Topic: Canover Watson
Canover Watson’s Caymanian status revoked
Disgraced former football executive Canover Watson has had his Caymanian status Caymanian revoked because of his criminal conviction.
Convicted former football execs in court over $100,000 loan
A Grand Court judge has ruled that former Cayman Islands Football Association executive Canover Watson does not need to pay back his CIFA colleague Bruce Blake US$100,000 he borrowed to pay for a defence lawyer.
Commission: Failure to seize Watson’s funds makes Cayman look ‘incompetent’
The Anti-Corruption Commission has questioned why six-figure confiscation orders against serial fraudster Canover Watson have not been enforced.
Former football executive’s fraud sentence cut by appeals court
An appeal against conviction for a massive football
Man acquitted of jury tampering over football corruption case
A man accused of tampering with a Grand Court jury in the hopes of setting free former Cayman Islands Football Association executives, has been acquitted of the charge.
Man on trial for jury tampering
A man accused of jury tampering in relation to a high-profile money-laundering case involving former Cayman Islands Football Association executives, has refuted the allegations, claiming instead that he was misunderstood.
Man accused of jury tampering in football corruption case
A George Town man is expected to stand trial on charges of jury tampering, after prosecutors say he tried to arrange the acquittal of two men who were convicted in a football fraud trial.
Football executives land multiple-year jail sentence following fraud trial
Disgraced football executive Canover Watson has been sentenced to eight years in jail following his conviction on fraud and money-laundering charges.
Prosecutors call for lengthy prison sentences for Watson and Blake
Prosecutors are calling for sentences of up to 14 years and seven years, respectively, for former Cayman Islands Football Association and CONCACAF executives Canover Watson and Bruce Blake, for defrauding the local and regional governing football bodies between 2013 and 2014.
Special report: The men who scammed the beautiful game
While Cayman has no involvement in the World Cup, its administrators were heavily implicated in a kickback scandal dubbed the ‘World Cup of fraud’, the repercussions of which rumble on to this day.
Jury finds Watson guilty on all counts in football fraud trial
A jury has found Canover Watson guilty on all counts in a fraud trial that accused him of sending false invoices for US$1.54 million to regional football confederation CONCACAF and then laundering the stolen funds. His co-accused Bruce Blake was found guilty of false accounting but cleared of money laundering charges.
Jury considering verdict in football corruption case
The jury has been sent out to consider its verdict in the trial of two former Caribbean football executives accused of corruption.
Evidence in football fraud trial closes for jury deliberations
The evidence in the fraud trial against Canover Watson and Bruce Blake ended this week with defence lawyers claiming in their final remarks that the Crown had totally misunderstood its own case against Watson and that Blake may have erred in judgment but had trusted his fellow Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) executive.
Blake denies money laundering and false accounting charges
Former Cayman Islands Football Association executive Bruce Blake has concluded his four-day testimony in an ongoing fraud trial to deny money laundering-related and false accounting charges.
Watson testifies CIFA loans sourced from own companies
At his ongoing fraud trial, former football executive Canover Watson claimed that two controversial US$600,000 sponsorship payments to the Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) in 2013 were, in fact, loans from his own personal companies.
Watson takes stand to deny football fraud
Former Cayman football administrator Canover Watson took to the stand over the past two weeks to deny any wrongdoing in his ongoing fraud trial.
Auditor: CIFA loan agreements did not seem ‘kosher’
Auditors raised red flags about suspicious loan transactions for US$1.2 million when they examined the Cayman Islands Football Association’s books.
Fraud trial: Forward Sports employee knows nothing of CONCACAF invoices, payments
An employee of company that allegedly sent false invoices to CONCACAF testified she knew of only two containers and some smaller orders that were shipped.
Fidelity removed CIFA property charge after CONCACAF card deal
Fidelity agreed to remove a charge on CIFA property securing a loan after receiving a US$500,000 deposit from CONCACAF in relation to a prepaid card services contract given to the bank.
