ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 SPORT | PAGE 22 STRONG COMPETITION AT SQUASH TOURNAMENT High of 85 Low of 76 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ON LITTER, AND LITTERS: OUR PROBLEMS WITH GARBAGE AND DOGS #203 Alissta Towers, 85 North Sound Road, Grand Cayman KY1-1109, T: + 1 (345) 949-9744 E: Aleisha.Lalor@caribbeanalliance.com www.caribbeanalliance.com ACTING INFORMATION COMMISSIONER: Data protection bill may fail EU test BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The man who is to be largely responsible for the implementation of Cayman’s data pro- tection legislation, if and when it is approved by lawmakers, has warned that the bill may not pass muster with the European Union if government moves to a combined “om- budsman” office, as is currently planned. Acting Information Commissioner Jan Li- ebaers said Tuesday in an interview with the Cayman Compass that the proposed merger of his office with the complaints commission- er’s office and several other independent func- tions – including data protection – may cause EU regulators to balk at the arrangement and fail to award Cayman a coveted “adequacy status” for personal data protection. According to European regulations, the en- tity that is supposed to handle data protection must be completely independent and Mr. Li- ebaers suggests the current proposal to merge the independent offices would not provide that independence. The Data Protection Bill, 2016, is due to come before the Legislative Assembly later this month. It’s the third time government has attempted to put in place legislation regu- lating specific protections of personal privacy rights and instructing private sector busi- nesses and government entities on how they must handle personal records. The previous two attempts to pass such legislation failed to make it to the Legislative Assembly floor. At the heart of Cayman’s continued efforts since 2009 to formulate some sort of personal data protection regime is a push by the ter- ritory’s financial services sector to obtain the “adequacy status” – as determined by the Eu- ropean Commission – for personal records. “In the EU … you’re only allowed to export personal data to a country that provides ad- equate protection [of that data],” Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers said. Without obtaining that adequacy status, multinational companies that wish to do TWO-YEAR-OLD PENSION REPORT AWAITS CABINET REVIEW BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Representatives of the Finance Ministry have declined to release a Jan. 1, 2014 finan- cial evaluation of the Public Service Pensions system twice in the last six months, citing a pending review of the documentation by Cab- inet ministers to occur at a date in the future. The actuarial evaluation of the three re- tirement plans managed by government, for civil servants, Grand Court judges and politi- cians, was initially submitted to government in fall 2014, then revised and completed as of fall 2015. Its release was not objected to by Mercer, the consultants who completed it on behalf of the government. However, ministry officials said in mid-Oc- tober 2015 that they were “deferring” the re- lease of the final pension plan evaluation until March 2016, to allow for a Cabinet review of the matter. In March 2016, the Compass again re- quested a copy of the actuarial report and were told that Cabinet still needed time to re- view the document. “The decision to defer release of the reports to May 31, 2016 will allow for sufficient time for the reports to be presented, deliberated and accepted by Cabinet,” Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson said. The Compass is appealing the financial secretary’s decision to the Information Com- missioner’s Office. Whether or not the information compiled by the actuaries has been released to the Teen spent last day volunteering John Shaw, 16, who passed away from an asthma attack at Seven Mile Public Beach on Saturday, spent part of the last day of his life like many other days, helping out in the community and volunteering with his fellow Cadet Corps members. The teenager, remembered by friends and family as a hard-working young man with a joy for life, had spent that morning helping with the Earth Day cleanup. Afterward, he went to the beach, where he played with children and went swimming, before succumbing to an asthma attack. His family told the Cayman Compass of the teen’s many talents and his ambi- tions to be a pilot. He was a member of the flight club at John Gray High School. Mr. Shaw, center, is pictured with Paul and Rahiem Jacas the morning be- fore his death. For more, see page 5. Brothers on trial for George Town murder JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A witness has described seeing his friend shot at point blank range in the alleyway out- side a George Town bar. Jason Powery, 20, was killed instantly by the single gunshot which left him with a “hole in his face,” his friend Jerome Hurlston told the Grand Court Tuesday. Brothers Justin Ramoon and Osbourne Douglas are jointly ac- cused of the July 1, 2015 murder outside the Globe Bar. Mr. Hurlston said he was standing at the opposite end of the alley to Mr. Powery, nick- named “Moggy,” when he noticed Ramoon standing by a tree about halfway between them. “As soon as Jason turned and put his beer down, [Ramoon] walked up to Jason and shot him in the face,” Mr. Hurlston said. Demonstrating with his two fingers pointed at his palm, he said Ramoon was no more than a few inches from Mr. Powery when he fired the fatal shot. He said the shooter had walked back down the alley, with the gun pointed at the floor, toward where he, Mr. Hurlston, was standing with two other men. He said Ramoon had raised the gun again, but it struck the PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. © y x *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. - WEDNESDAY - THE JUNGLE BOOK 3D (PG) 1:00 I 1:30 2D I 3:30 I 4:00 2D I 6:30 7:00 2D I 9:00 I 9:30 2D THE BOSS (R) 1:00 I 3:40 I 7:00 I 9:30 BATMAN V SUPERMAN DAWN OF JUSTICE 3D (PG13) 12:30 I 3:45 2D I 8:00 CRIMINAL (R) 1:10 I 4:10 I 7:10 I 9:50 ZOOTOPIA (PG13) 12:45 I 3:30 LONDON HAS FALLEN (R) 7:20 I 9:40 Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) 181333-Ads-Liquidation_Notice.in1 14/15/16 3:48:26 PM 181333-Ads-Liquidation_Notice.in2 24/15/16 3:48:26 PM Tourism Association to vote for new leaders at AGM JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Tourism Association will elect a new board of direc- tors and possibly a new president at its annual gen- eral meeting on Wednesday. Ken Hydes, who has led the association for the last two years said, at this point, he is unsure whether he will look to continue in the role. “I think this is a good time for a transition,” he said. “If there is a strong con- sensus that people want me to continue then I will have to do some soul searching, but there are some really solid people on the current board who I think could do a good job.” Whomever takes the helm, Mr. Hydes, who will stay on as director with responsibility for cruise tourism, said the associa- tion’s focus should be on maintaining the momentum in the tourism industry and balancing growth with the quality of cus- tomer experience. He said issues like the balance of amenities be- tween cruise and stay- over visitors, long lines at the airport and concerns over crime, would continue to be challenges. “We are in a position right now where we don’t have a chief immigra- tion officer [and] we are looking for a new commis- sioner of police. I think filling these roles is going to be something that we see as a priority. “They are obviously im- portant roles in their own right, but from a tourism perspective, border control and policing are a key part of the customer experience.” He said CITA’s relation- ship with government and other industry partners was better than it had ever been. With arrivals rising, new hotels on the horizon and the successful launch of the hospitality school, he be- lieves the future for the in- dustry is bright. But he said the focus needed to be on ensuring the “guest experience” did not suffer