High of 89 Low of 80 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PORT DROPS CAR: A ‘CRASH COURSE’ IN IMMUNITY CLAUSES BUSINESS | PAGE 11 MADOFF WHISTLEBLOWER: AUDIT SYSTEM SHOULD BE ‘BLOWN APART’ ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 Legal Practitioners Bill stalled, may return for vote in 2017 BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Another attempt to pass modern regu- latory standards for Cayman Islands law- yers ahead of an international financial review failed Tuesday as the Progressives- led administration agreed to push back a vote on the Legal Practitioners Bill (2016) until the next Legislative Assembly meeting is held, possibly in January. The delay in passing the legislation – which successive governments have tried to accom- plish now at least five times in the past 15 years – was attributed to pressure from cer- tain interests in the local legal fraternity, as well as requests from opposition lawmakers. “We have engaged in discussion with in- terested parties who have asked for some ad- ditional time to provide further comment,” Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton said. “It seems that everyone understands the significance and necessity of this bill.” “This government is interested in ensuring we have the views as wide as possible from the community and the key stakeholders,” the minister continued. “We’ve had complete sup- port from the two professional bodies that represent this industry.” The crux of the dispute over the current bill centers on law firms that wish to expand their presence in overseas financial services markets to remain competitive in what has become a global industry, on the one hand, and on the other hand, Caymanian-born attor- neys who fear they will be left behind in that expansion and believe that globalization will lead to outsourcing. Opposition to the legislation among WATSON RECEIVES LEGAL AID FOR CONVICTION APPEAL Court orders not followed in asset forfeiture case BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com 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 convic- tion on fraud and corruption charges. The Cayman Islands Grand Court heard Monday afternoon that Canover Watson, 46, had received legal aid assistance for the ap- peal, but that no legal assistance had been given – or asked for – in his pending asset for- feiture matter. The Crown is seeking restitution following Watson’s conviction for conspiracy to defraud the government, which involved a scheme to siphon millions of dollars from the public hospital system via its CarePay patient swipe- card contract. Watson was convicted in the conspiracy case and sentenced to seven years in prison after a jury found that he had personally profited from the fraud – earning at least US$348,000 over three years. Watson sought legal aid in May, stating that the Crown had frozen his Cayman Is- lands assets and that he had no way to pay for an attorney. Last week, legal aid was granted, but Watson said his attorney, Amelia Fosuhene, had not been given sufficient time MAN SENTENCED FOR OVERSTAYING ALMOST 10 YEARS Coral nurseries giving stressed reefs a fighting chance A coral nursery on Cayman Brac, one of six in the Cayman Islands, is witnessing success in growing staghorn and elkhorn corals on structures like this one made of PVC piping. Once transplanted, the corals will form the backbone of new stands of reproducing corals, which researchers hope will help Cayman’s reefs build resilience to increased environmental stresses. For more, see page 7. – PHOTO: ROXANE BOONSTRA PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man whose work permit expired in 2006 was sentenced Monday to two years’ impris- onment, but with 18 months suspended. Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez said she constructed the sentence that way to give immigration officials time to deal with pro- cedures before deporting him at the ear- liest opportunity. The defendant, Charlton Hooker Powell, was brought to the attention of authorities when he was arrested last month for driving without a license. “So if his bad luck did not kick in with a traffic offense, he would still be living with us,” the magistrate said. Crown counsel Candia James and an im- migration officer shared with the court what background they had. Powell, a Colombian national who is now 37, came to Cayman on a visa in 2005. A tem- porary work permit was taken out for him as a carpenter’s helper from March 14 that year. In September 2005, he was granted a regular work permit until 2006. The charge against him was remaining without authority from Feb. 7, 2007. His legal employer could not give immigra- tion officers much information about Powell because he didn’t remember who he was. Pow- ell’s mother was living here and she was con- tacted; she said she thought he had left. His PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS HAVANA (AP) – Like so much else in Cuba, shopping for clothes is not easy. Buying a simple pair of socks or a T-shirt means choosing between the wildly overpriced, shoddy offerings of state-run stores and the bales of low-priced clothing illegally imported by “mules” traveling from the United States, Ec- uador or Panama. This year, a third option is bursting onto the scene after years of growing quietly in backroom workshops and bed- room studios. A small home- grown fashion industry is win- ning renown and an increasing share of Cubans’ limited clothing budget with simple but fun-and-stylish clothing produced on the island with natural fabrics and sold at competitive prices. Hundreds of private de- signers are turning out gauzy wedding dresses, brilliantly decorated bathing suits, linen pants and even uniforms for state businesses. Last week, dozens of designers displayed their wares at the five-day Ha- vana Fashion Week at Cu- ba’s most elegant theaters, where hundreds turned out for runway shows, private fittings and cocktail parties. “The changes that have taken place in this country, the openings, make things easier,” said Jesus Frias, a de- signer who put on a swim- wear runway show on Friday. “There’s a fashion renais- sance in Cuba but it can’t be a priority for the state, so it’s we private designers who are bringing it back.” The growth of the artisanal fashion industry comes thanks to free-market reforms put in place by President Raul Castro after he took power in 2008. Unlike some new private busi- nesses, the fashion industry is receiving a relatively warm welcome from the communist bureaucracy, perhaps because it does not directly compete with the state. After successful runs in the first decades of Cu- ba’s socialist revolution, state- run clothing businesses were hurt by the collapse of the So- viet Union and had largely dis- appeared by the mid-1990s. Celebrities and fashionistas have made Havana a hot desti- nation over the last two years amid a boom in tourism set off by detente with the United States. In May, French label Chanel took over Havana’s Prado boulevard for a runway show that garnered global at- tention, and anger among many Cubans for its privatization of one of the main thoroughfares in the capital of a country that has declared socialist equality as its guiding principle. Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 640-FILM (640-3456) *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 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. THE ACCOUNTANT (R) 1:00 | 4:00 | 7:00 | 9:50 MASTERMINDS (PG13) 1:15 | 4:15 | 7:15 | 10:00 THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (PG13) 6:45 | 9:40 THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (R) 12:50 | 3:30 | 7:30 | 10:05 STORKS (PG) 1:30 | 4:20 MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME (PG13) FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN 3D 12:45 2D | 3:45 | 6:40 2D | 9:30 DEEPWATER HORIZON (PG13) 12:40 | 3:40 | 6:50 | 9:45 - WEDNESDAY - Dr. Neeraj Prasad Consultant Cardiologist To book an appointment, please phone: 949-4309 or 623-4309 Will be at Grand Harbour Medical Center on Nov 22nd to Nov 25th, 2016 Recruiter: Immigration status defendant ‘brainwashed us’ Witness tells of conversation with McKeeva Bush CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A woman who recruited people to pay $2,000 for status told the judge and jury on Tuesday that defendant Paul Anthony Hume Ebanks had “brainwashed” her and two other women into be- lieving that everything about the scheme had to go through him because he was “their right-hand man.” Earldine O. Gordon said she was told by her good friend Siri Russell in mid- 2012 that government was looking for prominent people worthy of Cayman Islands status. She said she was told the people behind the scheme were McKeeva Bush, who was premier at the time, and MLA Cline Glidden. She added that at times Deputy Governor Franz Manderson’s name was mentioned also. Ms. Russell said she be- lieved the scheme of granting status or permanent resi- dence was legitimate be- cause something similar was done in the past. She was happy to be involved because she knew people who were deserving of status and when the grants were made the first time, “a lot of people got it that wasn’t deserving of it.” When people did not get status and did not get their money back, the women wanted to meet with Mr. Bush to find out the situa- tion. It was then that Ebanks said that everything had to go through him. Ebanks has pleaded not guilty to 28 charges that in- clude obtaining cash by falsely representing that it was required as payment for legitimate grant of Cay- manian status. Ms. Gordon told of an oc- casion when Ebanks said Mr. Bush had agreed to meet one of the three women and Ms. Gordon said she was the one who was going. As they drove on West Bay Road toward Mr. Bush’s house on a Saturday afternoon, Ebanks said to her, “Oh (expletive), see Mr. Bush going there?” She said she turned around to check the vehicle that had crossed them going toward town; it looked like a black SUV, but she could not see who was in it. She said Ebanks got on the phone right away. She heard him say they had an appointment to meet and were on their way. He then told her that Mr. Bush had been called to “come into the station,” but he wouldn’t be long so they should wait. They drove to West Bay and parked and waited sev- eral hours, but the meeting never took place. Ms. Gordon said while they waited, Ebanks told her “he wasn’t going to prison for them this time.” Asked who “them” was, Ms. Russell replied, “McKeeva and his posse,” which she un- derstood to be the govern- ment at the time. Asked why Ebanks said he went to prison for them, she said she did not recall, but she remembered he said he did time for them and cov- ered up for them. The jury has already heard that Ebanks has previous convictions for offenses in- volving a status scam. On another occasion, Ebanks told her a meeting with Mr. Bush had been set up, but then it had to be can- celed because Mr. Bush had to go to a funeral. He did not use a speak- erphone when he said he was speaking with Mr. Bush, so she only knew what she heard Ebanks say and what he reported of the conversa- tion afterward. Ms. Gordon said she did speak to Mr. Bush on the phone once. She ex- plained that she, Ms. Russell and Margaret McLaughlin (the third woman who re- cruited people to take ad- vantage of the scheme) took a letter to Mr. Bush’s house, setting out their concerns about the scheme. She said they included their phone numbers and Mr. Bush called Ms. Rus- sell, whose number was first. She said Ms. Russell made a sign that Mr. Bush was upset and she hung up. Ms. Gordon called Mr. Bush back by redialing. She said Mr. Bush was very upset and he said he did not know what the women were talking about. He said they would hear from his lawyer, but they never did. Ebanks has pleaded not guilty to 28 charges that include obtaining cash by falsely representing that it was required as payment for legitimate grant of Caymanian status. SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) – A small plane that had taken off from Haiti with three people on board has crashed off the north coast of the Domin- ican Republic. The Dominican Civil Avi- ation Authority says those on board included a couple who were U.S. and Cana- dian citizens. Their names have not been released. A statement from the aviation authority issued Tuesday says the plane took off from Port-au-Prince on Monday and was headed to the Dominican coastal town of Puerto Plata. The Dominican Air Force had located wreckage from the plane and was searching for survivors. The single-engine Lake LA-250 apparently lost con- tact with the control tower shortly after 6 p.m. when it was about 4 miles (6 kilo- meters) from Puerto Plata. The cause of the acci- dent is unknown. PANAMA CITY (AP) – A Pan- amanian court has ordered that imprisoned former leader Manuel Noriega be allowed to prepare for and recuperate from a sur- gery at a public hospital rather than prison. In a statement Monday, the judiciary said the deci- sion was based on a report from the country’s med- ical institute. The 82-year-old former strongman needs to have a benign brain tumor surgi- cally removed. He was sched- uled to have the procedure in July, but apparently backed out because he feared con- tracting