Topic: Law
Protesters demand lower gas prices, present petition
The government will soon introduce legislation to address complaints about high gas prices, Premier Alden McLaughlin told demonstrators outside the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
Chamber offers workshops for small businesses
The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce is starting a series of free monthly workshops to assist small businesses.
Legal ganja no cash crop for Cayman
New legalized marijuana retailers in the United States, and the potential legal consequences for the Cayman Islands financial services industry, provide a ready reminder of our islands’ interconnectedness with the wider world.
No PR grants yet under new law
More than 500 non-Caymanians have applied for permanent resident status in the Cayman Islands over the past two years under the revised Immigration Law, but so far none have been awarded that status.
Accountants honor past and future leaders
The Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants celebrated 45 years at its annual gala Saturday at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman.
Carey Olsen opens Singapore office
Three years after the launch of its Cayman Islands office, offshore law firm Carey Olsen has opened its Singapore office following the granting of its license by the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Cayman Trusts Law needs to evolve, trust lawyers say
The Cayman Islands Trusts Law is in urgent need of modernization, particularly with regard to the treatment of U.S. beneficiaries of a trust, trust lawyers said at the Mourant Ozannes Trusts and Private Client Conference.
Amnesty offered to unlicensed room renters
Anyone renting rooms to tourists through home sharing sites like Airbnb has been offered an “amnesty” until the end of the year, before government begins cracking down on unlicensed properties.
Banking on weed a risky business
Providing banking services to a growing number of legitimate marijuana operations in the U.S. would still be considered money laundering in the Cayman Islands, an international expert warned Friday.
Burke's passing is Cayman cricket's sad loss
The Cayman sporting community is mourning the passing of celebrated cricketer Peter Burke who died of cancer last Friday.
Digicel to block ads on mobile network
Digicel plans to install ad blocking software on its network, stopping online advertisers from reaching Digicel’s mobile Web users, beginning Nov. 11.
Gambling Law changes will allow cruise ship registration
Proposed changes to the Gambling Law, which go before the Legislative Assembly this week, are designed to allow cruise ships to be registered in the Cayman Islands.
Keep an eye on lawmakers this week
Legislators are expected to tackle several significant pieces of legislation that could potentially alter the political and economic fabric of our country.
Busy week of bills for lawmakers
The Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly is set to be inundated this week with bills seeking massive change to the country’s business culture and its political election system.
Housing Trust wants more gov't housing
Reporting recent strides with its affordable housing programs and the relaunch of government-backed mortgage assistance, the National Housing Development Trust’s board of directors is calling on government to develop a new facility to help low-income people with housing.
Law professor condemns UK silence on gay 'hate speech'
The professor at the center of a gay rights case in the Cayman Islands told a conference for international lawyers that he believes the United Kingdom is failing to meet its responsibilities with respect to human rights for homosexuals in the Overseas Territories.
Swiss approve extradition of Costas Takkas
Swiss authorities have approved the extradition of Costas Takkas, Jeffrey Webb’s assistant at FIFA and former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association, to face trial in the U.S. on bribery charges.
Lights, camera, action! Filmmaking workshops ahead
Young filmmakers have a great opportunity to sign up for free courses with the CNCF, starting this Saturday and going through the month of October.
Court case highlights immigration woes
A man who pleaded “guilty with explanation” to selling jerk chicken and jerk pork without a trade and business license had his immigration problems aired before sentencing.
National risk assessment reveals major money laundering threats
The island-wide evaluation of money laundering risks in the Cayman Islands has revealed outdated laws and regulations, weak supervision of nonprofits and non-financial organizations, and insufficient international cooperation.
Emails reveal tender plan for mega-ships
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines were in advanced negotiations with government and Port Authority officials in early 2012 over upgrades to the Royal Watler dock that would have allowed the Genesis class mega-ships to visit Grand Cayman.
OECD releases measures to curb corporate tax avoidance
The OECD presented a final set of measures that seek to reform international tax rules to close gaps and inconsistencies that allow corporate profits to “disappear” or to be artificially shifted to jurisdictions with low or no taxation.
Shark diving: Should Cayman take the bait?
The Cayman Islands could be missing out on an economic and conservation opportunity by maintaining its ban on shark diving, according to experts.
CarePay trial to start in mid-November
Jury selection in the corruption trial of Canover Watson, Cayman’s former Health Services Authority board chairman, is due to begin in mid-November.