as the number of tourists grows. Sorting out issues like the recent complaints by condominium owners on Seven Mile Beach of unli- censed vendors peddling their wares to tourists will be paramount, he said. “We are confident that the government is ad- dressing the vendor situa- tion at Public Beach. “It is not about taking away people’s livelihood, but to have them operate within a structure where the quality of service and the guests best interests are maintained.” The annual general meeting takes place Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Marriott. Young Caymanian selected to attend New York music workshop Cayman Arts Festival chooses clarinetist this year ALMA CHOLLETTE achollette@pinnaclemedialtd.com A 19-year-old clarinetist is the latest musician in Cayman to be chosen to at- tend summer music work- shop at the renowned Luzerne Music Center in New York. The Cayman Arts Fes- tival organizers selected Deidra Campbell as this year’s student. Over the past two years, the Cayman Arts Festival has provided young Cayma- nian musicians the oppor- tunity to attend the summer music workshop at Luzerne. Violinist Nayil Arana was selected in 2014 and eupho- niumist Duncan Anderson in 2015 to attend the work- shop to tune up their skills before auditioning for their respective music schools. Ms. Campbell, who first began playing music in pri- mary school, at the age of 7, said she had not expected to be chosen. “Back in [primary school] playing an instrument was a privilege. You had to be well-behaved and be doing well in other subjects,” she recalled. After meeting both re- quirements, Ms. Camp- bell, when the time came to choose her instrument, called upon the clarinet, which she has now been playing for 12 years. But it was not until age 9 that she devoted most, if not all, of her time, to the clarinet. “I started to take music seriously when I was 9 years old,” she said. “My mom had just died.” She went on to say that music became her “voice,” a way of expressing herself. “Music has remained that way ever since, and I am highly committed to it,” she said. “I cannot imagine a life without it. I have been able to find a creative means of ex- pression through playing my clarinet.” The two-time Butterfield Young Musician of the Year participant is no stranger to performing. As an active member of the Cayman Is- lands Royal Police Band, she has had the opportunity to play in events like the Queen’s Birthday Parade, Heroes Day, Remembrance Day and various ensem- bles from jazz bands to concert bands. In 2010, she also played in the Immaculate Concep- tion Orchestra in Jamaica. Despite her dedication to the clarinet, Ms. Campbell, has indulged in playing other instruments, in- cluding the steel pan bass and four pan. She has also started to learn to play the saxo- phone, and take her piano playing more seriously, as she intends to become a music teacher one day. She has already had a taste of teaching, as a music teacher for gifted and talented mu- sicians of Bodden Town and East End primary schools. In support of Ms. Camp- bell’s artistic summer in New York, the Cayman Arts Festival is hosting a fun- draising piano recital on Thursday, April 21. “Deidra is a very talented musician who has already displayed all the qualities required to become a pro- fessional clarinetist given suitable guidance and ex- posure,” said Cayman Arts Festival’s artistic director, Glen Inanga. “We feel that she is ready for this sort of chal- lenge as she has reached a very advanced level on her instrument.” Mr. Inanga believes that by attending the Luzerne Music Center, Ms. Camp- bell will receive a level of exposure to intensive music study as she prepares to au- dition to study the clarinet at overseas conservatories, with “a highly selective au- dition process.” “Deidra,” said Mr. Inanga, “has always dis- played great insight artisti- cally and is highly respon- sive to new musical ideas during coaching.” Thursday’s concert will include works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin by pianist Mr. Inanga. Ms. Campbell will briefly perform at the re- cital’s opening. “I am exhilarated to have been chosen to attend Lu- zerne Music Center this year because it is a great opportunity for me to ma- ture and develop as a mu- sician in training,” said Ms. Campbell, who went on to say that immersing herself among other musicians will continue to encourage and challenge her capabilities. The Luzerne Music Cen- ter’s workshop will run from July 18 through Au- gust, for one month. Ken Hydes [Current CITA president Ken Hydes] said issues like the balance of amenities between cruise and stay- over visitors, long lines at the airport and concerns over crime, would continue to be challenges. “I cannot imagine a life without [music]. I have been able to find a creative means of expression through playing my clarinet.” DEIDRA CAMPBELL, music student Deidra Campbell will be attending Lucerne Music Center in New York this summer. - PHOTO: ALMA CHOLLETTEThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Grand Cayman’s most obnoxious problems — our out- of-control garbage situation and runaway feral dog popu- lation — may actually be one and the same. That’s according to a pair of prominent canine scien- tists featured recently in The New York Times. The association rings true to us. Generally speaking, an animal population requires a couple of things for survival: habitat and food. With wide expanses of bush and unprotected rubbish bins on every corner — not to mention litter strewn on the roadside, residences that welcome in “part-time pets” at night, and the mountain of solid waste at the George Town Landfill — Grand Cayman is a practical paradise for “village dogs,” or what scientists Raymond and Lorna Coppinger describe as “superbly adapted scavengers.” The Coppingers have spent decades studying these waste-dependent creatures, to the point of arriving at mathematical certainties. “The number of dogs that can survive in a city or a neighborhood or at a dump is determined by the available garbage. The Coppingers calculated that in the tropics it takes about 100 people to produce enough garbage to support seven free-living dogs,” according to the Times. Extrapolating that to Grand Cayman and its 60,000 human residents (and factoring in garbage from our tourists and cruise visitors), that means our island could probably support a “village dog” population of 10,000 or more. The dogs that interest the Coppingers “are not mongrels or strays,” but are largely autonomous animals with their own social behaviors. “They have remarkably varied connections to human beings. Some live com- pletely on their own at dumps. Some are neighborhood dogs, recognized and perhaps given handouts by people who live in a certain area. Others may feed and breed on their own, but spend nights at the homes of people,” according to the Times. These free-breeding dogs outnumber “pet dogs” by three to one, globally. Out of the estimated 1 billion dogs on Earth, some 250 million are pets, and some 750 million are dogs that, as the Times puts it, “don’t have flea collars.” Those 750 million dogs across the world have much in common with our very own “Cayman mutts,” and we’re not just referring to their lifestyle. “[I]n the tropics … a 30-pound, lion-colored dog is the norm,” Raymond Cop- pinger said. These “lion-colored dogs” — much like lionfish — can quickly overrun an area through the power of multiplica- tion. According to the Times, “Although the Coppingers recognize the social cost of animals that are unvacci- nated and running free, they argue that killing the dogs, as some countries do during rabies epidemics, does not help. It’s impossible to kill them all, and because they breed rapidly, the population quickly rebounds.” In other words, no matter how many hundreds of dogs the Department of Agriculture euthanizes per year, or how many animals our various volunteer groups try to adopt out or ship off-island, those efforts will never be enough to put a dint in Cayman’s feral dog population — so long as their food supply remains in abundance. Remember, these are the same dogs that harass our native blue iguanas to the point