High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PR BACKLOG: THE LINE IS GETTING LONGER! LOCAL | PAGE 5 BRAC ARTIST ARRESTED FOR ‘OBSCENE’ ARTWORK ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 More than 1,100 applicants await residency hearings BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Before the Cayman Islands gov- ernment began hearing backlogged permanent residence applica- tions last month, more than 1,100 people had applied for that status, according to figures obtained via open records. Figures reviewed by the Cayman Compass show that between No- vember 2013 and May 2017, an av- erage of 25 residence applications had been received or were “being processed” each month by the Immi- gration Department. However, the number of applica- tions filed within the past year in- creased significantly compared to previous years. Between June 2016 and May 2017, an average of 35 applications were filed each month, according to immigration records. More than 40 were received each month in Jan- uary, February, April and May. Starting June 22, the Cayma- nian Status and Permanent Resi- dency Board began holding weekly meetings – on Thursdays – to wade through the residence applications. Those filed first are considered first, so the board started with applica- tions dated late 2013. During the first month of hear- ings, 20 applications were either approved or refused by the board. Another 13 applications were “de- ferred,” meaning they will be brought back before the board for re-hearing at some point. Another four applications were withdrawn during the month and three others were not heard after the board determined they had been filed late. The board has dealt with 27 applications, including the with- drawals and late filings, in its first four weeks of hearings. At the current rate, it will take approximately 163 weeks (three years, seven weeks) for the board to get through the backlogged ap- plications if it holds hearings once a week for all 52 weeks of the year. That estimate does not count any new residency applications filed since June. Local immigration attorney Nicolas Joseph of HSM Chambers “guesstimated” earlier this month that if five or six new permanent residence applications were filed each week, government’s once-a- week hearings wouldn’t make much of a dent in the current backlog. “The rate of determinations is plainly going to have to increase dramatically if potential claimants Visiting Jamaican doctor dies from accident injuries Dr. Jones-Leslie described as pioneer in women’s health BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Jamaican doctor who died Tuesday from injuries she suf- fered after being struck by a taxi van at Grand Cayman’s Owen Roberts International Airport was remembered by her col- leagues as a pioneer in the field of women’s health. Dr. Vary Jones-Leslie, 62, died at the Cayman Islands Hospital less than 24 hours after she was struck on Owen Roberts Drive. Dr. Jones-Leslie, an obstetri- cian-gynecologist, had arrived Monday morning for a tempo- rary shift at the hospital, where she was a substitute to assist local physicians, hospital Chief Executive Officer Lizzette Year- wood said. It was an arrange- ment Dr. Jones-Leslie had par- ticipated in a number of times for the Health Services Authority, Ms. Yearwood said. Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice, who were still investigating the fatal crash at press time Tuesday, said the taxi van driver, a 69-year-old man from Bodden Town, was treated at hospital and released. It appeared that Dr. Jones- Leslie was attempting to walk KANSAS BUSINESSWOMAN JAILED FOR CONCEALING INCOME IN CAYMAN Cheryl Womack owned a home and had permanent residency status in Cayman JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Kansas businesswoman has been jailed for 18 months and ordered to pay $1.7 million to the United States In- ternal Revenue Services for lying under oath about her Cayman Islands busi- nesses, which prosecutors said were used in a scheme to hide millions of dollars in offshore accounts. Cheryl Womack, 66, who has a home and permanent residency status in the Cayman Islands, according to court records, pleaded guilty in April 2016 to testifying falsely under oath with the corrupt intent to impede an IRS investigation. She was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City. Womack is accused of using sham nominee directors to conceal her in- volvement with various Cayman Is- lands businesses to hide from the IRS more than $6 million in income over a 20-year period. According to a sentencing memo- randum from the U.S. Department of Dr. Vary Jones-Leslie PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » Between November 2013 and May 2017, an average of 25 permanent residence applications were submitted each month to the Immigration Department. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) 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. - WEDNESDAY - HOUSE (R) 12:45 I 3:05 I 6:45 I 9:25 SPIDER-MAN: HOME COMING 3D (PG13) 12:55 2D I 3:25 2D VIP I 6:35 I 9:25 2D VIP BABY DRIVER (R) 3:35 I 9:25 DESPICABLE ME 3 3D (PG) 12:30 2D I 4:05 I 6:35 2D I 9:30 WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES 3D (PG13) 12:20 2D VIP I 12:20 I 3:35 2D 6:20 2D VIP I 9:00 TRANSFORMERS: LAST KNIGHT (PG13) 3:05 I 5:35 I 8:50 WONDER WOMAN (PG13) 12:30 I 6:20 ENTER TO WIN !! FREE KARATE MEMBERSHIP www.caymankarateacademy.com Adventist youths visit Cayman on regional cruise mission New UWI chancellor takes office Sixty-nine Adventist youths arrived in the Cayman Islands on Monday aboard the Carnival Glory cruise ship on a one-day commu- nity service initiative after spending four days in Miami on a similar venture. In Cayman, the youths were divided into three working parties, one of which went to Cayman Academy, where they painted class- rooms and an outdoor chil- dren’s play set, and reorga- nized a storeroom. Another group, headed by six regis- tered nurses and two nursing assistants, checked blood pressure and assessed blood sugar levels for people in the plaza adjoining the Royal Bank of Canada’s parking lot. The third group assisted with Vacation Bible School at the Savannah Adventist Church. “It was a great privilege to team up with the young people in assisting with ar- rangements for the various projects they engaged in while here in Cayman,” said Pastor Vaughan Henry, Ad- ventist youth minister, who hosted the group. The pastor and Merle Watkins, assistant youth di- rector, welcomed the group and transported the youths to the various locations. “It was a very special mo- ment and we thank them for their service and their gener- osity,” Pastor Henry said. Before arriving in Cayman, the group cleaned and painted facilities at the Greater Miami Adventist Academy. At another Adventist high school, Miami Union Academy, they removed old carpeting and cleaned. The Miami Rescue Mission, a non- profit that helps the homeless, received 1,000 care packages for distribution. The young people were led by Pastor Vincent A. David, youth minister for the North Caribbean Conference. The North Caribbean Con- ference, headquartered in St. Croix, includes Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Saba and St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. The conference has 15,521 members orga- nized as 31 churches and four companies. The outreach initiative is in line with the global Ad- ventist youth ministry’s focus on combining the themes of salvation and service, Pastor David said. Their next ports of call for the group are Honduras, Be- lize, and Mexico. Becomes sixth chancellor in the history of the University of the West Indies Robert Bermudez took office as the sixth chan- cellor of the University of the West Indies on Monday, succeeding Sir George Alleyne. Mr. Bermudez, a na- tive of Trinidad and To- bago, was appointed as the next leader of the UWI system at the University Council’s annual business meeting on April 27. Mr. Bermudez was an entrepreneur over the last four decades, leading the growth of his family- owned firm to a regional business throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. He has also served as chairman or board director of several corporate bodies in Trin- idad and Tobago and in the Caribbean at large. “Our new chancellor has demonstrated through his many roles as a man con- scious of his Caribbean identity and responsibility, and willingness to provide leadership to our people at home and beyond, in the entrepreneurial arena and elsewhere, that he is amply energized for the role of chancellor of our beloved UWI,” Vice Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles said in a press release. “He comes to office on the eve of our 70th anniversary …. It will be an honor for us to have him presiding over these [anni- versary] activities.” The University of the West Indies, originally centered in Jamaica, was started in 1948 with 33 stu- dents and has evolved into a full-fledged regional in- stitution with dedicated campuses in Jamaica, Bar- bados and Trinidad and Tobago, with more than 40,000 students. The fourth campus, an open campus, has centers in 16 Carib- bean countries. Sir George Alleyne had served for 23 years at UWI; 14 of those years as chancellor. The outreach initiative is in line with the global Adventist youth ministry’s focus on combining the themes of salvation and service. Youngsters painted classrooms and an outdoor children’s play set at Cayman Academy. UWI Chancellor Robert Bermudez Teacher’s aide sentenced for indecent assault of students CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A teacher’s aide who pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting four primary schoolgirls was sentenced on Tuesday to nine months’ im- mediate imprisonment with a further 15 months under a suspended sentence su- pervision order. Magistrate Angelyn Her- nandez said a strong mes- sage of deterrence had to be sent because of the preva- lence of this type of offense. The offenses occurred at a government primary school between October and No- vember 2014. The magistrate prohibited publication of the defendant’s name and that of the school in order to protect the identity of the victims. The girls ranged in age from 6 to 10. When the de- fendant was first brought to court in the summer of 2015, he was 19. Defense attorney Laura Larner accepted the aggra- vating features of the of- fending: the girls were vul- nerable because of their age; the offenses took place at their school; they were as- saulted on multiple occa- sions; and the defendant was in a position of trust. The magistrate empha- sized that the defendant was an authority figure. Given the age of the girls, she said, she found that there was no distinction in their minds between a teacher and a teacher’s aide. The offending behavior came to light when a volun- teer for after-school activi- ties noticed certain behavior and reported it. In mitigation, Ms. Larner referred to reports by var- ious professionals who de- scribed the defendant as “much younger socially than his age;” someone who suf- fered from an attention def- icit hyperactivity disorder that affected his impulse control and general devel- opment; someone who felt lonely and isolated. A psychiatrist