an infection. Noriega’s lawyer, Ezra Angel, said Monday that the court’s order, which he had not yet received for- mally, was in response to his petition that Noriega be al- lowed to recuperate at home. Neither “prison nor the hospital are ade- quate,” Angel said. Noriega has been impris- oned for the murders of mem- bers of the opposition since he was sent to Panama from France in December 2011. He ruled Panama from 1983 until a U.S. invasion ousted him in 1989. Plane from Haiti carrying 3 crashes off Dominican Republic PANAMA’S NORIEGA TO BE ALLOWED TO RECUPERATE IN HOSPITAL Manuel Noriega in 2011 Homegrown fashion industry bursts onto scene in Cuba THREE-CAR CRASH IN SOUTH SOUND Six people, in- cluding three children, were hospitalized early Tuesday after a three- vehicle crash on South Sound Road during the morning rush-hour. The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service re- ports that a Toyota truck, a Kia sport utility vehicle and a BMW collided near the entrance to The Chimes condominiums around 7:30 a.m. Police said the ac- cident occurred as the Toyota was pulling out of the condo’s parking lot, but officers did not immediately state who was to blame in the crash. All six patients taken to hospital early Tuesday were treated and re- leased. The crash blocked South Sound Road for about 45 minutes during the morning commute. The RCIPS asks anyone with information about the crash to call the police Traffic Unit at 649-6254.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 Our Business Bankers are now your Relationship Managers For more information, call: Rolan Heeralal, Area Vice President, Business Banking - 914-8274 Shane Storr, Senior Relationship Manager, Business Banking - 914-8222 Samuel Jacques-Cloutier, Relationship Manager, Business Banking - 914-8273 Peter Letko, Relationship Manager, Business Banking - 914-8228 Sary Menjivar, Associate Relationship Manager - 914-8238 Lana Cranston, Merchant Sales Officer - 914-8221 Sherry Ebanks, Sales Support Officer - 914-8272 The people who work for your business should be loyal, dependable and knowledgeable... and that includes your banker. At RBC Royal Bank, our Relationship Managers are committed to the long term success of your business. They’ll work closely with you to understand your specific challenges and find appropriate, realistic and effective solutions to help your business progress. Let us assign a Relationship Manager to partner with your business today! Come on in! Meet your relationship manager today. www.rbcroyalbank.com/caribbean ® / ™ Trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. Growing your business starts with the right relationships 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. Port drops car: A ‘crash course’ in immunity clauses The Williams family’s new life in the Cayman Islands started off with a bang — and a crash, and a thud … But no “I’m sorry” from port personnel who dropped their shipping container, causing tens of thousands of dollars of damage to its contents, including their car, scooters and other property. Instead of an apology, the Cayman Islands Port Authority has given the Williamses the runaround, blaming the accident on “faulty” latches on top of the shipping container, attempting to shift responsibility to the private shipping company and then, as a last resort, informing the couple that the Port Authority is only liable to pay for damage to property if there is “wilful neglect or default.” (In fact, the regulations to the Port Authority Law stipulate that the port also cannot be held responsible for losses, delays, thefts and even injuries or death, unless, again, “wilful neglect or default” can be demonstrated.) If this sounds familiar, it should: It’s the “Section 12 problem,” all over again. We are, of course, referring to the blanket immunity clause that grabbed headlines earlier this year after a judge ruled that “Section 12” of the Health Services Authority Law effectively prevented any lawsuits from proceeding against the public hospital’s doctors, nurses or other staff for medical negligence. Similar immunity provisions appear in several other laws gov- erning Cayman agencies, including the National Roads Authority, Planning Department, Airports Authority, Cayman Islands Monetary Authority, Maritime Authority and, apparently, the Port Authority as well. Following a hue and cry from the populace, law- makers at first denied vigorously that “Section 12” was actively intended to shield HSA staff from accountability (even though the HSA had deliber- ately invoked the immunity clause on several occa- sions to fend off potential lawsuits). Then, in late April, lawmakers convened and unanimously approved the repeal of Section 12 from the HSA Law, but only in the HSA Law. Nearly six months later, the Legislative Assembly is again in session, but there is no indication that lawmakers plan to alter any of the other immunity clauses in any of the other laws. (In case you were wondering … we were, so we looked it up … the Traffic Law does indeed contain an immunity clause shielding the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing, and its vehicle inspectors, from liability for causing damage to property “unless it is shown that the act or omission was in bad faith.” That may explain, in part, otherwise-inexplicable delays in the traffic case concerning the DVDL “racing inspector” who totaled a car he was test driving in broad daylight on July 11. Police investigated the high-profile incident and submitted a case file to public prosecutors in mid- September … That would be more than a month ago … and since then, we have heard nothing.) Lawmakers’ limited action on the HSA Law this spring, and blatant inaction on other immunity clauses, is proof that those “Section 12s” are there for a specific and obvious purpose, that is, to protect the government when it harms people or property. What we editorialized in March continues to hold true: “The blanket immunity was absolutely intentional, and was meant to shield the public agencies from accountability for errors or accidents.” WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Yesterday’s editorial (cont’d) If any (or all) of our readers noticed that yester- day’s editorial (“‘Taking attendance’ at Cayman’s public schools”) ended a bit abruptly, they were in good company that included, among others, us. The last paragraph simply vanished. We’re still looking for it. In any case, here’s what you missed: “Again, Mr. [Winston] Connolly had it correct when he suggested that the goal of education reform in Cayman (indeed anywhere) must be to create a school system that attracts, through quality and excel- lence, students of all demographic descriptions — rich, poor, Caymanian or expatriate. No government has a greater obligation to its people.” 