of extinction, disrupt people’s sleep with barking and howling throughout the night, dart (or stroll leisurely) through traffic on busy streets, and sometimes gather in gangs to attack pets or even human beings — including, notably, Governor Helen Kilpatrick last July. According to the Times, “One way or another, village dogs depend on garbage. If society wants fewer dogs in the street, there’s a surefire solution. “Less garbage.” Now … about that landfill … On litter, and litters: Our problems with garbage and dogs Panama Leaks: Through the offshore looking glass ANTHONY TRAVERS So excited are the left- wing media at the apparent ease with which the legiti- mate right to privacy can now be breached, that absent from the extensive coverage of the Panama Papers leak is any journalistic analysis whatsoever of the evident and coruscating irony. Firstly, as the always ex- cellent Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute points out, we apparently find ourselves in some distorted Alice Through the Looking Glass universe where it is more important to ensure the confidentiality of murderous terrorists locked in an iPhone than it is to maintain the confidential fi- nancial information of what may very well turn out to be law-abiding citizens with a legitimate right to privacy in their personal affairs. It should not be forgotten that we were all entreated to sto- ries of mass crime and tax evasion on the occasion of the unlawful hacking of fi- nancial records held by two BVI service providers some 18 months ago, but we have to date seen no prosecutions for tax offenses or anything else as a result. Secondly, having decided to inhabit that Alice Through the Looking Glass universe, the logic applied by the In- ternational Consortium of In- vestigative Journalists (ICIJ) does not even meet the stan- dard exhibited by Twee- dledee. (“If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.”) Thirdly — and we simply have to allow ourselves a quiet chuckle — if U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron had been better briefed from the outset about the meaning of the expression “offshore in- vestment” (which, of course, is anything else in the world beyond the white cliffs of Dover), and what is lawful and what is not, he would have been spared the an- guish of dancing on the head of a pin in the House of Com- mons trying to justify his fa- ther’s perfectly legitimate and lawful fund operations. Fourthly, it is beyond bi- zarre that those fund opera- tions, conducted as they were latterly in Dublin, an invest- ment hub in the heart of the EU, have been mischaracter- ised as indicative of yet more suspect offshore investment. Fifthly, if the clients of the unfortunate Mossack Fonseca law firm were truly all that interested in absolute confi- dentiality and hiding crim- inal activity and tax evasion, they would not have caused their affairs to be moved from a non-transparent, non- OECD compliant jurisdiction like Panama to an OECD- compliant and transparent jurisdiction like the BVI, where tax authorities and law enforcement have an un- restricted right of enquiry as to beneficial ownership and where upon such enquiry the records are available. Sixthly, what we appear to have evidence of is a number of members of the political elite responsible through var- ious bodies like the OECD, the G7 and the G20 for pro- moting transparency stan- dards relying heavily on the confidentiality provisions of a non-compliant jurisdiction. We can lay the blame for this ludicrously topsy- turvy state of affairs firmly at the open-toed sandals of the overly vocal and factu- ally deficient extreme left- wing, high-tax, anti-capitalist NGOs; not to mention certain misdirected charities such as Oxfam and Christian Aid. The publicly verifiable facts speak for themselves (as indeed now does David Cam- eron, by whatever convoluted route he got there in the end). The Overseas Territories (OTs) have long met and exceed global transparency stan- dards. Indeed, tax and law enforcement authorities have had the ability to make le- gitimate enquiries in the OTs for over 15 years. The noses of Tax Justice Network are firmly and increasingly out of joint simply because they are not regarded as legitimate persons who may make en- quiries regarding beneficial ownership, and that remains the position under the new beneficial ownership accords just struck. But the stake through the heart of the extreme left- wing, high-tax, anti-capitalist NGOs is that as transpar- ency in the OTs has steadily progressed from meeting to now exceeding international standards (and credit where credit is due, attributable in large part to the efforts of the British government, Mr. Cam- eron included), so have as- sets under management by Cayman Islands hedge funds increased and enquiries made by tax and law enforcement authorities reduced to a statis- tically insignificant frequency. The unanswerable problem that faces these NGOs is that they cannot suspend disbelief forever. Any sensible analysis will conclude that tax evasion and tax avoidance are quite different matters and to say that sufficient transparency does not exist in the light of FATCA and the CRS can now only be regarded as delu- sional ranting. Obviously, it will take some time for the BBC, the Guardian and other media to catch up with the reality: offshore hedge funds and structured finance vehi- cles exist in offshore centers like the Cayman Islands be- cause the legislation is supe- rior and increasingly so. I was asked recently on a BBC Radio 4 programme by the highly intelligent Evan Davis why it was that inves- tors chose Cayman Islands hedge funds and private eq- uity vehicles. He seemed be- mused by the simplicity of the answer: Because the Cayman Islands is where the hedge funds and private eq- uity vehicles are. It will take some time, no doubt and surprisingly so but eventually the truth will out. There are offshore finan- cial centers and onshore fi- nancial centers; the objective should be to ensure stan- dards in the latter are raised to the standards now exhib- ited in the former. Anthony Travers OBE is the Senior Partner at the Cayman Islands law firm Travers Thorp Alberga. This column originally appeared in the IFC Journal.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 We are specialized in providing Comprehensive Insurance Packages for clients in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean. We arrange insurance for: Contract Works & Public Liability (CAR) Workmen’s Compensation/Employers Liability Professional Indemnity Marine Insurance Strata Plans and Other Commercial Properties Insurance Homeowners Insurance For more details on the above we can be contacted via email or Telephone The Insurance Broker For All Your Needs Unit # 10 Cayman Falls B I P.O. Box 11118 APO I Grand Cayman KY1-1008 I Cayman Islands Tel: 345-943-2475 I Fax: 345-943-2472 I Emails: alicia.hansraj@cipil.net I ricardo.bodington@cipil.net I info@cipil.net I Website: www.cipil.net Caribbean Insurance Practice (International) Ltd. in conjunction with RoyalStar Assurance Ltd. and other insurance markets, provide you with competitive packages for all your insurance needs. We are specialized in providing Comprehensive Insurance Packages for clients in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean. We arrange insurance for: Contract Works & Public Liability (CAR) Workmen’s Compensation/Employers Liability Professional Indemnity Marine Insurance Strata Plans and Other Commercial Properties Insurance Homeowners Insurance For more details on the above we can be contacted via email or Telephone The Insurance Broker For All Your Needs Unit # 10 Cayman Falls B I P.O. Box 11118 APO I Grand Cayman KY1-1008 I Cayman Islands Tel: 345-943-2475 I Fax: 345-943-2472 I Emails: alicia.hansraj@cipil.net I ricardo.bodington@cipil.net I info@cipil.net I Website: www.cipil.net Caribbean Insurance Practice (International) Ltd. in conjunction with RoyalStar Assurance Ltd. and Other insurance market provide you with competitive packages for all your insurance needs We are specialized in providing Comprehensive Insurance Packages for clients in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean. We