reported that he was more like an 8-to-10-year-old in his re- sponses to her questions. Another psychiatrist con- cluded that the defendant’s psychological state made the school setting inappropriate for him. He said the defen- dant had distorted ideas of friendship and relationships. Ms. Larner said the defen- dant had been placed in a po- sition he should never have been in, had his issues been explored beforehand. She suggested that an ex- clusion order and curfew could meet the justice of the case so that the defendant re- ceived the help he needs. “If he goes to prison, he will de- teriorate,” she told the court. She suggested two courses of treatment, both of which the defendant’s family were willing to pay for. One was residential, in the U.K. The other was a local pro- gram, adapted by an on-is- land counselor using aspects of the prison treatment pro- gram for sex offenders. This treatment would consist of 90 days per eight treatment modules, which the defen- dant would take part in over a two-year period, attending three times a week. Ms. Larner asked for credit for the defendant’s eventual pleas, even though they had not been given early in the proceedings. He did not remember which girl was which, but he had wanted to be accurate, she explained. Crown counsel Eleanor Fargin said the Crown was not producing any evidence to contradict the assertion that the defendant would not be able to function in in- carceration. In passing sen- tence, the magistrate said the starting point was three years, but she was giving credit for the guilty pleas, which had saved the girls and their families from going through the trauma of giving evidence. She also consid- ered victim impact reports: three of the girls seemed to be doing well; one was con- cerned that she would be blamed and now had diffi- culty trusting adults. The magistrate said the offenses had to be de- nounced, but the court also had to consider rehabilita- tion. Therefore, after serving nine months, the defendant will be under a suspended sentence supervision order for the 15 months remaining of the two-year sentence. During that time, he will ob- serve a 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. curfew and attend the sex offender rehabilitation program as de- scribed by Ms. Larner. He is not to have any con- tact with the victims or their families. He is also not to have contact with any chil- dren under the age of 13 un- less in the course of ordinary daily conduct, and he is not to go within 100 yards of a primary school or preschool. The girls ranged in age from 6 to 10. When the defendant was first brought to court in the summer of 2015, he was 19. Mr. Bermudez was an entrepreneur over the last four decades, leading the growth of his family-owned firm to a regional business throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A $3 million dollar project to bring a tiki-style restau- rant, beach club and water sports center to the George Town waterfront goes be- fore the Central Planning Au- thority on Wednesday. Cayman Falls 2000 sub- mitted plans for the “George Town Beach Club” at a site on North Church Street, close to the Coral Sands Resort. The site is currently used for housing and a water- sports business, according to agenda papers submitted to the planning authority. The same developer owns Tiki Beach on Seven Mile Beach, and the new project will be similar in style, according to archi- tect John Doak. There is no indication with the application of what will happen to residents in the area, though the docu- ment indicates that some buildings will be demolished. There were no objections to the plan submitted to the planning authority, and it is understood that the buildings are largely housing staff for employees of the developer. The application contains few details, but indicates that the development will in- clude a series of tiki-style huts. It also indicates the de- velopment will involve im- provements to the existing dock, ramp and quayside, and a new beach. In a statement released to the Cayman Compass through its architect, Mr. Doak, Cayman Falls said it was looking forward to a fa- vorable result at Wednesday’s planning hearing. It stated, “With over 30 years experience in operating such venues in the Cayman Islands, George Town Beach Club will be another first class facility for the enjoy- ment of visitors and residents alike and will indeed be an inspiring catalyst for the re- vitalization of George Town.” Like Tiki Beach, the devel- opment will feature an open restaurant bordering a beach dotted with bamboo gazebos and sun loungers. According to the docu- ments filed with the planning authority, “The characteristic of the proposed development are consistent with the char- acter of the surrounding area – the proposed development is consistent with existing and proposed neighbour- hood and shoreline proper- ties north of George Town and in particular where this development will in partic- ular be serving the islands’ cruise and air visitor. The tiki style architecture and to- tally tropical ambience of the proposal are in keeping with existing and future develop- ments for this area of North Church Street and George Town Central.” The Department of Envi- ronment has requested that the source of sand for the beach be approved by DOE officers as a condition of planning approval. The plan- ning department also raised concerns about parking space and setbacks from the high water mark and adja- cent buildings. * *Conditions apply. Bonus offer ends July 31, 2017. Subject to credit approval. Offers subject to change without notice. Customers earn 7,000 AAdvantage® miles as follows: you earn a welcome bonus of 3,000 AAdvantage® miles on your first purchase of any amount. 