ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 6 WINGS12 WINGS 24 WINGS36 WINGS $ 499 $ 959 $ 1899 $ 2799 PRIVATE MEMBERS’ MOTION MLAs urge prosecution of partners of Cayman’s major law firms Minister: Motion ‘an attack on our financial services’ BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Unnamed Cayman Islands law firms are accused of “intentionally ignoring and delib- erately circumventing” both the Legal Prac- titioners Law and Immigration Law, in a private members’ motion filed with the Leg- islative Assembly. In addition, the firms are alleged to have potentially committed criminal offenses by conspiring to defeat the enforcement of those laws, according to the motion. The motion, filed by East End MLA Arden McLean and supported by George Town MLA Winston Connolly, also alleges that Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton has a “glaring conflict of interest” in seeking to pass an updated version of the Legal Practitioners Law, which, they claim, will seek to legitimize the firms’ current questionable practices. Asked to comment on the motion ahead of the Legislative Assembly debate on it, Minister Panton said he viewed it as “an at- tack on our financial services industry.” “These two MLAs are not only wrong in law, but wrong in principle as well,” Mr. Panton said. “Their actions are grossly ir- responsible when international percep- tion is critical to our continued success as a country. “This motion is an attack on our financial services industry and an example of per- sonal political agendas being placed ahead of the interests of thousands of Caymanians in the industry and, in fact, given the signif- icance to our economy, the interests of the country as a whole.” Both the current draft of the Legal Prac- titioners Bill, as well as the private mem- bers’ motion alleging potential breaches of the law, are on the Legislative Assem- bly’s agenda for its meeting which began Wednesday. Neither item was expected to be Digicel to cut jobs worldwide JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Irish-owned telecommuni- cations company Digicel, which has a large presence in Cayman and throughout the Caribbean, announced plans this week to slash a quarter of its workforce in the next 18 months. Representatives at the company’s Cayman Islands of- fice said they had no comment to make on the announcement. It is not yet clear which countries will be most impacted. The company, which oper- ates in 31 markets in the Carib- bean, South Pacific and Central America, announced the job cuts as part of its 2030 “global transformation” program. The changes will involve “back office” and some other functions and services being centralized in regional hubs. A spokeswoman for the company’s Caribbean head- quarters in Jamaica said, “This means that staff in our 31 mar- kets will be focused on sales SYED SAYS HE HAD PERMISSION TO FALSIFY $152,000 INVOICE JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former college president Hassan Syed claimed Thursday that he had been authorized by a senior civil servant to alter an invoice from a U.S. company. Syed acknowledged that he had created a false invoice from Lominger Limited Inc., a company connected to the project to set up a Civil Service College in the Cayman Islands. But he claimed he did so after consulting with Peter Gough, who at the time was the chief officer in the government’s Port- folio of Civil Service. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Arden McLean It appears that a prima facie case could be made out for prosecution under Section 322 of the Penal Code of all partners and principals and other participating persons in these law firms who conspired with one another to defeat the execution of the said laws.” — From private members’ motion These two MLAs are not only wrong in law, but wrong in principle as well. Their actions are grossly irresponsible when international perception is critical to our continued success as a country.” — Wayne Panton, financial services minister Financial Services Minister Wayne Panton speaks in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, via CIG TV. Winston Connolly PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 945-2290 • West Shore Center, Seven Mile Beach • 10am to 10pm $19.95 For FAT TUESDAY & MARDI GRAS... Feast $29.95 • 1 Wood Roasted Marinated Rotisserie Chicken • 2 Pints of Cajun Rice • Home Made Flakey Biscuits • Honey Rum Beans • 2 Liters of Soda Call 949-2231 or email: info@wharf.ky FRIDAY 24th FROM 9:30PM WITH BOB FM EVERY LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH Teen gets six years after admitting to stabbing CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Justin Kyle Jackson, 18, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment on Wednesday after admitting that he had stabbed a man six times, with two of the wounds de- scribed as life-threatening. Jackson was 17 when he committed the offense of wounding with intent to cause serious bodily harm. An aggravating feature was that he was on probation at the time for carrying an of- fensive weapon – a knife with a three-inch blade. The incident occurred out- side a George Town bar in the early hours of May 5, 2016. In Grand Court this week, Justice Paul Worsley summed up the case as presented by Crown counsel Greg Wal- colm. He said the wounding was aggravated by the fact that it took place at night in a public place. The victim was a 30-year- old man who had attended a West Bay Road bar with a girlfriend and cousin. At this first bar, the man saw Jackson and his