Jeffrey Webb was lining up ‘war chest’ for FIFA presidency bid, trial hears
Allies of former Cayman football chief Jeffrey Webb were seeking to line up a $100 million 'fighting fund' to help install him as the top official in the world game, a court heard last week.
Key witness ‘unaware’ of $1.5m invoices in soccer trial
A former salesman for a sports equipment manufacturer told a court Friday he had no knowledge of US $1.54 million dollars worth of invoices filed in the company’s name with regional football governing body CONCACAF.
Fraud trial: Overpriced undelivered CONCACAF orders would have been poor quality
A CONCACAF executive testified in Grand Court Wednesday that sports equipment orders used to allegedly steal more than $1.5 million from the organisation were never supplied but, in any event, would not have met the requirements in terms of quality and price.
Alleged false invoices paid by CONCACAF were ‘excessive’
An allegedly fraudulent bill for 15,000 ushers' vests for the 2013 Gold Cup was sent a week after the football tournament started and the quantity was unrealistic, the court heard in the trial against Canover Watson and Bruce Blake on Tuesday.
Witness: CONCACAF paid $1.54 million but has no record of goods received
The court heard evidence from CONCACAF’s Head of Finance, David Cruz, who in 2013 processed $1.54 million in payments to a Panamanian company allegedly controlled by Canover Watson.
Trial against former football executives Watson and Blake opens
The trial against former football executives Canover Watson and Bruce Blake started on Friday, five years after their initial arrest and three years after they were charged.
Watson, Blake deny CIFA fraud-related charges
Two former soccer officials have denied multiple corruption charges linked to claims they fraudulently funnelled cash through the Cayman Islands Football Association bank account.
Trio to face trial on football fraud charges
Charmaine Moss and Canover Watson returned to Grand Court on Friday to face charges of fraud and corruption relating to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
Two appear in court over football fraud
Charmaine Moss and Canover Watson appeared before the Summary Court on Tuesday to face charges of defrauding local and regional football bodies. Moss, 45, and Watson, 49, along with Jeffrey Webb, 55, are alledged to have conspired to defraud the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) between January 2012 and September 2014. According to court documents, the trio is alleged to have created a fake company called Ironshore International Limited*, and then submitted inflated and fraudulent invoices to CONCACAF.
Moss, Watson and Webb charged with fraud
Charmaine Moss, Jeffrey Webb and Canover Watson are all jointly charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud CONCACAF (Confederation, North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football).
Former football execs appear in Grand Court
Two former high‑ranking football officials made their initial appearances in Grand Court Friday to answer to several corruption‑related charges.
Football exec Blake vows to fight corruption charges
Football executive Bruce Blake has vowed to “vigorously defend” himself against corruption allegations after being charged with multiple offences late last week.
FIFA signals CIFA will receive renewed funding
Cayman was welcomed back into the global football community Friday, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino led a delegation to visit the headquarters of the Cayman Islands Football Association.
Former football officials Watson, Blake charged
Two former senior officials of the Cayman Islands Football Association have been charged with a string of offences, including money laundering and false accounting, in connection with an ongoing corruption probe.
Watson released from prison after 28 months
Cayman Islands businessman Canover Watson was arrested by Anti-Corruption Commission officers Monday immediately after his release on license from Her Majesty’s Prison, Northward.
Sources: Watson arrested again in football funds probe
Cayman Islands businessman Canover Watson was arrested Monday by officers from the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Cayman Compass has confirmed through numerous official sources.
Prisons director to review release scheme
Interim Prisons Director Steven Barrett said he will review Cayman’s temporary release program for lower-risk inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison, Northward, but that he was “not aware of any significant failure” in that system since his arrival in February.
Court orders Watson to pay US$1.1M over CarePay scheme
Cayman Islands businessman Canover Watson was ordered Thursday to pay the government US$1.12 million (CI$925,995.58) over his role in the CarePay hospital swipe-card fraud, for which he was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Crown has days left for CarePay confiscation
If the Cayman Islands government is going to take any money from Canover Watson as a result of his conviction in the CarePay hospital swipe-card contract scam, it will have to settle that amount by Friday.