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 EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Markets send May a message on Brexit MOHAMED A. EL-ERIAN Key U.K. financial assets experienced notable moves over the last 10 days. If Prime Minister Theresa May fails to heed these market sig- nals, her government might have to contend with the pre- mature return of one of the biggest challenges to eco- nomic policy making: stagfla- tionary forces. By the end of last week, the pound had fallen to below US$1.22, mainly in re- action to speeches at the an- nual conference of the Con- servative Party – and, in particular, the trifecta of messages indicating a “hard Brexit,” attacking “interna- tional elites” and criticizing the policies of the Bank of England. At the same time, the yield on the 10-year gilt continued its recent surge, reaching 1.15 percent on Oct. 14 and amplifying worries about a policy approach that still relies excessively on monetary policy. This type of market re- action is consistent with eroding confidence in the ability of policy makers to contain unfavorable develop- ments in both the trade and capital accounts of the coun- try’s balance of payments. This is an understandable response because the polit- ical statements by govern- ment officials at the party’s annual conference signaled major disruptions to the U.K.’s trade regime, could slow the inflow of invest- ment capital and could inad- vertently encourage capital repatriation and flight. This could occur even as a size- able deficit in Britain’s cur- rent account requires signifi- cant financing in the form of net private capital inflows It would be premature to take comfort from the one positive market indicator, the rise of the FTSE 100 stock market index to close to record levels in the last 10 days. When measured in almost any other currency, the index has been a major global laggard. All this would not matter much were it not for the potential impact on the economy. In the current circum- stances of the U.K., recent de- velopments heightened the risk of stagflation – rising inflation at a time of dimin- ishing economic dynamism. Meanwhile, the ability of the Bank of England to act as a counterweight is lessened by market pressures on the country’s interest rate struc- ture and the depreciation of the currency. Although the government may be tempted to continue its current political rhetoric – not least as a way to pick up disillusioned supporters of both the Labour Party and UKIP – officials would be well advised to listen to a very simple message from financial markets: It is not a good idea to signal the dis- mantling of longstanding economic and financial te- nets without simultaneously proposing a comprehensive and credible alternative. The longer the government con- tinues to promote the first message without providing explicit direction on its fu- ture plans, the greater the stagflationary risk to the U.K. economy at a time of major structural uncertainty. El-Erian is a Bloomberg View columnist. He is the chief economic adviser at Allianz SE and chairman of the President’s Global Development Council. © 2016, Bloomberg View U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at her party’s annual conference on Oct. 5. - PHOTO: CHRIS RATCLIFFE/BLOOMBERGThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 DISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS 50 years ago: Celebrity author Robin Moore stops in In the Oct. 19, 1966 edi- tion of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, Cayman Brac news included: “Mr. Robin Moore, au- thor of America’s No. 1 best- seller, ‘The Green Berets,’ and also the hit song of the same name, who is also an executive of the Sher- aton hotel chain, landed in Cayman Brac on Tuesday, the 11th by private aircraft. Mr. Moore was trying to get into Grand Cayman with a view to doing business in the island but was refused permission to land due to airport reconstruction work and had to return to Mon- tego Bay the same day. “Mr. Moore was accom- panied by Mr. Arnold Foote, Jr. of Advertising and Mar- keting (Jamaica) Ltd. and Mr. Fred Ramson who pi- loted the aircraft. “Whilst in Cayman Brac, he met with Mr. Dennis Foster, was taken on a tour through the island and re- ceived the usual Cayman hospitality. Mr. Moore im- pressed his regret at not being able to come over to the beautiful island of Grand Cayman. However, he said that it was understand- able as a jet airstrip for the island was a tremendous step forward and would do a lot for the development of the country. “When asked if he would return, Mr. Moore said that he was looking for- ward to being in Cayman next month and hoped that the projects he has in mind would materialize be- cause the island has great potential and should be given the opportunity it so justly deserves. “Mr. Moore and Mr. Ar- nold Foote have a tentative meeting fixed with Mr. Colin Panton in November, at which time Mr. Moore will look at possible Hotel sites around the island.” In the same issue, Brac correspondent Lilian Ritch wrote: “Mr. Ashton Bodden of the Point sustained shock and apparently minor inju- ries when his car was to- tally wrecked on the 9th. He was alone in the car. It is understood that a tire blew out causing the car to go out of control. He was taken to the doctor by friends who came upon him as he was stepping out of the wrecked vehicle. He went by C.B.A. to the hos- pital, Grand Cayman on Monday, 10th and is re- ported to be recovering satisfactorily. “Cable & Wireless (W.I.) Ltd. We are pleased to have back in the office at Stake Bay Mr. Albert Chung of Ja- maica who returned on the 22nd to relieve Mr. Temple Tatum. When asked to re- turn he heartily agreed. Mr. Tatum has gone to Ja- maica to continue the course in teletyping. Mr. Chung had the interesting assignment from Aug. 4 to 14 of communications op- erator for the Common- wealth Games held in Ja- maica. Each participating country in the Games sent down reporters who had to keep their home papers in- formed up to the minute. His job was to transmit these press reports. “Our bond of under- standing and sympathy goes overseas today to a member of the Foster family, to Margery, daughter of Mr. Taylor Foster, J.P. and Senior Deacon of the Bap- tist Church of the Creek, whose husband Hank died in Los Angeles, California. Although Henry Dieffen- bach, known to his family and friends as Hank, never visited the home of his wife, it was only time that pre- vented him from doing