friends, who were making threatening ges- tures toward him. The man believed that Jackson, whom he knew, and his group were armed, but did not see any weapons. He left and went to the George Town bar. “Sadly, you were to meet up again coincidentally at another premises,” the judge commented. At the second bar, Jackson and his friends con- tinued to make the threat- ening gestures. When the man stepped outside to- ward the end of the evening, there was a brief exchange of words between them. Jackson then threw a bottle with force and it hit the man in his head. The incident was captured on CCTV. When the man ap- proached him, Jackson took a knife from his pocket. There was a tussle and a security guard stepped in, but by that time Jackson had inflicted six stab wounds. One wound punctured the man’s lung, causing it to collapse. Another nicked the side of his jugular vein. “Had that gone deeper, he would have died and you would be facing a murder charge,” the judge told Jackson. He said it was thanks to the skill of the doctors at the hospital that the injured man made a full recovery and was discharged on May 9. The in- juries were described as se- rious but not permanent. Defense attorney James Stenning asked the court to consider Jackson’s youth and the difficulties he had faced as “a child in an adult prison.” He noted that Jackson had been in custody since his arrest and did not turn 18 until July. Mr. Stenning also asked for full credit for the defen- dant’s guilty plea. He asked the court to consider Jack- son’s slight stature com- pared with the complainant, who could have walked away after being hit by the bottle. Instead, he had advanced to- ward Jackson, who drew his knife to deter retaliation. The attorney referred to details of his client’s diffi- cult early life and added that the defendant was the father of a young girl whose life he wanted to be part of. Justice Worsley echoed what other judges have said about knife crimes being too prevalent in Cayman. Those who carry knives risk having those knives turned on them, he observed; they also run the risk of going to prison for a very long time. With a starting point of nine years, the judge gave Jackson a discount for his age and guilty plea, for a total of six years. Jackson had breached probation by carrying the knife and for this offense the judge im- posed six months to be served consecutively. Jackson is to receive credit for time served. Two boats towed in harbor in high seas TAD STONER tstoner@pinnaclemedialtd.com One boat ran aground and another half sank in choppy waters, but both were rescued by tenders from Caribbean Marine Services, which moved between 10,000 and 12,000 cruise passengers through the stormy harbor on Wednesday. Six cruise ships carrying almost 15,000 passengers docked Wednesday in George Town, braving high seas not sufficiently rough to reroute them to the Spotts anchorage in Prospect, but roiled enough that tender operators had to work slowly, navi- gating “bouncy” conditions. Red Sail Sports’ Coral Spirit dive boat ran into trouble during the afternoon, leaving its bow submerged and its stern protruding above the surface. One of Ca- ribbean Marine Services’ 16 tenders plying the harbor towed the vessel to safety. Red Sail Account Man- ager Bill Edwards blamed the mishap on the high seas. No one was injured, he said. “While on the way to safe harbor in South Sound … a 42-foot custom dive boat ex- perienced a few waves over the bow which filled her front end with excessive seawater. “Luckily, CMS tenders were on the spot to assist her to safety in South Sound at which point a group effort of Harbour House, Red Sail and CMS crews worked to have her floated by 8 p.m.” “As of today,” Mr. Edwards said Thursday, “the vessel was running but remains in South Sound with plans to be moved to the marina when sea conditions allow. Fortu- nately, no one was injured and Red Sail Sports is very thankful to all those who lent a helping hand.” Caribbean Marine Ser- vices General Manager David Carmichael said, “You can never leave anyone stranded. It’s a service we provide. Anyone that is stranded, we are always the first to go out.” Caribbean Marine Ser- vices also towed off Hog Sty Bay beach a tender – from the 721-passenger Seven Seas Explorer – driven ashore by the high seas. “We are responsible for four of the ships,” Mr. Car- michael said, but not for the other two,” the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Seven Seas Explorer, “but we ended up helping out with the Seven Seas.” Port Authority Security Manager Joseph Woods said the weather – 0.34 inches of rain in one hour, waves be- tween 4 feet and 5 feet and wind gusts up to 30 knots – meant “difficulty for some of the smaller tenders,” as they moved passengers across heaving gangways alongside the anchored ships. “It took a little longer, but no one was hurt,” he said. Caribbean Marine Ser- vices’ 16 boats – 12 with a capacity of 250 and four that carry 80 – suspended operations between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. as a severe squall crossed the harbor. “But we knew it was coming,” Mr. Carmichael said, explaining that a weather buoy transmits updates every 10 minutes. National Weather Service Meteorologist Shamal Clarke said the rain had fallen in a single hour, with winds from the south southeast, driving wave heights. Mr. Woods said the port authority canceled Thursday’s three cruise arrivals – carrying 8,776 passengers – due to continuing inclement weather. Caribbean Marine Services crew come to the assistance of a Red Sail dive boat that was sinking in George Town harbor Wednesday.Rough seas continued along the west coast of Grand Cayman on Thursday. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 Executive Platinum Sponsors Platinum SponsorGold SponsorsSilver Sponsor PANTONE 130 PANTONE 179 PANTONE 425 Other Sponsors Bronze Sponsors IMS visit www. caymansummit.com for more information interstellar Thanks to our sponsors! THE FUTURE OF ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS IN EXCEPTIONAL TIMES Executive Platinum Sponsors Platinum SponsorGold SponsorsSilver Sponsor PANTONE 130 PANTONE 179 PANTONE 425 Other Sponsors Bronze Sponsors IMS visit www. caymansummit.com for more information interstellar Thanks to our sponsors! THE FUTURE OF ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS IN EXCEPTIONAL TIMESThe 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 EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS “One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike – and yet it is the most precious thing we have.” Albert Einstein, physicist “The experts make the rules; then they’re wrong. I give up.” Bob Miller, London cabdriver Predicting long-term weather patterns isn’t exactly astrophysics … in many ways, it is probably tougher. The residents of London are currently being forced to deal with unintended consequences of the British govern- ment’s grand experiment in environmental science, called the Clean Air Act of 1956. As we now see six decades later, the act has actually had the opposite effect and has led, albeit inadvertently, to hundreds of thousands of deaths. At the time the law was passed, it seemed like a good idea to provide financial incentives to encourage motor- ists to shift to diesel engines because, according to the New York Times, “laboratory tests suggested that would cut harmful emissions and combat climate change. “Yet, it turned out that diesel cars emit on average five times as much emissions in real-world driving condi- tions as in the tests …” (So much for the “settled science” of the era.) The results of the government’s interventionism were more diesel-powered vehicles on London’s streets, more toxic nitrogen dioxide pollution in London’s air and, even- tually, more people ending up in London’s hospitals – and morgues. According to the Times, “The pollution is linked to 23,500 deaths in Britain each year … Britain has the highest number of annual deaths from nitrogen dioxide in the European Union after Italy …” Now, government officials are scrambling to combat the threat of air pollution, contemplating handing out gas masks to schoolchildren whose lungs are still devel- oping, proposing new taxes and fees on motorists, and, in a reversal of the historical policy, setting up a fund to encourage drivers to buy “cleaner” non-diesel vehicles. Time will tell how effective (or not) the expensive and intrusive measures will turn out to be. Earlier campaigns to get people out of cars and onto bicycles (which emit zero air pollution) may be backfiring, as cyclists may be putting their own lungs at risk by breathing exhaust from cars they share the road with. According to the Times, “Researchers from the London School of Medicine say that cyclists inhale more than twice the amount of black carbon particles as pedestrians making the same trip.” This column is not intended to pick on London unfairly. After all, how could British scientists and policymakers of 60 years ago possibly know what they could not know (i.e., the future)? Someday we may be asking the same question of certain “climate change” zealots who claim to predict within centimeters how much sea levels will rise years or decades from now, and within fractions of degrees what future highs and lows individual regions will experi- ence, based on projections of concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere – and who castigate anyone impudent enough to ask questions about their assump- tions or methodologies. We are mere mortals. Our intelligence is finite, and the scope of our certain knowledge is, at best, a pinprick of light in a dark universe. (Case in point, cosmologists, physicists and theorists to this day are still debating the truths and flaws contained in the theories postulated by Einstein, who died in 1955, a mere one year before the U.K.’s defective Clean Air Act.) The next time someone tells you something is “settled science” – keep in mind there’s no such thing. ‘Clean Air Act’ in London linked to thousands of deaths LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Panton takes issue with Compass editorial on proposed bills It must be very stressful not having scandals or cor- ruption charges against polit- ical leaders in government to write about anymore. I would hope though that you would take the time to ensure that you write an editorial that is factually correct and free of misrepresentation. Amongst other points you should note that in October last year the Legal Practi- tioners Bill 2016 (LPB) was deferred to the current sit- ting of the LA that com- menced today, Feb. 22, 2017. As a result it is now on the agenda for debate. The de- ferral – which certainly did not represent the “death” of the LPB – instead rather helpfully allowed additional time for comment. And since there was no “death,” there is no “resurrection.” Rather, Committee Stage amend- ments filed in accordance with LA Standing Orders will incorporate into the LPB some of the comments that the ministry received. Your conclusion that those Committee Stage amendments, is “parliamen- tary maneuvering” is a delib- erate