Judge: Watson and others ‘benefited’ US$6.8M from CarePay
Cayman Islands businessman Canover Watson and others “jointly benefited” from the CarePay public hospital fraud scheme to the tune of US$6.79 million, a Grand Court judge found Thursday.
Prosecutors reveal delays in football association probe
Although he was arrested more than six months ago in connection with a criminal investigation at the Cayman Islands Football Association, former CIFA treasurer Canover Watson has yet to be interviewed by police investigating the case, a court heard Friday.
Watson confiscation hearing set for January
The confiscation hearing for Canover Watson has been set for January 2018, nearly two years after he was found guilty of two counts of defrauding the government, as well as three corruption-related offenses in connection with the CarePay case.
‘Wholly without merit’: Court rejects Canover Watson’s appeal
After hearing former Health Services Authority Chairman Canover Watson’s application to appeal his fraud- and corruption-related convictions on Thursday afternoon, justices for the Court of Appeal adjourned for less than 10 minutes before returning with their decision.
Lawmakers skeptical of CarePay ‘fixes’
Efforts to prevent a reoccurrence of bureaucratic bungles that led Cayman Islands taxpayers to spend US$1.8 million for nothing during the CarePay contract debacle drew skepticism from lawmakers who noted there had been little accountability in the wake of the disastrous deal’s end.
Canover Watson arrested in CIFA probe
The second man arrested last week in connection with a corruption and money laundering probe involving the Cayman Islands Football Association is jailed businessman Canover Watson, according to numerous government and local football sources. Watson, 46, was taken to the Fairbanks jail and questioned Friday, according to authorities.
Watson’s attorney challenges trial judge
Former Health Services Authority Board chairman Canover Watson will be allowed to retain Queen’s Counsel in his pursuit of an appeal against a seven-year prison sentence following a 2015-2016 fraud and corruption trial.
EDITORIAL – The quality of Cayman crime: (Not good enough!)
The Cayman Islands is one of the world’s foremost offshore financial centers, home to complex multibillion-dollar corporate structures. Accordingly, you would think that the crimes committed here would tend to be really smart. Not so.
EDITORIAL – CarePay scandal: Its epitaph is not yet written
CarePay is dead. But its residue lingers all over the Cayman Islands. The lead story in Wednesday’s Compass was a partial exhumation of the CarePay issue. During a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, Superintendent of Health Insurance Mervyn Conolly told lawmakers that Cayman still needs a real-time electronic verification system for healthcare claims, following the government’s previous unsuccessful effort.
Watson sent to prison, investigation stalls
Canover Watson began serving a seven-year prison sentence in early February on charges of conspiracy to defraud, fraud on the government, breach of trust and conflict of interest charges following a Grand Court verdict in the CarePay trial.
Two arrests for corruption made in 2015/16
The Cayman Islands government recorded two arrests and one conviction for corruption-related offenses during its last budget year, according to a report made public last month.
Watson receives legal aid for conviction appeal
A Caymanian businessman whose personal assets were stated at more than $3 million during his criminal trial early this year has been granted legal aid to appeal his conviction on fraud and corruption charges. The Grand Court heard Monday afternoon that Canover Watson, 46, had received legal aid assistance for the appeal, but that no legal assistance had been given – or asked for – in his pending asset forfeiture matter.
CarePay audit: US$1.8M spent on non-existent project
The Cayman Islands government spent US$1.8 million (CI$1.5 million) on a fraudulent plan to “roll out” a healthcare patient swipe-card system to private sector doctors and insurers, an audit of the public hospital system’s CarePay project has confirmed.
EDITORIAL – CarePay audit: No clean bill of public health
Case closed on CarePay? For the sake of the people of the Cayman Islands who are picking up the tab for this sordid affair, it better not be.
Former CONCACAF, Admiral headquarters for sale
The downtown George Town office building that once housed former CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb’s office and his friend Canover Watson’s financial services company is being sold.