so. “He was born on the July 25, 1913 and died on Aug. 13, 1966 and lived a useful life for his country, and of which 18 years of happiness were shared with Margery. “He was loved and re- spected by all who knew him and was buried with full military honours.” Brac examines green iguana invasion BASIA MCGUIRE bmcguire@pinnaclemedialtd.com A meeting held on the Brac this week on the green iguana problem gave resi- dents the opportunity to learn more about the status of the invasive reptiles on their island. The meeting on Monday, Oct. 17, at the Aston Rutty Centre was organized by the Department of Environment. “This meeting was part of our continued effort of trying to control the green iguanas in the Cayman Islands, from the point of a biosecurity issue,” said Department of Environment research officer Jane Haakonsson. Speakers addressed a number of topics, including the population boom of the iguanas in Grand Cayman and the numbers behind it, what’s taking place with re- gard to the control effort, and the results so far. On Little Cayman, the Green Iguana B Gonna team has been hunting the inva- sive species. The team’s Mike Vallee did a presentation on the work that Iguana B Gonna has been doing, as well as the importance of community re- sponse and awareness. The meeting wrapped up with information on how to spot the difference between green iguanas and native iguanas, and what to do if a green iguana is spotted. “We hope to set up a formalized response team on the Brac. As it stands, all of our terrestrial officers are on Grand Cayman, so we are hoping to replicate the suc- cessful project we have going on Little Cayman, where local residents have come to- gether and done a great job of tackling the green iguana problem as a community,” said Ms. Haakonsson. “It is working very well on Little Cayman. They have done a great job through the Green Iguana B Gonna project, and we brought the coordinators Ed Houl- croft and Mike Vallee to the meeting to share their ex- perience and expertise, and to drum up commu- nity support.” The visit to the Brac proved eye-opening as well: When the team went searching for green iguanas, they caught nine in just one outing, an unexpect- edly high number. “This was on the north side, up by Dixon’s Road, and we caught seven hatch- lings and two adults, which means breeding is going on, which is not a good sign,” said Ms. Haakonsson. The team recorded GPS coordinates of all the green iguanas that have been caught or spotted to use for reference over time and to track their advancement. “As part of the Brac visit, we also knocked on doors to let people know about the presence of greens and to ask the community to be on the lookout for them and record where they were spotted,” said Ms. Haakonsson. “The Brac has free-roaming Sister Islands iguanas, and what was very encouraging was that all the locals we spoke to were very aware that one kind of iguana is for us to protect, and one kind is for us to eradicate.” She noted the impor- tance of striking early in the Brac to avoid a situa- tion like Grand Cayman is experiencing, where there are approximately 500,000 green iguanas. “We are trying to do damage control on the Sister Islands, not only by enlisting the community, but also by educating the Port Authority on this issue, as we know they are arriving on con- tainers,” she said. “It is a much bigger problem on the Brac than Little Cayman due to in- creased traffic and containers that are on the island. If someone was there to inspect containers on arrival, we would be much better off.” Brac residents and visitors are being asked to be vigilant. “If you find one, give our hotline a call, keep your eye on it, if you can catch it, catch it, but only if you can do it safely, and if you dis- patch it, do it humanely,” ad- vised Ms. Haakonsson. “Do not try to run over an iguana, as you may acciden- tally kill a native iguana.” Overall, Ms. Haakonsson said, the team was encour- aged by the meeting outcome. “In terms of community action, we got a good re- sponse,” said Ms. Haakonsson. “We have some dedicated volunteers on the Brac, in- cluding Bonnie Scott Ed- wards and Keino Daley, who expressed interest in heading up the community eradica- tion efforts, as well as two DOE officers, marine parks officer Robert Walton and marine conservation officer Erbin Tibbetts, who is li- cenced to use a rifle.” If a green iguana is spotted, Brac residents are asked to call the green iguana hotline at 917-7744. Attendees observe a green iguana at the Brac green iguana meeting. Mike Vallee and Ed Houlcroft of the Green Iguana B Gonna program have had a lot of success eradicating the pests on Little Cayman.DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Sister Islands CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 Coral nursery yields promising results BASIA MCGUIRE bmcguire@pinnaclemedialtd.com An unusual project taking place in the waters of the Brac is pro- ducing some encouraging results. The Cayman Brac Coral Nursery is part of an initiative that the De- partment of Environment started in May 2015. Permits were issued to dive shops willing to partici- pate in the project, four on Grand Cayman, one on Little Cayman, and one on Cayman Brac, and the nurseries began in early 2016. “Coral Nurseries were started in the hopes of establishing new thickets of sexually reproducing Acropora corals,” said Department of Environment senior research of- ficer John Bothwell. “However this alone will not save coral reefs in Cayman or any- where else. The best hope of that is enhanced protected areas, as other countries have recently been initiating and as the Department of Environment, after carrying out several years of public consulta- tion, has proposed and had ac- cepted by the National Conserva- tion Council a system of enhanced Marine Parks for the Cayman Is- lands. These proposals now rest with the Cabinet and the public to decide how to move forward.” The Brac coral growing project is overseen by Roxane Boonstra and her fiancé Philip Kravitz. Ac- cording to Ms. Boonstra, the nursery will likely belong to Brac Scuba Shack in the near future. “My fiancé and I are currently the main keepers of the nursery, which involved weekly cleaning of the PVC trees and monitoring of the corals,” said Ms. Boonstra, who holds a research-based graduate degree from the University of Mi- ami’s Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. “Although I originally planned on studying fish and larval distri- butions, I wound up staying in a coral lab I was initially working as a lab technician for,” she said of her journey to her role of coral steward on the Brac. “Corals