arrange insurance for: Contract Works & Public Liability (CAR) Workmen’s Compensation/Employers Liability Professional Indemnity Marine Insurance Strata Plans and Other Commercial Properties Insurance Homeowners Insurance For more details on the above we can be contacted via email or Telephone The Insurance Broker For All Your Needs Unit # 10 Cayman Falls B I P.O. Box 11118 APO I Grand Cayman KY1-1008 I Cayman Islands Tel: 345-943-2475 I Fax: 345-943-2472 I Emails: alicia.hansraj@cipil.net I ricardo.bodington@cipil.net I info@cipil.net I Website: www.cipil.net Caribbean Insurance Practice (International) Ltd. in conjunction with RoyalStar Assurance Ltd. and Other insurance market provide you with competitive packages for all your insurance needs We are specialized in providing Comprehensive Insurance Packages for clients in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean. We arrange insurance for: Contract Works & Public Liability (CAR) Workmen’s Compensation/Employers Liability Professional Indemnity Marine Insurance Strata Plans and Other Commercial Properties Insurance Homeowners Insurance For more details on the above we can be contacted via email or telephone The Insurance Broker For All Your Needs Unit # 10 Cayman Falls B I P.O. Box 11118 APO I Grand Cayman KY1-1008 I Cayman Islands Tel: 345-943-2475 I Fax: 345-943-2472 I Emails: alicia.hansraj@cipil.net I ricardo.bodington@cipil.net I info@cipil.net I Website: www.cipil.net Caribbean Insurance Practice (International) Ltd. in conjunction with RoyalStar Assurance Ltd. and other insurance market provide you with competitive packages for all your insurance needs. . s, We are specialized in providing Comprehensive Insurance Packages for clients in the Cayman Islands and across the Caribbean. We arrange insurance for: Contract Works & Public Liability (CAR) Workmen’s Compensation/Employers Liability Professional Indemnity Marine Insurance Strata Plans and Other Commercial Properties Insurance Homeowners Insurance For more details on the above we can be contacted via email or telephone The Insurance Broker For All Your Needs Unit # 10 Cayman Falls B I P.O. Box 11118 APO I Grand Cayman KY1-1008 I Cayman Islands Tel: 345-943-2475 I Fax: 345-943-2472 I Emails: alicia.hansraj@cipil.net I ricardo.bodington@cipil.net I info@cipil.net I Website: www.cipil.net Caribbean Insurance Practice (International) Ltd. in conjunction with RoyalStar Assurance Ltd. and other insurance market provide you with competitive packages for all your insurance needs. . s, Travel Financial and Accounting, legal Government insurance services & other business and other services 432.8 170.2 485.6 470.6 Foreign Exchange Revenue from Services in 2014, CI$Million Teen remembered as shy, funny CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com John Shaw wanted to be a pilot. He was already logging hours in the cockpit through the flight club at John Gray High School. Pressed on a backup career path, he told his brother-in-law he’d settle for aeronautical engineer. He was known to his family, teachers and at the Cadet Corps as shy, friendly, funny and dependable. He had a bright future ahead of him. Mr. Shaw passed away Saturday from an asthma at- tack on Seven Mile Public Beach. He was 16. “He wanted to be a pilot and we know he would make it,” said his sister Marsha Eleweanya, who is 24 years older than her little brother and said she always looked to him like a brother and a son. “He said, ‘this is what I want to do, this is what I’m going to do,’” she said. He had hoped to go to Cayman Airways for work experience once he finished at John Gray. “We don’t want to mourn him, we want to celebrate him,” his sister said. “He was never into dark and gloomy.” His family said that shortly before his death, ac- cording to people they had spoken to who were at Public Beach Saturday, Mr. Shaw had been playing with two small children and went in the water for five minutes. When he came out, he started to have trouble breathing and several people tried to help him with his asthma, they said. He col- lapsed on the beach and was then taken by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hos- pital where he passed away a short time later. Ms. Eleweanya, sitting in her Prospect living room this week, told stories of how he would play with his nephews, her three sons ranging in ages from 5 to 14 years old. She showed a picture from last Christmas when she bought him a shaving kit, he was starting to grow a beard. In the photo, he’s sticking his head into a big, red gift bag to see what’s inside. She showed a video of her brother from a recent family night at her house. He’s standing front and center before a karaoke machine, trying to think of a song he could sing, while his younger nephews and his sister egged him on. After some shy laughs, he begins to sing “Beloved Isle Cayman” – “the only song he could remember was the Cayman Islands na- tional song,” his sister said. Ivy Shaw, John’s mother, said Tuesday morning, “People think he’s shy, but re- ally he’s quiet.” “He’s thinking through what he’s doing,” she said. At school and in the Cadet Corps, Mr. Shaw is re- membered as humble, re- spectful and hardworking. “You could call on him,” said John Gray High School Detachment Commander Bar- rington Griffiths. “He showed right leadership through and through,” he said, adding that he mentored younger ca- dets and was always willing to help out. Mr. Shaw had been with the Cadet Corps the morning before his death, volunteering with the cleanup project for Earth Day. Mr. Griffiths told a recent story about a march from North Side to Frank Sound when one of the cadets lost his contact lenses and could not see. “John held his hand all the way,” staying back to help lead his colleague along the road. “This guy’s character was impeccable,” Mr. Griffiths said. “He was a model stu- dent and a model cadet.” Mr. Shaw’s brother-in- law, Obinna Eleweanya, as Mr. Shaw’s sister and mother showed a video of him flying a small prop plane in Florida, told a story of Mr. Shaw ex- plaining the physics of how a plane flies. “He sat me down and explained that to me when he was 14,” he said. His sister told another story of when her brother was a young child. “He found a little chicken and kept it in a box,” she said. He fed the bird and cared for it, “and eventually he let it go.” “He loved life,” she said. Mr. Shaw passed away Saturday from an asthma attack on Seven Mile Public Beach. He was 16. John Shaw, seen here on a bowling trip last year. John Shaw at the Cadet Corps Christmas dinner last year.WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands In the April 20, 1966 edition of the Cay- manian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac correspondent Lilian Ritch wrote: “Development: A month ago Captain Clyde Scott of the West End added to his cattle stock a 9-month-old bull of a breed developed in the U.S. for fine beef quality. This Shawbray breed was recommended by the veterinary and agriculture department of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for its hardiness and adaptability. A health certificate accom- panied the animal. “Dr. D.C. Hague, Food and Agriculture Organization specialist in animal hus- bandry, and Mr. Vernie Bernard of the Cayman Islands agriculture department, who were on official assignment to Cayman Brac, examined the animal on its arrival on M.V. Kirksons and were satisfied of its immunity and were pleased to eyewitness this step of progress. “This is the fourth thoroughbred bull that Captain Clyde has imported, having had previously two Jerseys and a Cebu Hol- stein from Jamaica. “‘The Blue Mahoe,’ a venture in local en- terprise, opened informally with a rice and peas and chicken supper served to a gath- ering of well-wishers, among them whom were the District Commissioner and Mrs. Foster, on Monday evening, April 4. “Cooked meals are a daily service. There is a fine display of millinery, knitted, cro- chet and straw work. For good measure, cabbages and other green vegetables grow in the plot around the house, which is made possible by the combination of mouldy soil (natural up against the Bluff) well water by pressure pump and the industry of propri- etress Delmah, Mrs. Beresford Jackson. “On Easter Monday M.V. Kirksons landed material and equipment consigned to Mr. A.F. Dantzler of Pascagula, Missis- sippi, for his home to be built at South East Bay on the South Side. This was re- ceived by Mr. Bob Benefield, general con- tractor, also of Pascagula, who is super- vising the construction. “Messrs. Algie Ryan and Winton Ritch are the local representatives in charge of preliminary work. Mr. Benefield and his wife spent a week here, leaving last Thursday and are due back about May 1 for three months when they will bring their children. “Welcome also to our own Jimmy Ryan on vacation from West Bay Primary School, and Islay, Mrs. Warren Conolly, the headmistress of East End Primary School, who with her two sons were vis- iting her parents, Captain Harris and Mrs. Ella Bodden of the Creek.” 