mischaracterization of a normal process. The Companies (Amend- ment) (No. 2) Bill 2016 also is not being “resurrected” either. Quite how you think it is so when the bill was only pub- lished with other companion bills in December, and is on the LA agenda for the first time is a mystery. In the case of both bills, relevant industry repre- sentative bodies have been engaged in their review and have commented on them. They are in support of both bills, which demonstrates the type of great collabora- tion that is necessary and useful when considering the short- and long-term macro- economic outcomes that they will influence. As always, in order to avoid the publication of in- accurate information, you are welcome to ask me or my ministry staff to explain ei- ther the process or substance of any legislation that we are putting forward for debate. Wayne Panton, Minister of Financial Services Physician responds to Lisa Turner’s death The reality of life is that from the moment we are born the ultimate endpoint is death. Death has an even more shocking and devas- tating impact when it ap- pears to be untimely or pre- mature, as in the case of Ms. Lisa Turner. Her passing re- minds us that tomorrow is promised to no one. My thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family. Having lost both parents within the past two years I can empathize with your pain. I was not involved with Ms. Turner’s surgical pro- cedure or her postopera- tive care and await the completion of the post- mortem and medical reviews which will hopefully explain the cause of her death. Until that time we should refrain from speculation. Medicine is an imperfect science, and as long as it has as its two focus points physi- cians and patients, there will always be room for human error. We as physicians, healthcare professionals and hospitals must try our best to limit these errors. If we can not eliminate them, at least learn from them. Some of the most valued lessons I have learned have been from mis- takes I have made. As we strive to improve medicine in the Cayman Is- lands, it is advisable that : 1. Health care profes- sionals continue to push for higher stan- dards and excellence in quality healthcare; 2. We educate the com- munity that in medicine there will be complica- tions, those complica- tions can lead to death, and that can happen whether it is Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, the Health Ser- vices Authority, Health City Cayman Islands, South Florida Bap- tist Hospital, MD An- derson Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic or any other hospital. That is not an excuse it is simply a reality; and 3. We are transparent and accountable. Darley Solomon, MD Medicine is an imperfect science, and as long as it has as its two focus points physicians and patients, there will always be room for human error. Wayne PantonThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 5127 | BEST DRESSED CHICKEN | 100% NATURAL | PRESS AD | FULL PAGE COMPASS | 10.333 x 15.97 | CMYK | 4 JAN 2017 1OO% natural O% ADDED Hormones IS O 1 4 0 0 1 C ER TIF IED IS O 9 0 01 C ER TIFI ED Raised with care under the Jamaican sun, The Best Dressed Chicken has been producing all natural superior quality chickens since 1958, totally free of added hormones. The Best Dressed Chicken is available island wide. Learn more today at thebestdressedchicken.ky NATURALLY THE TASTIEST CHICKEN6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Man charged with attempted murder in foiled robbery CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Jerome Cunningham, 24, appeared in Summary Court on Thursday, facing five charges relating to an attempted robbery on Monday evening. Among the charges, Cun- ningham is accused of at- tempting to cause the death of a security guard in the vicinity of Crown Square on Eastern Avenue. A press release issued by police on Monday night re- ferred to the incident as an attempted armed robbery of an armored vehicle. It stated that shots were fired and the security guard was taken to hospital with non- life-threatening injuries. The second charge against Cunningham is that he attempted to steal a quantity of cash belonging to JN Money Transfer and, at the time of doing so and in order to do so, used force against the same man. The defendant is further charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm – a Ruger P95DC and two rounds of 9mm ammunition. The final charge is ma- liciously wounding the guard with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. Cunningham was not represented by an attorney when he came before Mag- istrate Angelyn Hernandez on Thursday. She told him that because of the seri- ousness of the charges, she was obliged to appoint a legal counsel to speak with him on a one-time basis. Thereafter, he could apply for legal aid if he wished. The magistrate asked at- torney Jonathan Hughes to serve as duty counsel and speak with Cunningham. Mr. Hughes agreed and went to the cells with the defendant. The magistrate asked if the matter could be men- tioned again, and Mr. Hughes suggested Feb. 27. Police stated in a press release that Cunningham was arrested on Tuesday. Another press re- lease from the RCIPS on Thursday indicated that a firearm had been recov- ered in connection with the investigation of this matter, as well as a quan- tity of ammunition. Po- lice said this recovery oc- curred during a firearms operation on Tuesday. Progress report on airport renovations Renovations to Owen Roberts International Air- port are a quarter finished, the Cayman Islands