turned out to be so much tougher than I ever expected, with a complexity I didn’t realize they had – corals get involved in chemical warfare with one another at night, they have a surprisingly complex immune system that re- sponds to disease and bleaching, and their methods of sexual re- production are diverse and beau- tiful to see. Yet they are so very fragile, and are essential to the backbone of fish populations, of human fishing populations and of tourism.” She explained that all coral strives to catch its own food, but not all corals are very good at it. To make up for this difficulty, corals have developed a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with a single-celled algae known as a zooxanthella. “My research was to study the different communities of coral- algal symbionts of Madagascar,” said Ms. Boonstra. She explained that there are many different kinds of sym- bionts all over the world, and they are what give corals their typically golden color. When a coral is stressed out, such as during a period of excessive warming, this coral-algal relation- ship breaks down. “Without the algae, all you can see is the clear “body” of the coral and the white skeleton below,” she said. “This is a state called bleaching; the coral is still very much alive, but in a state of extreme stress.” Ms. Boonstra noted that if the environmental stressor is relieved, the coral-algal relationship will resume and the coral will recover, but if not, the coral animal will ultimately die. Coral nurseries like the one Ms. Boonstra is supervising aren’t meant to bring dead reefs “back to life,” but are instead meant to strengthen weakening systems or enhance already healthy reefs. “The first goal of the coral nursery projects is not to harm the wild corals,” said Mr. Bothwell, underscoring that it is important that only people who have expe- rience or training collect the wild corals and put them into the nurs- eries, and that the amount of coral taken be limited and monitored. He said the second goal will be growth of the corals in the nurs- eries resulting in outplantings that live for at least a few years. “Stony corals like Staghorn and Elkhorn are important to a reef’s growth and structural support, not to mention providing crucial hab- itat for fish,” said Ms. Boonstra. “Ideally, a nursery and outplant site would be near a wild colony of the same species [in order] to encourage genetic recombination during future spawning events.” She said the idea of coral nurs- eries has been around for a consid- erable period of time, but the prac- tice only recently started gaining momentum and popularity. “Staghorn and Elkhorn corals (Acropora cervicornis and Acro- pora palmata) are the most pop- ular species of coral to use, since they grow quickly, but some nurs- eries are experimenting with other species of corals as well,” she said. “The basic method is to sample a wild population by taking a few small 2-3 inch fragments of coral and then moving these pieces to a structure on which they can grow. The structure can vary – cinder blocks, PVC ‘trees,’ nets and metal structures have all been used with varying pros and cons,” she said. Once big enough, the corals can be outplanted to the reef or to an- other structure that would serve as the corals’ permanent new home. Once transplanted, moni- toring of the coral is necessary to ensure that it’s doing well. Providing diversity may help Cayman’s reefs in coming years. “Research in the Cayman Is- lands has shown that the genetic material of staghorn coral colo- nies between the islands is quite different, but even the colonies on a single island are genetically dif- ferent,” said Ms. Boonstra. “Just as mixed-breed dogs are said to have a lower incidence of genetically inherited disease, per- haps a mixed coral can result from the spawning of genetically dif- ferent individuals of a same spe- cies that will be more resilient to future climate change.” So far, the results have been encouraging. “Last May, we transplanted six big beautiful colonies of staghorn to new permanent homes, and we are thrilled to see them growing well and overgrowing their zip-tie attachments, which indicates they are cementing themselves to their new structure,” said Ms. Boonstra. “Although our immediate goal is to see them through this unusually warm post-summer temperature, our vision is to see them grow big enough to spawn with the nearby wild colonies” she continued. “Phil and I talk sometimes about making an underwater art sculpture, but that would be far into the future.” “Ideally a nursery and outplant site would be near a wild colony of the same species [in order] to encourage genetic recombination during future spawning events.” ROXANE BOONSTRA Before and after photos of one of the project’s corals after four months. Each piece of tape is 2 inches, showing that growth is considerable. - PHOTO: ROXANE BOONSTRA The Brac Scuba Shack team, from left, Roxane Boonstra, Philip Kravitz, Aidan Van der Touw, Liesel Van der Touw and JP Collins. Not pictured is Martin Van der Touw.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS n Loving mory n Loving Loving mory nLoving mory mory Sadly missed by, Children Leonard, Richard, Martha Ruth, Alfred and Lewey Daughters-in-law Carol, Pauline, Karen Son-in-law Ryan Grand children and great grand children. Forever will you live on, in our hearts and minds... Forever will you live in our thoughts and never die... And until that day, when we shall meet again, We will continue to cherish all of our memories of you. We want you to know that we will always cherish you; we will always love you and always remember you. You are too precious to be forgotten, and too priceless to be ever replaced. You are one in a million, and you’ll always be the precious and unique Mama that we cared for so dearly. There are so many things we wish we had said and done..... But now that you’re gone, it’s something we’ll never be able to do... But we want you to know that though you’re out of sight, you’ll always be in our hearts. For Our Mama In Loving Memory Ptronella Melencia Eb nks mory n mory n moryLovingmoryLovingmory n Loving n mory n moryLovingmory n morymoryLoving 9th June, 1914 – 19th October, 2006 10 years gone, and always remembered! Caymanian attorneys has been building over the past few weeks since the bill was made public. On Monday, legislators received a letter from local attorney Sammy Jackson stating concerns about “mounting resistance” to the proposal. “The government has kept this draft of the Legal Practi- tioners Bill away from public scrutiny, and has yet chosen to so bravely defend its po- sition to only give us seem- ingly