50 years ago: A bull arrives, an eatery opens Battle against greens makes progress Multiple successes are being racked up in Little Cayman by Green Iguana B’Gonna. The jauntily named program, dubbed GIBG for short, is helping to tackle a serious problem: the spread of the green iguana on the small island. The project of the Little Cayman district National Trust is aimed at preventing the animals from pro- liferating in Little Cayman, where, if they are able to gain a toehold and their numbers become signifi- cant, they could pose a real threat to local wildlife. Thanks to the efforts of project coordinators Mike Vallee and Ed Houlcroft, several recent captures show that the animals are making their way to the island. A 3-foot sub-adult was caught on Wednesday, March 16, after being spotted that same afternoon. A guest at Pirates Point had a close encounter at the edge of the resort’s pool with the iguana and took a photo of it. A short search later in the afternoon picked up tracks, but no sighting. Soon after dark the Green Iguana B’Gonna team went hunting for the iguana, accompanied by volunteers Emily Darani and Seth Ridewood as extra sets of eyes. The green iguana was subsequently spotted up a tree by Mr. Ridewood. Mr. Houlcroft said that the iguana, probably 3 years old and in poor condition, would still have been able to breed, so posed a real danger to Little Cayman. “[It was] a great day for GIBG as it was volunteer help and the use of GIBG-funded torches, using money awarded from an EU grant initiative called BEST, that resulted in the cap- ture,” said Mr. Houlcroft. Set up officially one year ago, GIBG has been monitoring sightings, searching for green iguanas and spreading the word in an effort to control Little Cayman’s green iguana problem. GIBG also acts as an early warning system as the population starts to increase on the island. The GIBG team of Mr. Vallee and Mr. Houlcroft hope that their volun- teer efforts in catching and humanely dispatching the animals will influence the development of an eradication program, and make Little Cayman the first island to remove green iguanas as a pest species from its shores. The program has had a few more successes, including a pair of iguanas caught on April 9. “This time, they were found in a container being unloaded on Little, having been shipped from Grand Cayman,” said Mr. Houlcroft. The team of Xiomara Lopez, Robert Welcome, Jermaine Spaulding and Kirk Cunningham called in the sighting immediately while in the middle of unloading a con- tainer. They managed to capture the iguanas in the container as the GIBG team headed down. “[This was] another great achievement as the local commu- nity spotted, called in and captured the green iguanas before the threat even set foot on Little Cayman,” said Mr. Houlcroft. “After many speculations of how these animals have arrived to the is- land, this is the first documentation of green iguanas arriving inside a container, as opposed to traveling on the outside.” Mr. Houlcroft said that a very big coup was also made just a few days ago. “A 3.5-foot male that has been seen on multiple occasions over the last eight months, yet evaded many searches, is now out of the game,” said Mr. Houlcroft, noting the lizard was spotted by Marc Pothier on Thursday, April 14, near Salt Rock Dock. The iguana was noosed by Mr. Vallee within minutes of the call being received. “The speed of the call after the sighting for this, and the other two captures, shows how impor- tant an early response by those coming across a green iguana is,” said Mr. Houlcroft. “Part of GIBG’s insistence is that people try and call in the sighting as soon as possible, as this maximizes the chance of capture.” Mr. Houlcroft said green iguana sightings have increased on the is- land, with more in the last four months than in all of 2015. Reports are increasing as public awareness rises, and the captures were of special significance for the program’s two co- ordinators because of the communi- ty’s input and immediate efforts. They ask anyone visiting Little Cayman to stay vigilant on their travels and to call Pirates Point Re- sort or Little Cayman Beach Resort the same day with an exact location, size and, if possible, photo, in the event that a green is seen. Several recent captures show that the animals are successfully making their way over to the island. From left, Xiomara Lopez, Robert Welcome, Mike Vallee, Ed Houlcroft and Kirk Cunningham, and in back, Jermaine Spaulding, with the two iguanas that hitched a ride in a container shipped from Grand Cayman. - PHOTO: LARA PULLANCAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 7 DISTRICT DAYS District Days Sister Islands Island loses a veteran seaman JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Brac is mourning the passing of Captain Robert McLearn Ebanks, a man who con- tributed tremendously to the sea- faring heritage of the Cayman Is- lands and Cayman Brac. Captain Ebanks passed away at his home after a long illness on Monday, March 28. He was laid to rest at the West End Cemetery on April 9 after a service of thanksgiving for his life held at the Veterans’ and Seamen’s Centre. “It’s over. May the record show and history record that this hon- orable seaman, Robert McLearn Ebanks, has sailed his last voyage and pulled into his final port,” said his brother Alan Ebanks reading his final goodbye. “He’s anchored in a safe harbor called the Haven of Rest. The ship’s line is tied, activities have ceased and everywhere there is calm and peace,” Mr. Ebanks continued. “Wait. There is one more voyage, There is another ship, the Uni- verse Eternal. Robert told Norris he asked the captain permission to join and had been welcomed with open arms. This ship’s crew is numberless and it sails one route. “Robert is there, He has never been happier, He’s on the water again, and forever those hands are big and capable, the arms muscular and the legs straight and strong. He’s on board; he’s on course; he’s sailing home,” said Mr. Ebanks at the end of his tribute. “Several years ago, I felt a great urge to get closer to my brothers because I knew there would be days like this. I’m glad I did,” Mr. Ebanks said. Captain Ebanks was born in West End, Cayman Brac in Sep- tember 1931. He was the son of the late Nathan Alvin Ebanks and Alda Rose Ebanks, a seaman and home- maker, respectively. He was the el- dest son in a large family of seven brothers and two sisters. Mr. Ebanks said Nathan and Alda raised their nine children with values of respect, manners, honesty and an appreciation of the value of hard work, just like their own parents had taught them. ”Papa couldn’t read or write, but there was nothing he didn’t know about the tides, fishing and catching turtles. Mama made thatch rope and knitted hats by hand,” said Mr. Ebanks. His other brothers also felt the loss, but stood firm to remember the good times spent with Robert at sea, the fishing trips, catching turtles and growing up on the Brac with their brother. Captain Ebanks traveled the world as a seaman, rising in the ranks to the position of captain and earning a Panamanian Master Mariner Unlimited license, the highest licence available at the time. He worked on ships of all sizes, including some of the world’s largest supertankers. Throughout his