Air- ports Authority has reported. The project is expected to triple the airport’s size and allow passage of 2.5 million travelers a year. The current terminal was built to accommodate 500,000 passengers a year but now processes more than 1 mil- lion, CIAA said. With the first phase of the project complete on me- chanical room space and of- fice space, work is under way on phases two and three, ex- pected for completion at the end of the year. Phase two in- cludes expanding the ticketing and administrative areas and adding a geothermal pump house. Phase three will work on immigration and arrivals, baggage claim, the customs hall and employee parking. The final stages, to be com- pleted by the end of 2018, will include an expanded depar- ture hall with a food court, a new security screening check- point, signature arches, and a VIP lounge and restaurant on the second level.An aerial view of the expansion work being carried out at Owen Roberts International Airport.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 ES SO and the ES SO L ogo ar e tr ademark s o f Ex xon Mobil Corpor ation and ar e used under license. Sol Cayman and its Esso station dealers are teaming up with the Cayman Islands Diabetes Association to promote awareness about signs, symptoms and treatment of diabetes as well as serious complications that may result from poor control of the disease. From February 23rd to March 29th 2017, 5¢ from every gallon sold will be donated to The Cayman Islands Diabetes Association on your behalf. Join Sol Cayman as they help, step by step, The Cayman Islands Diabetes Association. Help Fuel The Cayman Islands Diabetes Association! Sol PetroleumThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS With heavy hearts we announce the passing of June Carolie Verhoeven nee McTaggart, age 87. She was born on June 21, 1929 in George Town and passed peacefully on February 20, 2017 at her home in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Adrie “Bob” Verhoeven in 2013, and 5 siblings, she is survived by 2 sisters, 2 brothers, 3 children, 9 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren plus numerous loving in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. A celebration of life gathering will be held at her home in Gulf Breeze on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. heard this week. The Cayman Islands Law Society noted in a state- ment to the Cayman Com- pass late Thursday that its members “strongly object to the allegations of any breaches of the laws of the Cayman Islands. “We are concerned that this motion is simply a means of diverting atten- tion from the merits of the Legal Practitioners Bill,” the statement read. The text of the motion states that “public utter- ances and letters written by local practitioners to both the Minister of Finan- cial Services and to this Legislative Assembly, which letters have identified … a number of flaws with re- gards the process being em- ployed by the government, in- cluding the existence of an alleged glaring conflict of in- terest with regards to the said minister who is stew- arding this bill …. “It appears that there are a number of law firms in the Cayman Islands that are and have been for a number of years inten- tionally ignoring and de- liberately circumventing section 10 of the Legal Prac- titioners Law (2015 Revi- sion) so as to allow a large number of persons who are not qualified as attorneys- at-law to hold themselves out as such and to prac- tice as qualified Cayman Is- lands Legal Practitioners in offices outside the jurisdic- tion, which offices are ei- ther owned and controlled by, or affiliated with, those Cayman law firms.” The motion also states that the minister, Mr. Panton, “himself is a former man- aging partner” of one of the firms, alleging that this is the reason for his con- flict of interest. The motion makes further accusations: “There have also been numerous allegations of a somewhat similar na- ture with regards to breaches of section 51 of the Immi- gration Law with regards to the promotion and re-desig- nation of positions of law- yers within the same firms, in apparent breach of the Im- migration Law.” These “activities” as de- scribed in the motion have a “deleterious impact on the economy of these is- lands by allowing the firms involved to avoid the pay- ment of all government fees associated with licen- sure and work permitting of Cayman Legal Practitio- ners, as well as depriving the economy of all of the other attendant economic benefits that would come from such persons having to be properly licensed and located within the jurisdiction.” The conspiracy allegation made by the motion states that a number of partners and principals in the law firms are “acting in unison” to avoid these laws. The mo- tion alleges that the same firms have invested heavily in trying to pass the latest ver- sion of the Legal Practitio- ners Law without disclosing the structure and nature of their overseas practices. “It appears that a number of partners and/or principals of the relevant firms have con- spired together with others to prevent and/or defeat the execution or enforcement of the Legal Practitioners Law and/or the Immigration Law,” the motion states. “It appears that a prima facie [at first appearance] case could be made out for prosecution under Section 322 of the Penal Code of all partners and principals and other participating per- sons in these law firms who conspired with one another to defeat the execution of the said laws.” The motion seeks for the government to direct the at- torney general