New company helps patients get treatment at home
A new company with a mission to make it easier for individuals with health issues to be cared for in the comfort of their own home has recently launched in the Cayman Islands.
Report on farmed turtle deaths kept from public
The infection that hit the turtle farm last year, killing 1,268 green sea turtles over four months, did not come to light for almost a year and a half.
The information was finally revealed in a Freedom of Information Law request and subsequent appeal for Cayman Turtle Farm board meeting minutes. The board presentation on the infection was initially redacted, but later handed over along with a host of other information after an appeal.
Volkwyn early front-runner in handicap series
The Wednesday Night Running Club held its first 3-mile handicap race last week starting from the old butterfly farm on Lawrence Boulevard.
Cayman extends visitor visa for Jamaicans
Repeat visitors to the Cayman Islands who hail from Jamaica will be given special treatment under the Immigration Law, with the option to obtain a 10-year visitor visa.
1,268 turtles died from illness at Turtle Farm in 2014
Almost 1,300 sea turtles died at the Cayman Turtle Farm over four months in 2014.
Auditor 'disappointed' in planning board reappointments
Cayman’s outgoing Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick said he was “disappointed” to learn the members of the Central Planning Authority and the Sister Islands Development Control Board were reappointed following a damning audit released by his office earlier this year.
Chamber of Commerce pans proposed labor legislation
The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce will not back the current draft of revamped labor legislation due to what the organization’s president described Wednesday as the “potential economic fallout” it could cause.
For the record: Does government support FOI?
Cayman Islands officials’ apparently equivocal attitude toward government transparency is troubling, perhaps even telling.
MP: Brits should be ready to assist Cayman FIFA investigations
A British MP and FIFA reform campaigner has called on the U.K. Serious Fraud Office to take a greater role in investigating corruption in the game’s governing body.
Cayman’s small businesses: A very big deal
Creation is the business of individual businessmen. And, too often, the cost of government regulation is decreased innovation.
Keast is not slowing down at 40
This is the busiest time of the year for runners, with the Cayman Marathon approaching in December. Yet at the start of this year, Andrew Keast was bursting with so much energy, he ran seven 26.2-mile races in as many months.
Report: Government stalling on FOI requests
More than half of the Freedom of Information requests filed with the Cayman Islands government during the last budget year were not answered within the legally required 30-day time frame.
Business in brief
Red Cross raises $56,000 with golf tournament; Campbells announces scholarship recipients; Pan-American Life celebrates launch; Samson & McGrath’s Trevor Burke admitted to Cayman Bar; Extended hours for business licensing; Fidelity Bank Bahamas appoints new chairman.
Residents warned over renting rooms to tourists
Officials are clamping down on Cayman Islands residents who rent spare rooms to tourists using home-sharing websites such as Airbnb.
Richards dances around rivals
Caymanian women playing rugby was virtually non-existent a few years ago because it was seen locally as purely an eccentric expats’ game.
Handicap series is starting
One of the most anticipated race series in the Cayman Islands starts this Wednesday.
Huge crowd bids farewell to Cayman's 'gentle hero'
Pioneer developer, seaman, grandfather of five and Cayman’s erstwhile “Santa Claus” Rex Herbert Hughes Crighton was laid to rest following a memorial service in George Town Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Crighton, who passed away at age 81 on Sept. 13, was known to many in Cayman as the man with the big house in Spotts who put up an impressive display of Christmas lights and decorations each holiday season.
Government: ‘Further work’ needed on Immigration Law
The Cayman Islands government will be delving back into certain areas of the territory’s Immigration Law to ensure legal issues raised by the chief justice last month are addressed.
Information Commission marks Right to Know Week
Marking Freedom of Information’s annual “Right to Know Week,” Acting Commissioner Jan Liebaers describes 2015 as a mix of record filings and growing awareness, but against a backdrop of potential administrative threats to the office.
Bill seeks to eliminate liquor license 'black market'
Sweeping changes proposed for Cayman’s Liquor Licensing Law seek to end what government and business leaders have often described as the “black market” for liquor licenses.
Lawmaker wants 'non-legal' distinction between 'Caymanians'
A lawmaker wants a non-legal distinction between 'Caymanians' when it comes to hiring lawyers.
Police Commissioner: Caribbean not immune to terror threat
Commissioner of Police David Baines says the Caribbean region is not immune to the threats stemming from global terrorism.