life, Captain Ebanks was beloved for his integ- rity, strength, kindness and loy- alty by those who knew him. He sailed for 40 years before calling it a day, retiring to work as mooring master off Cayman Brac. He was married to the late Floris Gloria Ebanks, who he wed on June 21, 1959. Family life was a challenge at best. Time spent at sea meant missing very special oc- casions, but throughout it all, Cap- tain Ebanks was loved and will be greatly missed by his family. Cap- tain Ebanks leaves his son Robert Charles Ebanks, daughters Mary Elizabeth Rodrigues, Rose Rob- erts and Charity Ebanks, nine grandchildren, 15 great grandchil- dren and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives. Captain Ebanks passed away after a long illness on Monday, March 28. Dignitaries and government officials joined nearly 200 par- ticipants from the Cayman Brac community for the 2016 Deputy Governor’s 5K Challenge. This year’s challenge aims to raise $50,000 to help the Cayman Heart Fund buy a new am- bulance for the people of the Cayman Islands. A press release states the walkers and runners who set off from the Cayman Brac Museum in the early morning of Sunday, April 17, were joined by Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, Pre- mier Alden McLaughlin, Sister Is- lands MLA and Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell, as well as walkers and runners who traveled from Grand Cayman. Other notable participants in- cluded Chief Officer for District Administration, Tourism and Trans- port Stran Bodden, Chief Officer of the Ministry of Health and Culture, and co-chair of the DG’s 5K Chal- lenge Committee, Jennifer Ahearn, District Commissioner Ernie Scott, Deputy District Commissioner Mark Tibbetts and Health Services Authority Chief Officer Lizzette Yearwood, who supported the team from Faith Hospital. Cayman Heart Fund Chair David Dinner was also on hand. The team with the most partici- pants was Faith Hospital with 33 members, scooping the grand prize of a $150 voucher for the Brac Reef Beach Resort. The team from the District Commission- er’s Office, with 18 members, won the second prize $100 voucher to spend at the resort. The fastest overall male runner on the day was Thomas Jackson and the fastest overall female runner was Lizzette Yearwood. “We had a fantastic day in the Brac and I thank everybody who came along to help make it such a great community event,” said Mr. Manderson. “This tremendous turnout has really given us a great start to help us meet our target. The challenge is now to see as many people as possible take part in the event in Grand Cayman next week.” Registration for the Grand Cayman walk/run takes place in the Government Administration Building on Thursday, April 21, and Friday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entry fee is $20 for ages 14 and older and $10 for ages 13 and younger. Visit www.odg.gov.ky/ DG5K for further details. DG 5K draws a strong turnout Deputy Governor Franz Manderson (1), Premier Alden McLaughlin (2) and Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell (4) at the starting line with other runners. The Faith Hospital team won top prize for having the most participants. - PHOTOS: CHARLES GILMAN Captain Robert McLearn Ebanks8 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Defense: Bouchard journals ‘confessional’ CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Crown and de- fense wrapped up their closing statements in Mi- chelle Bouchard’s theft trial Tuesday, both refer- ring at times to the defen- dant’s journal, extracts of which had been read out in court earlier. Bouchard, who has pleaded not guilty to stealing more than $2 mil- lion dollars from retiree James Bruce Handford, completed her evidence on Monday afternoon. Defense counsel Peter Carter, in his summing up of the case Tuesday, de- scribed Ms. Bouchard’s journals as “a confessional” – thoughts as they came, ex- pressions of agonizing and acknowledging deficiencies. He said the writing was Bouchard “baring her heart and soul,” not thinking they would see the light of day. He wondered why large swathes of the writings were ignored when they supported what Bouchard said was happening. Throughout the journals, there were expressions of gratitude to God and to Mr. Handford, with phrases like “I will ask him” and “He has promised me …” The prosecution had not found any passage that said “I will take” or “I have taken,” Mr. Carter pointed out. Lead prosecutor Simon Russell-Flint, who con- cluded his closing remarks on Tuesday morning, re- ferred to the various neg- ative comments in Ms. Bouchard’s journals. They were not based on one day’s incident; they were spread over years, he said. What Bouchard thanked God for, he asserted, was Mr. Handford keeping her in the lifestyle she enjoyed, keeping him well so that he could provide for her. The alleged thefts and other acts of dishonesty are said by the prosecution to have taken place between May 2010 and October 2012, when Bouchard is ac- cused of removing sums from a joint account for her own purposes. The Crown’s case is that a joint CI account was set up so that Bouchard could look after Mr. Hand- ford’s affairs while he was on his yearly trip back to his native Australia. During Bouchard’s evi- dence, Mr. Carter showed her an email Mr. Handford had sent her on July 21, 2010 while he was in Aus- tralia. The email says he has just sent a fax to But- terfield Bank “to top up your checking account” by $35,000 as she had requested. Mr. Carter asked Bouchard what account she understood Mr. Hand- ford to be referring to. “The joint account,” she re- plied, “which he referred to as my account.” He asked if Mr. Hand- ford had ever made any complaint about any item of expenditure in the joint account. “Never,” she re- plied. He asked if Mr. Hand- ford had ever complained about any item in the U.S. joint account set up in 2012. “Never,” she said again. Mr. Russell-Flint said the fact that funds were in joint accounts was not a defense and the money was never for Bouchard to do with as she pleased. “We say she has been thoroughly dishonest,” he told the jury. Mr. Carter read reports from two doctors con- cerning Mr. Handford’s health and degree of cogni- tive impairment. Attorney Lee Halliday- Davis also read into the re- cord six letters of refer- ence submitted by people who knew Bouchard in various capacities. They referred to her talent, dedication to her work and various acts of charity. [Defense counsel Peter Carter] said the writing was Bouchard “baring her heart and soul,” not thinking they would see the light of day. Michelle Bouchard Cayman law still prohibits insult to ‘foreign princes’ BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A situation involving a German television comic who faces potential prosecu- tion for “insulting” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Er- dogan during a recent sa- tirical presentation has led to revelations of a little- known Cayman law pro- hibiting the defamation of foreign leaders. Cayman, like Germany, has essentially the same formulation in its Penal Code, but the statute is re- ferred to as “the defamation of foreign princes.” Mr. Er- dogan complained recently to the German government that presenter Jan Bohm- ermann’s satirical claim on television that the Turkish president was a fan of child pornography, among other off-color comments, amounted to untrue and damaging claims. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country would not tolerate any insults directed at Mr. Erdogan’s “honor” and that those comments would not go without a response. Under the German legislation, the govern- ment must accept such a claim of defamation prior to its investigation by au- thorities. Chancellor An- gela Merkel agreed to allow the probe last week. A spokesperson for Merkel noted “satire takes place within our country’s press and media freedom, which – as you know – is not unlimited.” The decision has been widely panned in the German press, which fears the deci- sion as a harbinger of things to come, and noting that Mr. Erdogan could simply have sued for defamation in this particular instance. It’s not clear from the wording of Cayman’s similar statute whether Mr. Erdogan would fall under the defini- tion of those who should not legally be insulted, but it ap- pears he could be considered a “foreign dignitary.” Section 65 of the Penal Code reads: “A person who, without such justification as excuse as would be suffi- cient on the defamation of a private person, publishes in any manner whatsoever any- thing tending to degrade, re- vile, or expose to hatred or contempt any foreign prince potentate, ambassador or other foreign dignitary with intent to disturb peace and friendship between the United Kingdom or the is- lands and the country to which such prince, poten- tate, ambassador or dig- nitary belongs commits an offense.” Cayman law makes the defamation of any individual a criminal offense. Materials that are defamatory include anything likely to injure the reputation of the person by exposing them to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or which is likely to damage the person in their profession by injury to a reputation. Cayman, like Germany, has essentially the same formulation in its Penal Code, but the statute is referred to as “the defamation of foreign princes.” Immigration officer not guilty of pepper spray charge Enforcement officer accused of aiding and abetting her husband CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com An immigration officer was found not guilty on Monday after a four-day trial on a charge of aiding and abetting the possession of a prohibited weapon. The prohibited weapon was a cannister of pepper spray. The person Josefina McLean Shaqaqi was ac- cused of aiding and abet- ting was her husband, Omar Shaqaqi, who earlier had pleaded guilty in Sum- mary Court to possession of the prohibited weapon. He was ordered to pay costs of $250, but no conviction was recorded against him. He was discharged without any further conditions. Justice Charles Quin told the jurors, “When an offense is committed, every person who aids or abets another person in com- mitting an offense may be charged with the offense.” The prosecution’s case, conducted by Crown Counsel Greg Walcolm, was that Ms. McLean Shaqaqi gave her husband the pepper spray. Mr. Shaqaqi had told the court that he is ex-military and felt that somebody might wish to fight him for that reason. He said his wife gave him the pepper spray and told him that if somebody gave him a problem, he could use it and then call her. He said he never used it, but kept it in his bag. He said he did not know it was against the law in the Cayman Islands for a person to have pepper spray. Defense attorney Mi- chael Snape had suggested to him that he took the pepper spray out of his wife’s car without her per- mission, but Mr. Shaqaqi said that was a lie. He went on to say that Ms. McLean Shaqaqi also gave pepper spray to her son and to his son’s girlfriend. Ms. McLean Shaqaqi tes- tified that she had been an immigration officer since 1994, part of that time with border patrol. She underwent training to become an authorized user of pepper spray. She said that people taking the course had to sub- ject themselves to being pepper sprayed. Justice Quin observed, “She described it as worse than childbirth. She said it’s the most painful thing. It can bring you to your knees. She said it effectively immobilizes, and you will end up streaming from your eyes, your nose, your mouth and even your skin.” Ms. McLean Shaqaqi said she only ever had one can of pepper spray at a time, handing in an old one to receive a new one from a senior officer. She told the court she kept her pepper spray in a lidded compart- ment on her immigration officer utility belt along with a baton and hand- cuffs. When she was not working, she kept the belt with its attachments secure in her locked car. She said the idea of her giving pepper spray to children was absurd and she denied giving it to her husband. She said there was never any dis- cussion about him needing it for protection. She also pointed out that his posses- sion would easily be traced back to her – and she would not put her 20 years service into jeopardy. Justice Quin reminded jurors of what Ms. McLean Shaqaqi had told police when interviewed under caution on June 23, 2014, one day after the pepper spray was found in Mr. Shaqaqi’s bag. When she had discov- ered the pepper spray missing from the com- partment on her belt, Ms. McLean Shaqaqi said she “dug [her] car apart” looking for it. She basically “pun- ished [her] children and grilled them and blamed them” because she couldn’t find it …” The judge quoted her as telling police, “I was frantic because I was thinking maybe my children had it and didn’t know the dangers of it.” Ms. McLean Shaqaqi told the court that she and her husband had had some serious arguments and she wanted a divorce. She said he had lied to police be- cause he wanted to get her into trouble, adding that she had text mes- sages from him stating that he was going to ruin her life and her job. She told the court he had access to the car as she let him wash it and change the oil, but more often than not, she was there when he was doing it. After the jurors deliv- ered their not guilty ver- dict, Judge Quin told Ms. McLean Shaqaqi that her reputation remained com- pletely untarnished. “I’m sorry you’ve been put through this,” he said. “My only surprise is that the Summary Court didn’t re- cord the conviction after Mr. Shaqaqi pleaded guilty. I find it remarkable.” Ms. McLean Shaqaqi described being pepper sprayed as “worse than childbirth.”The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2016 Get recognised PRINCE2® Project Manager skills Contact Pitman Training on: 345-746-7824 Email: caymanislands@pitman-training.net or visit: www.pitman-training.ky Our new PRINCE2® Foundation and PRINCE2® Practitioner courses have been created to help you learn to manage a project successfully through its initiation, planning, progression and closure. It’s valued in many roles including: Planning Manager, Team Leader, PA, Office Manager, Virtual Assistant. ...improve your career prospects & earning potential business with European en- tities – which in financial services terms, generally in- volves customers’ sensitive financial and personal de- tails – must either create le- gally binding corporate rules or potentially be shut out of that business. The issue has obvious ramifications for the future of the financial services industry here, which has been seeking inroads to European markets for a number of years. If the Data Protection Bill is passed during the next leg- islative session, a group of EU regulators known as the “Article 29 working group” would have to come to Cayman and review its data protection processes, write a report to the European Com- mission and essentially state whether the territory has ad- equate privacy protections. Mr. Liebaers said the ad- equacy status requirement has been the subject of some legal battles between the U.S. and Europe in recent years and that many countries out- side the EU do not main- tain that status, including America, China and India. “There is still a lot of un- certainty about international data flows,” Mr. Liebaers said. All three British Crown dependencies, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man have achieved EU adequacy status with regard to pri- vacy protection. None of the overseas territories have en- acted similar legislation, al- though Mr. Liebaers said both Cayman and Bermuda have gone “far down the road” with the issue. Data protection The Data Protection Bill, 2016, is similar to legisla- tion approved by the Euro- pean Union and the United Kingdom in the 1990s, which has been updated just re- cently by the EU. It gener- ally seeks to regulate the processing of personal data to ensure records are main- tained fairly, accurately and kept from those with no right to see them. The pro- posal also has major impli- cations for the territory’s Freedom of Information Law and how journalists, writers and artists can make use of personal information. The Data Protection Bill applies to everyone in the Cayman Islands, public and private sector alike, as well as entities outside the islands that have certain data