unimportant small local firms and sole practi- tioners, as well as the public in general – including its own colleagues in parlia- ment – nothing but the bare minimum required amount of time to peruse, analyze and comment on this bill,” Mr. Jackson wrote. “Understandably, resis- tance has been mounting, as more of us find the time to read this bill and build the nerve to take on the government in its shameful initiative to rail- road through a brand new piece of legislation which they themselves (or at least some of them) tout as being so important to our profes- sion and, more importantly (for them), our financial services industry.” Concerns about this bill being “rushed through” the House were also ex- pressed during a Thursday night public meeting in George Town. However, Min- ister Panton and Abraham Thoppil, the president of the Caymanian Bar Association, noted that reviews with the bill had been ongoing for at least the past six months and the vast majority of the Bar Association and Cayman Is- lands Law Society members supported it. More than 75 percent of the representatives from both professional organiza- tions said earlier this month that they would support the changes in the bill. Following Mr. Panton’s announcement about the bill being delayed, the five members of the indepen- dent opposition in the Leg- islative Assembly congrat- ulated the government on what they called its “about face” on the bill. “I am delighted the government has finally come to its senses and put a stop to this disastrous bill,” East End MLA Arden McLean said. “This bill in its current form will only serve to fur- ther disenfranchise Cayma- nian lawyers and continue to keep Caymanians out of the upper echelons of the legal industry.” Mr. McLean also congrat- ulated Mr. Jackson and Ma- ples associate Selina Tibbetts, who stepped forward to cri- tique the legislation publicly, something he and other law- makers said local attorneys were afraid to do. Opposition Leader McK- eeva Bush asked the gov- ernment to form a select committee of lawmakers to help review changes to the bill before the next leg- islative meeting, but Mr. Bush’s motion was not enter- tained on Tuesday. brother told officers Powell would visit him, but did not live with him. The defendant himself would not say where he had stayed or for whom he had worked. He told the court, “I was working here when I got something to do.” “That’s all you have to say?” the magistrate said. She asked if he ever tried to make his situation legal. He said he thought of it several times, but then he was scared of what would happen and time kept passing. The magistrate asked how an overstayer could have re- mained undetected so long. The officer said Powell had been looked at before and authorities had spoken with his mother. “We get a list of over- stayers,” the officer ex- plained. “We go out and try to find them. We do our best.” The magistrate said that would be easier to believe if the defendant had no family here – “but with family, that is where to look.” The officer replied, “We didn’t know about the brother. And the mother was no longer here.” Questions were raised about the car Powell was driving when stopped. The magistrate was told that it had been borrowed from the brother. This raised another question about whether the brother was harboring Powell, but the officer said nothing could be proved. The magistrate said this was one of the most bla- tant offenses against the Immigration Law that she had seen. “You have lived, worked and enjoyed life in the Cayman Islands from 2007 till now without any right to do so,” she told Powell. “Worse, you have not as- sisted the officers in saying how, and who helped you …. I believe you had your- self so assimilated into so- ciety that everyone thought you were fine.” The situation showed that the Immigration Department needs more resources to find overstayers, she commented. “I want to know how many more of them are out there.” Ms. James advised that the maximum sentence for the offense is imprisonment for five years and a fine of up to $20,000. The magistrate inquired whether overstaying could be dealt with administratively – sending a person off is- land and then putting a stop order on their return. The officer said that when the overstaying exceeds six months, the department pre- fers to have the court decide. to review the matter. An asset forfeiture order requiring Watson to pro- duce certain financial in- formation about his bank accounts and properties in Cayman was not com- plied with as of Monday, the date the court had set for Watson to turn over those records. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Patrick Moran was incredulous as to why Watson, a qualified accountant who once ran the financial services firm Admiral Administration, could not meet the require- ments of the court. “Mr. Watson does not need a lawyer to tell this court how much money he has and where he keeps it,” Mr. Moran said. “He does not need a lawyer to tell this court how much money he earned and how he spent it.” Watson, who according to court testimony in his criminal trial, earned US$50,000 per month as managing director at Ad- miral, said matters were hardly as simple as the Crown sought to present. He said the request for his assets date back eight years and that much of the information was kept on paper records stored at a relative’s house. Moreover, Mr. Watson said he did not have ready access to a computer or the Internet at Northward Prison to retrieve that data. Attorney Lee Halliday- Davis, standing in for Ms. Fosuhene during Mon- day’s hearing, said Watson had assumed he would not be granted legal aid for the asset forfeiture matter and might indeed require an attorney’s assistance if he was unable to access his bank records online from the prison. Grand Court Justice Charles Quin said that while it was “a little dis- appointing” that Watson had missed the court-im- posed deadline to report his financial information, there seemed to be little the court could do but delay the asset forfeiture hearing for the time being. A case management hearing was set for Nov. 28. It seemed unlikely Monday afternoon that the forfei- ture proceeding would occur before early February – a year after Watson was convicted in the fraud case. No date was set for his appeal of conviction. Man sentenced for overstaying almost 10 years CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Legal Practitioners Bill stalled, may return for vote in 2017 Watson receives legal aid for conviction appeal CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Nobel judges cannot reach Dylan STOCKHOLM (AP) – Five days after