on remand awaiting trial, before he was rearrested in the wake of the CICA decision. A new trial date was set for September of 2010, which was then postponed when the case went to the UK’s Privy Council
The not guilty verdict of Justice Roy Anderson was overturned as a result of a self misdirection in the judge’s ruling, which stated that the burden of proof was enhanced for a murder charge. The crown had argued that the burden of proof is never enhanced because of the nature of the crime.
Perez, a Honduran national living in the Cayman Islands, was originally arrested for the crime only a few weeks after Gareau’s badly beaten body was found at his Beach Bay home in Bodden Town. Perez denied the murder and took the witness stand in his own defence and said he considered the victim a friend.
The crown’s case was based on two latent fingerprints found at Gareau’s home which matched the defendant, who said he had been to Gareau’s home only a few weeks before for a barbeque.
The judge said in his ruling that it while it was plausible that Perez could have committed the crime, plausibility was not enough. “Plausibility, however, is not an adequate basis for a criminal conviction and certainly the standard is enhanced when the charge is one of murder.” The judge went on to say that he did not believe the crown had not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Justice Anderson explained that although the defendant had elected for a judge alone trial, it was still the role of the judge to be both judge and jury and make the decision on the evidence.
In his verdict Justice Anderson said the crown’s case was based on circumstantial evidence, and while it had demonstrated with the fingerprint evidence that Perez was likely to have been at the scene, there was evidence to suggest that if Perez had played any part he was not alone. The crown had, however, presented a case where it said the defendant was the sole perpetrator of murder. The judge said that while he believed it was possible that Perez was involved, he could not say that he was sure he was the one that had committed the act of murder and therefore returned a verdict of not guilty.
Perez currently remains on remand at Northward and is now listed to appear in court in December when a trial date will be fixed for 2011.
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