and director of public prosecutions to “take all necessary actions and in- vestigations” and, depending on what those investiga- tions reveal “to take the ap- propriate actions against any and all offenders.” The law society statement went on to praise the merits of the current draft of the Legal Practitioners Bill. “The bill brings the framework governing Cay- man’s legal profession into the modern era and must be passed in order for the Cayman Islands to comply with current international best practice. “The bill also lays a solid foundation of opportunity for current and future genera- tions of Caymanians. “It has the backing of the vast majority of the members of the Cayman Islands Law Society and the Caymanian Bar Association and we en- courage all members of the Legislative Assembly to sup- port the bill.” PRIVATE MEMBERS’ MOTION MLAs urge prosecution of partners of Cayman’s major law firms “This motion is an attack on our financial services industry and an example of personal political agendas being placed ahead of the interests of thousands of Caymanians in the industry ….” WAYNE PANTON, financial services minister CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 US WON’T USE MILITARY TO ENFORCE IMMIGRATION Homeland Security Secretary pledges “no mass deportations” MEXICO CITY (AP) – U.S. Homeland Security Secre- tary John Kelly pledged Thursday that America will not enlist its military to enforce immigration laws and that there will be “no mass deportations.” Only hours earlier, Pres- ident Donald Trump had suggested the opposite. “It’s a military operation,” Trump said Thursday at the White House. Kelly’s declarations came as senior Trump adminis- tration officials sought to temper Latin American con- cerns about a new U.S. im- migration crackdown. Speaking in Mexico City after he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with their Mexican counter- parts, Kelly said all depor- tations will honor human rights and the U.S. legal system. That includes multiple appeals offered to those facing deporta- tion. Kelly said the U.S. ap- proach will involve “close coordination” with Mexi- co’s government. “There will be no use of military forces in im- migration,” Kelly said. “There will be no – repeat, no – mass deportations.” Trump said the U.S. is “getting really bad dudes out of this country at a rate nobody has ever seen before.” He said it’s a military operation “because what has been allowed to come into our country, when you see gang violence that you’ve read about like never before and all of the things, much of that is people who are here illegally. And they’re rough and they’re tough, but they’re not tough like our people. So we’re get- ting them out.” Trial date set for teacher’s aide indecent assault case CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The trial of a former teacher’s aide accused of indecently assaulting primary schoolgirls in 2014 has adjourned until next month. He appeared in Sum- mary Court on Thursday, when defense attorney Karin Thompson asked permission to come off record. She noted that she had represented the defendant since the matter first came to court. Due to a conflict of a professional nature, she asked permis- sion to withdraw. Ms. Thompson noted that she had arranged for a smooth transition to an- other attorney. Attorney Laura Larner advised that her firm, Samson & McGrath, had re- ceived the legal aid certifi- cate for the defendant and she was available to take over the case. Magistrate Angelyn Her- nandez said she was trying to accommodate the trial in March because of its age and sensitive nature. She set a case management date and two tentative trial dates so that Crown prose- cutor Darlene Oko could de- termine her trial schedule. The defendant was 19 when he first appeared in court in July 2015. The court was told at the time that he resigned from his position a week after the first report was made against him. In November 2015, he pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of indecently as- saulting females. The seven girls named in the charges ranged in age between 6 and 10 at the time of the al- leged incidents. The court was subse- quently advised of commu- nication difficulties that de- layed a trial, but in August 2016 trial was set for Feb- ruary 2017. It was at this stage that Ms. Thompson advised of the conflict. The Cayman Compass is not naming the defendant or the government school since that could lead to identification of the girls. The seven girls named in the charges ranged in age between 6 and 10 at the time of the alleged incidents. and enhanced service de- livery, and resources and investment are prioritized to drive competition and innovation. This will re- sult in an approximate 25 percent reduction of the global workforce over the next 18 months.” An “enhanced voluntary separation” program will begin next month. The company also an- nounced that it has signed a global partnership agree- ment with telecommuni- cations provider ZTE and would be upgrading its data network. Digicel Group CEO Colm Delves said in a statement, “We are building Digicel for 2030 and beyond. Our trans- formation programme sees us taking the bull by the horns and daring to be different by chal- lenging the status quo and by innovation-led growth. That’s what we are known for and that’s what we will con- tinue to be known for into the future.