Bill seeks move to two-year budgets
If legislative proposals made public Wednesday are adopted, the current government budget will be Cayman’s last one-year public sector budget cycle.
Employer pleads guilty to pension offenses
The owner of three businesses pleaded guilty in Summary Court on Tuesday to 28 offenses against the National Pensions Law, including failure to have a pension plan or make pension contributions for 23 employees.
Third FIFA official ordered extradited to US
The third of seven FIFA officials arrested in May during a U.S. law enforcement raid at a Zurich hotel has been ordered to be extradited to America.
Lions help fill food pantry
The Lions Club of Grand Cayman’s food pantry drive on Saturday was the first in a long-term initiative the club is fostering to address community needs.
'Loan shark' jailed for no business license
A man who ran an unlicensed money lending business was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment on Tuesday for operating without a trade and business license.
Third generation lawyer joins family firm
Travis Alan Ritch was called to the Bar of the Cayman Islands on Sept. 17 in a ceremony similar to one held 39 years earlier.
Business in brief
Crestbridge to open office in Cayman; Butterfield sponsors National Gallery exhibition; anf Hedgeweek names Mourant Ozannes best Offshore Law Firm
Kate Clayton's death: What happened at the public hospital?
It is a pernicious system that reigns within the corridors of Grand Cayman’s public hospital.
Legal aid bill sets $20K initial fee limit
An initial limit of $20,000 per case is proposed in the latest attempt by the Cayman Islands government to rewrite legislation governing its legal aid services budget.
Law Society on 'Caymanian hiring'
The local attorneys association responds to MLA Winston Connolly's call for law firms to commit to hiring Caymanian lawyers.
Laws without enforcement lead to injustice
For any perceived problem, government has at least one solution for it, on paper. Of course, there is a difference between paper solutions and real solutions.
Far-reaching effect of permanent residence ruling cited
A recent court decision in permanent residence case may be a game-changer, not only for immigration-related matters, but for many other areas in which appointed boards make rulings and hear appeals on a plethora of matters, from business licensing to planning issues.
Licensing enforcement worries business owners
Cayman Islands business owners are not particularly concerned about complying with a new Trade and Business Licensing Law, but they say they are worried about a lack of enforcement against those who do not follow the rules.
Emergency medical response training held in the Brac
Royal Cayman Islands Police officers from the service’s training unit have completed an emergency medical response training course on Cayman Brac.
Fishermen object to marine parks plan
Department of Environment officials this week brought their proposals for an enhanced system of marine parks to West Bay, where they received a less-than-enthusiastic response from fishermen.
‘Man of the Year’ gets Bajan experience
Caymanian Lloyd Barker, who was awarded the Barbados Consulate’s “Man of the Year,” returned recently from a trip to Barbados – part of the award he received.
Business in brief
A roundup of business news.
Store manager suspects teens in overnight heist
Boys perhaps as young as 13 or 14 were likely responsible for an overnight armed robbery Friday at a central George Town business, the store’s manager said following a review of closed circuit television footage.
Blatter under fire over World Cup TV rights
A 2005 FIFA contract obtained by Swiss broadcaster SRF indicates that FIFA President Sepp Blatter allegedly sold TV rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup for a fraction of the market price to the Caribbean Football Union and the regional football body’s then-president Jack Warner.
Planning board reappointed after critical report
All members of the Cayman Islands Central Planning Authority have been reappointed in the wake of an audit report.
Public education: Cayman's most important test
The general tenor of the inspection reports on Cayman Islands government schools is not surprising — but it is scathing.
Violent robbery creates 'climate of fear,' judge says
James Romano Whittaker was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment Thursday for robbing a couple at knifepoint late last year as they were sitting on a seawall in George Town.
Conservation Council criticizes port plan
The National Conservation Council has criticized the cruise berthing proposal for George Town harbor, citing concerns with the economic costs and environmental damage.
MLA: Lawyers law must address Caymanian hiring
The Legal Practitioners Bill must promote Caymanian hiring at law firms, a George Town lawmaker says.
Bush: Permanent residence system ‘not helping’ Caymanians or expatriates
Cayman’s immigration system is helping neither local workers nor the economy, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush said.
Proud of Them: All-rounder Nathaan Whittaker recognized for achievements
Nathaan Whittaker received the Proud of Them award for his substantial contributions to and accomplishments in all five categories.
