Reimbursement details unclear
The purchase was not business-related, government officials said, but they were unable to confirm whether the credit card payment for the watch had ever been reimbursed.
Numerous calls to Mr. McLean’s home number and cellphone, text messages, and emails seeking to clarify the situation were made by Cayman Compass reporters during the week.
Mr. McLean did return calls seeking comment Tuesday. He did not deny using the government-issued credit card to buy the watch, but he declined to directly state whether it was he who made the purchase.
The East End MLA was asked specific questions about the watch purchase and printed in full below are the responses he gave.
The first question sought to ascertain if the credit card charge on Dec. 24, 2007, was made by Mr. McLean for a personal or government business reason.
“Whatever the reason, the credit card uses were justified,” Mr. McLean said. “I can defend myself.”
The second question sought to determine whether Mr. McLean had paid back the money, if he had used the card for personal reasons.
“A credit card is a credit line,” he said. “It does not charge any charge to the government [upon] its immediate use. I never had any charges that I made go onto the taxpayers in this country.”
The third question asked Mr. McLean whether, if he had used the credit card for personal use, he thought there was anything wrong with purchasing an item like a diamond-studded watch on a government-issued credit card.
“I am not going to be the cause of interference with the [Cayman Islands] Director of Public Prosecutions or any case that’s going forward,” Mr. McLean said.
The East End MLA did not respond to follow-up questions later in the week seeking to provide further clarification of his responses.
The matter of the Christmas Eve watch purchase came to light as hundreds of records were released last week through a Freedom of Information request detailing the charges on government-issued credit cards held by five current or former government ministers and four former or current chief officers.
Mr. McLean was one of the former government ministers named in the records release.
Shopping trip
In October 2008, Mr. McLean’s government credit card was used for a shopping trip in Miami.
Over a two days – the 24th and 25th of the month – Mr. McLean’s card was used to make $2,381 worth of purchases at six retail stores:
- JC Penney at Dadeland Mall – US$385.03
- Wal-Mart Doral – US$267.93
- World Foot Locker – US$334.29
- Champs Sports – US$197.91
- Burlington Coat Factory – US$350.79
- Polo – US$845.06
The last charge was apparently at the Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store at Dolphin Mall, where the card was also used for a US$301.86 charge at the Texas de Brazil restaurant.
On Oct. 26, a charge of US$233.58 at Hertz Rent-a-Car was also posted to his account.
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I would be so wrong to point one single finger at any one Minister or Chief Officer for the use or abuse of credit cards issued to them.
My thoughts are that every one is being punished for their deeds of not living good together in the house of LA and Government departments. Such easy well paid jobs; All Caymanians, But the undermined, unfriendly could not care a dam attitude, back stabbing, has caused judgment to come upon them all. Such a small island, our families raised us from bare necessities, attending school with one uniform and no lunch box; and because of not enforcing good thoughts, we have allowed ourselves to become robots of the new world,and led to slaughter by a handful of so-call friends to influence. I do hope this will be a lesson well learned.
This is interesting. If the charges were personal (the ones made at the malls in Florida), well surely there would also be a declaration of goods, made to those competent folks at Customs. Surely we wouldn’t have over a thousand dollars of such items brought into this country without duty being levied.
Of course, I may be wrong…there may be official government spending at World Foot Locker and Burlington Coat Factory.
Check the flight records, if he’s on the up and up he would have claimed the items he purchased and paid the duty. If he did, I am inclined to believe that he’s an honest man.
I guess we can all be thankful he had the moral clarity to avoid the Rolex counter.