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Digicel to cut jobs worldwideThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2017 We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Ethel Dorothy Ebanks of West Bay, who passed away on Friday, February 17, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at Wesleyan Holiness Church, 150 Northwest Point Road, West Bay, at 3:00p.m. Viewing will be from 2:30-3:00p.m. Interment to follow at Boatswain Bay Cemetery. We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Ethel Dorothy Ebanks of West Bay, who passed away on Friday, February 17, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at Wesleyan Holiness Church, 150 Northwest Point Road, West Bay, at 3:00p.m. Viewing will be from 2:30-3:00p.m. Interment to follow at Boatswain Bay Cemetery. Interment to follow at Boatswain Bay Cemetery. We have been asked to announce the passing of 150 Northwest Point Road, West Bay, at 3:00p.m. Interment to follow at Boatswain Bay Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Selena O. Foster regret to announce her passing on Sunday, 19 February 2017. A graveside service will be held 10:00 AM Saturday, 25 February 2017 in Northside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please makes donations to the Pines Retirement Home, Smith Rd. PO Box 1140 KY1-1102. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Joseph “Bald Head or Waynoe” Parchment Wood regret to announce his passing on Tuesday, 14 February 2017. A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM on Sunday 26 February 2017 at Church of God, 108 Reginald Parsons Dr. West Bay. Viewing will be from 1:00 PM prior to the service. Interment will follow in West Bay Cemetery Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Ms. Ellen Marie Ebanks of North Sound Rd. George Town, Grand Cayman, who passed away suddenly on Sunday, February 12, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at Church of God Chapel, Walkers Road, George Town, at 10:30am. Viewing at 9:30 -10:15am, Interment to follow at Prospect Cemetery Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.comwww.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Foster James Davis of Jamaica & Grand Cayman, who passed away on Saturday, February 4, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017 at First Assembly of God, Old Crewe Road, off Linford Pierson High Way at 2:00p.m. Interment follows at Garden of Eden Cemetery, Pedro Castle Road. We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Kermit Connolly James of Honduras and George Town, Grand Cayman, who passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date. We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Kermit Connolly James of Honduras and George Town, Grand Cayman, who passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date. We have been asked to announce announced at a later date. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com The portfolio partnered with the University College of the Cayman Islands to set up the civil service college in 2007, and Lominger was contracted to provide a human resources “product” for the project. Giving evidence in his trial on Thursday, Syed ac- knowledged that he had al- tered a genuine invoice from Lominger to create a false doc- ument indicating that he had personally paid US$152,000 on his own Amex card to the com- pany in September, 2007. The document was found in the “president’s folder” on a UCCI computer and the doc- ument history indicated it was last altered by someone with the username “HSyed,” Crown prosecutor Patrick Moran has stated. Syed agreed he had sent this document to the Portfolio of Civil Service, which reim- bursed UCCI for the amount. He also acknowledged that he had later reclaimed US$52,000 of the amount from UCCI. Syed claims the invoice was altered with the knowledge and consent of Mr. Gough. He said the payment was actually meant to reimburse UCCI for US$100,000 it had spent on “plant,” including laptops to set up an online learning center as part of the civil service college project. “I did not falsify the in- voice. This invoice was altered after mutual consultation with Peter Gough,” Syed said. “It was a risk because there was nothing in writing. In po- sitions of leadership, some- times you make decisions, sometimes they are right and sometimes they are not, but you take those risks. I had nothing in writing about the amendment of this invoice. It was all verbal.” He said the US$52,000 he had reclaimed from UCCI rep- resented money he had ac- tually spent with Lominger, though he could not recall spe- cifically what he had spent it on and what documentation he had provided to UCCI ac- countant Khemkaran Singh to support the claim. Asked if he had used the falsified invoice to reclaim the cash, he said he could not remember. Syed is accused of dis- honestly obtaining money transfers worth more than CI$70,000 from UCCI by falsely representing that he had made payments to Lominger in connection with the Civil Service College. He also faces 10 other charges, including allega- tions that he dishonestly spent the college’s money for personal gain. In his fourth day in the witness box on Thursday, Syed was also questioned by Mr. Moran about three UCCI checks, worth a total of US$50,000, spent in August and September of 2007. Syed acknowledged that he had cashed one of the checks, worth US$10,000. He claimed this was for meals for a group of disabled children visiting as part of the Stay Fo- cused project. He also acknowledged he had signed a UCCI check for US$20,000 to be paid on to his college credit card, indicating the expenditure was for books and other expenses related to an accountancy course. He accepted that in the week that