pro- cessing functions here. Mr. Liebaers said several key changes to the proposal have been made since its last iteration, most notably that a requirement for government to maintain a register of all “data controllers” – those who handle personal information – has been dropped. In addition, certain protec- tions have been put in place for companies or public enti- ties that mishandle personal data, to allow them to make representations in their own defense to the information commissioner/data protec- tion commissioner. Violations of the data protection require- ments can cost up to $250,000 in fines, according to the bill. If the legislation is ap- proved, its timeline for im- plementation is somewhat unclear. Mr. Liebaers said certain sectors of Cayman’s business community are “ready to go” with require- ments contained in the leg- islation while others, typi- cally smaller “mom-and-pop” operations may find the data protection requirements to be “new to them.” Also, the Information Com- missioner’s Office will likely need additional funding and staff to put in place training and education programs prior to the onset of the law. In all, it has been esti- mated the legislation could take up to two years to put into force. shoulder of one of the men, who was leaning forward, trying to see who had been shot. “I heard a click as he pulled the trigger, but it was a dead shot … the gun didn’t go off.” He said he then walked over to where Mr. Powery was lying. “I shook him a couple of times and said “Moggy … Moggy” but he didn’t answer.” He said he had then seen the car, being driven by his friend Justin Ebanks, pulling up near the entrance to the bar and told him “Moggy dead.” Mr. Hurlston testi- fied that he, Mr. Powery and Mr. Ebanks had trav- eled from West Bay to his uncle’s building next to the Globe Bar at around 10 p.m. They had planned to attend an event called “Gaza Wednesdays” at a different venue later in the night. He said they had “hailed up” some friends in the alley outside the bar and were all chatting and smoking in that area. Mr. Hurlston testified that he had known Douglas and Ramoon, “since we were in Pampers.” He said he was on good terms with them and would chill and play dominoes with them whenever he was in central George Town. He said he had seen Douglas just prior to the shooting with a gun tucked into his pants. He said he recognized it as a 9mm weapon, possibly a Beretta or a Taurus. Earlier on Tuesday, Director of Public Prose- cutions Cheryll Richards, in her opening state- ment, said the Crown would seek to prove that Douglas and Ramoon were jointly responsible for the murder. She said the evidence would show that Douglas handed the weapon to his brother shortly before the shooting and had driven him from the scene. Though the incident it- self was not captured on CCTV cameras, Ms. Rich- ards said an analysis of footage from around the scene would support the ev- idence of the eyewitnesses. “The timing and se- quencing of activities de- scribed and seen, will show such action and co- ordination of movement as to be indicative of a jointly executed plan to kill the deceased.” The reason for the murder, she said was not clear. “On the available evi- dence, the Crown can posit no positive motive for the killing,” she added. The judge-alone trial, in front of Justice Charles Quin, continues Wednesday morning with a visit to the crime scene and the continuation of Mr. Hurlston’s evidence. public, some financial diffi- culties for public sector pen- sions were revealed by the Cayman Islands Auditor Gen- eral’s Office in a report made public last October, shortly after the government min- istry denied requests for the pension plan evaluations. According to the auditor’s office, the Cayman Islands government’s financial state- ments did not recognize an estimated $1.39 billion in pen- sion and healthcare payments it’s expected to owe retirees over the next 20-25 years. The estimated payments, broken into $1.18 billion in post-retirement healthcare costs and $213 million in pension payments is more than double the total reve- nues the Cayman government would earn in any given year. Mr. Jefferson explained that neither of the amounts are due immediately. The es- timated pension payments, due from participants in the defined benefit retirement plans, are spread over a 20- year rolling period. An amount for the pen- sion liabilities is currently included in the government budget, but it is based on estimates dating back five years, Acting Auditor General Garnet Harrison said. The Jan. 1, 2011 actuarial report – the last report which has been made public by gov- ernment for Public Service Pensions – contained a dire warning about the state of those systems. “The actuary has determined that a continu- ation of the current level of contributions to the defined benefit plan is projected to result in the depletion of the defined benefit allocated fund by the year 2026,” the board’s evaluation, contained in an annual report, noted. Basically, Mercer evalua- tors have recommended, over a period of years, that em- ployee contributions to the civil servant retirement plan be increased. The government has yet to follow that recom- mendation at any time. It is not known what rec- ommendations are made in the 2014 actuarial report. Acting Deputy Governor Jennifer Ahearn told the Legislative Assembly in De- cember 2014 that the overall performance of the three re- tirement plans maintained by the government had seen vast improvements in investment returns since 2011. Annual reports showed net assets maintained by the three retirement plans in- creased from about $340 mil- lion in 2011 to nearly $485 million as of June 30, 2014 – a total increase of some $145 million. The Jan. 1, 2011, pension plan evaluation put total liabilities of the pen- sion funds at $495 million. No figures had been released on liabilities as of the Jan. 1, 2014 report. Brothers on trial for George Town murder The crime scene is cordoned off the morning following the July 1, 2015, shooting of 20-year-old Jason Powery. – PHOTO: CHARLES DUNCAN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Justin Ramoon and Osbourne Douglas are jointly accused of the July 1, 2015 murder outside the Globe Bar. Kenneth Jefferson Two-year-old pension report awaits Cabinet review CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ACTING INFORMATION COMMISSIONER: Data protection bill may fail EU test EARTH’S HOT STREAK CONTINUES FOR A RECORD 11 MONTHS WASHINGTON (AP) – Earth’s record monthly heat streak has hit 11 months in a row – a record in itself. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion announced Tuesday that March’s average global tem- perature of 54.9 degrees (12.7 degrees Celsius) was not only the hottest March, but con- tinues a record streak that started last May. According to NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden, the 11 heat records in a row smashes a streak of 10 set in 1944. Climate scientists say this is a result of El Nino, along with relentless, man- made global warming. Blunden and Michael Mann at Penn State Univer- sity worry that people will be desensitized to the drumbeat of broken records and will not realize the real effect they have on weather – for example, massive changes in what is supposed to be winter in the Arctic. Greenland had a re- cord early start for its ice sheet melting. The Arctic had its smallest winter maximum for sea ice and it was the second smallest March snow cover for the Northern Hemisphere. “It’s becoming monotonous in a way,” said Jason Furtado, a meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma. “It’s absolutely disturbing … We’re losing critical elements of our climate system.” March was 2.2 degrees (1.2 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 20th-century av- erage. That’s a record amount above average for any month, breaking the mark set only the month before. Africa and the Indian Ocean were especially warm, Blunden said. The first three months of the year were 2.07 degrees warmer than normal (1.15 de- grees Celsius) and half a de- gree (0.28 degrees Celsius) warmer than the previous re- cord start, set last year.Next >