Bob Dylan was named the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, no one knows how he feels about the pres- tigious award – not even the Nobel judges. The Swedish Academy, which bestows the annual honor, says it has not been able to reach Dylan since the award was announced last Thursday. “We haven’t established direct contact with Bob Dylan yet, but I have spoken to one of his closest associates,” the academy’s permanent secre- tary, Sara Danius, told The Associated Press in an email on Tuesday. The academy hopes he will accept the invi- tation to collect his award at the annual Nobel ceremony in Stockholm on Dec. 10. “It would be delightful if Dylan wanted to come to Stockholm in December, but if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to,” Danius said. She noted that literature laureates have skipped the ceremony before. Elfriede Jelinek stayed home in 2004, citing a social phobia. Harold Pinter and Alice Munro missed the ceremony in 2005 and 2013, respectively, due to health reasons. Only two people have de- clined a Nobel Prize in litera- ture. Boris Pasternak did so under pressure from Soviet au- thorities in 1958 and Jean-Paul Sartre, who declined all official honors, turned it down in 1964. Dylan, who is currently on tour in the U.S., has not mentioned the Nobel Prize during his concerts since the announcement. As of Tuesday, his offi- cial webpage made no men- tion of the prize except in the “books” section, where a post dated Oct. 17 about his lyrics collection “The Lyrics: 1961- 2012” noted in all caps that he was a Nobel Prize winner. Dylan has accepted nu- merous awards over the years, including the Presi- dential Medal of Freedom, for which he attended a White House ceremony in 2012. 9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2016 175197_PRINT-Ad-Compass-4colx12-Page 1 9/9/16 12:03:51 PM Nuclear option for Cayman ‘a viable alternative’ Engineer floats energy idea at STEM JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com New advances in tech- nology could make the nu- clear option a viable alterna- tive for the Cayman Islands’ future energy needs, students at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math con- ference heard. Jeffrey Hausaman, a Cay- manian-American who works as a reactor engineer for nu- clear power plants in Georgia, in the United States, said nu- clear could potentially pro- vide a stable source of low- cost energy to the islands. He said innovation in the development of smaller reac- tors is beginning to make nu- clear power an affordable op- tion for remote communities, including small islands. According to media re- ports, Singapore is consid- ering using small, floating reactors deployed at sea to help meet the island’s energy needs. Russia is in mid-pro- duction on floating nuclear power stations to provide power in remote Arctic re- gions, Mr. Hausaman said. As costs for the tech- nology begin to come down, he believes such options could be considered in Cayman and other small is- lands, though he acknowl- edges there would likely be safety and security concerns. He told the Cayman Com- pass, “There are always those concerns. One thing I would like to do is to start a conver- sation. Nuclear technology is very specialist technology. Because a lot of people don’t understand it, they automati- cally have a negative reaction to it. Once you explain it to people, you can start to have a conversation. “To me, it is like the air- plane industry. We share the fact that we take a very haz- ardous exercise and make it routine, make it safe.” Mr. Hausaman, who went to John Gray High School and is the nephew of Collector of Customs Charles Clifford, em- phasized he was floating the idea to stimulate interest and prompt debate rather than to personally advocate for nu- clear in Cayman. He explained the principles of nuclear en- ergy to hundreds of high school students at the STEM conference at UCCI last week. Despite high-profile disas- ters, including at the Fuku- shima nuclear power plant in Japan after the Tsunami in 2011, he said the technology is becoming safer and more ac- cessible. He said France now derives three-quarters of its power from nuclear, and the quest to cut carbon emissions is causing more countries to re-think the nuclear option. Smaller reactors and other new technological break- throughs could make small modular reactors an option for small island nations, he said. Costs are currently high, but lack the volatility of technologies dependent on fossil fuel. The Russian floating power stations cost $US232 million, loaded with 12 years’ worth of nuclear fuel. The Caribbean Utilities Company just paid $85 million for new diesel gen- erators, before fuel costs, he noted in comparison. “I think offshore is the most interesting thing for is- lands,” he said. “Singapore is currently considering it. There is certainly a lot of active de- velopment going on to get small reactors in the market.” Jeffrey Hausaman gives a presentation at the STEM conference at the University College of the Cayman Islands on Thursday. - PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER 128 APPLY FOR 7 PRISON JOBS A prison officer recruit- ment drive last week at- tracted 128 applicants seeking jobs in the prison service. There are currently seven vacant positions. Prison Service Director Neil Lavis said of the 128 people who took the Prison Officer Recruitment Testing entrance exam, which was of- fered over a three day period, 32 were Caymanian. “After such a successful Public Safety Recruitment Drive back in late August, we are extremely happy to see so many applicants show in- terest in a future career with [the] Prison Service,” Mr. Lavis said in a press release. “How- ever, the English and Maths Proficiency Test is just stage one of the hiring process.” The applicants who pass the assessment will move on to stage two, the fitness test, which will take place on Sat- urday, Oct. 22. The third and final stage of the process includes in- terviews with senior prison service officials, which will be carried out in the first week of November. “We have a total of seven positions available, and we are looking for appli- cants who are driven and passionate when it comes to helping others and the country,” Mr. Lavis said. “Being a prison officer is not an easy job, it can be chal- lenging, but we are deter- mined to find the right people with the right attitude to take on the role.” The selected recruits will go through several weeks of intense training in late No- vember or early December. “There is certainly a lot of active development going on to get small reactors in the market.” JEFFREY HAUSAMANNext >