Watson, Aspinall blacklisted by finance regulator
Canover Norbert Watson and Robert Neil Aspinall have each been identified by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority as “not a fit and proper person” to hold certain positions in the Cayman Islands financial services industry.
Review of CarePay debacle complete
The internal review of the Cayman Islands government’s catastrophic five-year, US$13 million dollar contract for hospital patient insurance adjudication services has been completed, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said Friday.
Watson says he will seek legal aid
Canover Watson told a Grand Court judge Monday that he would ask for legal aid in ongoing asset forfeiture proceedings and an appeal resulting from his February conviction on conspiracy to defraud and corruption-related charges.
Webb’s FIFA plea deal sought from US court
Details of cooperation agreements between three key defendants in the ongoing FIFA corruption investigation, including a deal struck with Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb, are being sought by a U.S.-based news organization which filed a formal request with the federal court for those records earlier this month.
EDITORIAL – Opting out of public healthcare
It’s official: Not even the government wants to be locked into the government’s healthcare system.
Loans, gifts and graft: CIFA and CONCACAF’s Panama connections
A Panamanian company set up by Canover Watson that was allegedly used to receive a $1.1 million bribe payment from Traffic Sports to Jeffrey Webb is the same entity that had a controversial $600,000 loan agreement with the Cayman Islands Football Association, documents reveal.
EDITORIAL – Auditing the CarePay audit
When identifying the factors for gross financial malfeasance, accountants are okay, but police officers are far better. The difference is that accountants carry calculators, while the police carry handcuffs.
Canover Watson appeal filed
Defense attorney Ben Tonner confirmed on Friday that an appeal has been filed on behalf of Canover Watson, who was found guilty earlier this month of various fraud-related charges.
Details of ministers’ meeting with CarePay witness revealed
Former Health Services Authority Chief Information Officer Dale Sanders said Tuesday that he did not accept any reward or contract from Cayman Islands government ministers as a result of a private meeting in Washington, D.C., in 2013.
CarePay: Health ministry, HSA face audit
Cayman Islands Deputy Governor Franz Manderson has ordered government’s internal auditors to look into events surrounding the award and implementation of the CarePay hospital swipe-card contract, in the wake of what were described as “shocking” revelations during former Health Services Authority Board Chairman Canover Watson’s criminal trial.
Time short for Watson appeal
The deadline for Cayman Islands businessman Canover Watson to appeal his Grand Court conviction on five fraud and corruption-related charges is Friday.
Health chief reveals new criminal probe into CarePay
Withholds information on IT contract
Watson’s 2007 YCLA award rescinded
The board of the Young Caymanian Leadership Awards decided Wednesday to “formally rescind” the award given to Canover Watson in 2007 for outstanding achievement and service to the community.
EDITORIAL – Orrett Connor’s intemperate on-air remarks
Venomous remarks that are calculated to divide people on the basis of skin color are always reprehensible but even more so when uttered by someone of the former Cabinet Secretary's stature.
CIFA members involved with CarePay pharmacy deal
At least three members of the Cayman Islands Football Association, including Canover Watson and Jeffrey Webb, intended to benefit from the creation of a new pharmacy business.
Webb parties amid FIFA fallout
His best friend and someone he once described as “his brother” was sent to jail for seven years Friday.
EDITORIAL – FIFA scandal fallout: not just ‘not over,’ but barely begun
Canover Watson is in Northward Prison. Jeffrey Webb is under house arrest in Georgia. And yet the local fallout from the global FIFA scandal has barely started.
Football firm linked to FIFA probe, Watson court case
A Pakistan-based football products manufacturing company has been linked in legal documents to the ongoing FIFA corruption and bribery probe in the United States.
EDITORIAL – The verdict on the verdict: A good start
The conviction of former Health Services Authority chairman Canover Watson for fraud and breach of trust answers one question about the public hospital system’s CarePay scheme, but raises a legion of others about corruption, complicity, indifference and incompetence in the highest levels of the Cayman Islands officialdom.