followed he had spent nearly US$10,000 on jewelry using the credit card, and another US$7,500 on kitchen appliances. “Did you think about whether there would be any money left over for books when you made those purchases that week?” Mr. Moran asked. “I can’t comment on what I was thinking at that time,” said Syed, indicating that he could not recall. He also said he could not recall another US$20,000 UCCI check, which the prosecutor suggested was used to “top up” the credit card again after Syed’s “spending spree” on jew- elry and kitchen appliances. Premier says gov’t will change plan on police ‘cautions’ BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin said his government will change its stance on whether “cautions” issued by police inspectors or the prosecutors office are re- corded on a suspect’s per- manent record. Under the Cautions (Adults) Bill, 2017, Cayman Islands criminal suspects who have admitted to certain crimes may be allowed a “caution” under the law, rather than being charged and facing court for their alleged offense. Police cautions, which have been used in the U.K. for de- cades, constitute a formal warning to an adult offender who has already admitted to the crime. Cayman Islands police have previously advocated for the same powers, but the pro- posed Cautions (Adults) Bill, 2017, represents the first time the measure is being brought to the Legislative Assembly. According to the text of the Cayman Islands bill: “Where a suspect has behaved in a manner that amounts to an of- fence and the suspect has ad- mitted to so behaving, that suspect may be cautioned in accordance with this law, in- stead of being charged with, or prosecuted for, the offence …” A caution is not considered a conviction, but it is placed on a person’s record and can be used against them in the event of a separate commis- sion of crime. A list of offenses considered “cautionable” under the bill in- clude: theft, handling stolen goods, making off without payment, assault causing ac- tual bodily harm and posses- sion of a controlled drug not considered a “hard drug.” Opposition lawmakers ob- jected Monday to a number of areas of the bill, although not to the concept of the overall proposal. Some MLAs said they were concerned about the “human factor” in police officers is- suing cautions, while others worried that the legislation might give the impression Cayman was “soft on crime.” “We must not do any- thing to mollycoddle anyone,” Opposition Leader McK- eeva Bush said. “Crime is cer- tainly affecting far, far too many people.” Other opposition members wondered whether it would still serve to punish younger of- fenders for “youthful indiscre- tions,” leaving a black mark on their permanent record. Those records would prevent younger Caymanians from earning gainful employment later in life, the opposition members said. Bodden Town MLA Alva Suckoo suggested the bill rep- resents a form of electioneering that would serve to whittle power from the independent judiciary and courts, putting it in the hands of the prose- cuting authorities. “While I know there are many honest, hardworking of- ficers in the Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service, there have been recent examples of abuses of power,” Mr. Suckoo said. “We’ve had the previous com- missioner admit there are cor- rupt officers in the force. “Let’s get to the root of the problem and stop putting band aids on an issue that’s out of control,” the Bodden Town MLA continued. “Those same people that we think we’re helping are going to be those same people … to say they’re still in the same situation, they still can’t get jobs, they’re still being dis- criminated against and they’re going to expect us to find a so- lution to the problem.” Premier McLaughlin said Monday during his debate on the motion that while some opposition MLAs had put forward good observations on the bill, Mr. Suckoo had “missed the point.” Mr. McLaughlin said there are a number of safeguards in the bill to ensure the suspect’s rights are protected, including that the ability to “caution” an individual is left either to a po- lice officer of inspector’s rank or above, or to the director of public prosecutions. The suspect must agree to plead guilty to the offense, al- though there was some dis- agreement in the legislature as to whether, or even how, an at- torney representing the defen- dant might be involved in that process. Ultimately, the deci- sion to prosecute an offense in the courts still lies with the di- rector of public prosecutions, the premier said. “it’s not just a matter of re- ducing pressure on the po- lice and courts system,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “The prin- ciple objective of this exercise is to avoid so many of our young people being convicted and de- veloping police records for a first, relatively minor offense.” Mr. McLaughlin said the government would con- sider changing the bill to re- move cautions from a per- son’s permanent record and creating a separate cautions list maintained by police or prosecutors. The premier agreed this one bill would not solve all of Cayman’s systemic problems with crime and unemploy- ment, but he said he believed it would operate as a part of that larger effort. “We have deep systemic is- sues; these are a few of the measures that this govern- ment has employed to try to assist young people by not shutting down their oppor- tunities to participate in the economy,” he said. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Syed says he had permission to falsify $152,000 invoice Next >