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EN H A N C E D C H I P S E C U R IT Y Beach club planned for central George Town HOTEL RECRUITMENT DRAWS LARGE CROWD JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than 200 people attended a recruitment drive at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, last week as the luxury hotel looks to increase its staff. The hotel hosted a “meet and greet” with its senior managers on Thursday to offer Caymanians a glimpse of the job opportu- nities available and to edu- cate them on how to apply. Human Resources Man- ager Yentel McGaw said people were lining up out- side the hotel ballroom be- fore the event began at 5 p.m. She said there are 46 jobs currently advertised at the hotel, and it was encour- aging to see so many people interested in applying. “There was a great turnout of locals and a few expats. People were very pleasantly surprised when our managers and super- visors started conversa- tions with them, answered their questions personally and offered advice on how to improve their resume and make a good first im- pression on the depart- ments they were interested in,” she said. No one was hired on the spot, as the resort’s recruit- ment process is online, but she said there were many good candidates. “This was more of a meet and greet to learn about the positions avail- able and meet the leaders of those departments to learn about the requirements and skills needed and if it matched their interests. “We did, however, meet several star candi- dates for various positions who were noted and are being followed up with di- rectly [by] HR….” With an exodus of workers from the tourism industry expected this season because of changes to the pensions law, there are multiple job vacancies anticipated across the sector. Ms. McGaw said The Ritz-Carlton is doing its part to ensure qualified Caymanians fill those roles. “We receive a healthy number of Caymanian talent from various chan- nels,” she said. “This drive was simply to invite even more locals to be open to the hospitality industry and in particular our hotel as we recruit for our busy season.” The newly established Council for Older Persons is looking for six community members, ages 65 and older, to join the committee by the end of July. They will represent Cay- man’s six districts, along- side seven government-ap- pointed members, to promote the welfare of older residents. The council is established as part of the 2017 Older Per- sons’ Law, which took ef- fect this month, said Premier Alden McLaughlin. “The law … aims to en- sure that older persons are able to freely access and par- ticipate in all aspects of so- ciety,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “I urge older people who are interested in further serving the community to take this opportunity to have your say in how government serves its senior citizens.” The council will advise government on programs aimed at older people, said Deborah Webb-Sibblies, chairwoman of the Older Per- sons’ Steering Committee and Legal Sub-Committee. “It will champion and monitor the promotion and development of pro- grams, projects and legisla- tive measures. Furthermore, the council will monitor and evaluate the implementa- tion of the action plans for the Cayman Islands Older Persons’ Policy,” Ms. Webb- Sibblies said. The council will also in- clude a doctor who special- izes in geriatrics and a local attorney familiar with issues that affect older people. Resumes should highlight relevant experience and be mailed by July 31 to Ms. Deborah Webb-Sibblies, Government Administration Building, 133 Elgin Avenue, Grand Cayman, K1-9000. Older persons council seeks community representatives The Older Persons Steering Committee includes Jasmine Powell, Cassandra Fearon, Annie Moulton, Deborah Webb-Sibblies, Rollin Ebanks, Lynda Mitchell, Suzette Ebanks, Arline McGill and Janett Flynn. The design of the beach club will be modeled on Tiki Beach. – PHOTO: COURTESY JOHN DOAKThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 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. The recent story of 17 students passing a math exam out of 139 re-taking it points out the sorry state of education in Cayman’s public schools. We have spent millions of dollars on new physical facilities which turn out the same un- acceptable results. Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and expecting different results. Want a different result? Go back to the tried and true old ways. Ever since educa- tors bought into “The Em- peror’s New Clothes,” in other words, into the “new math,” that there is no need for teaching English grammar nor sentence construction, and into the fantasy that every child is intellectually curious, many high school graduates cannot read, write or do basic math, let alone know very much about the wide world around them. This is the product being foisted on unsuspecting, but increas- ingly aware, employers. The “new” math has be- fuddled many parents, and continues to do so, let alone the poor students attempting to master it. The results are clearly not only disas- trous for pupils, but also our whole country. Why is it that a 1950s or early 1960s high school di- ploma is the equivalent of a university degree today (and I am being generous)? Why is it that, using Canada as an example, today’s stu- dents cannot pass a test which students of all ages in a one room schoolhouse in rural Saskatchewan could pass in 1913? This is a phenom- enon which occurs all over the world. The economist Thomas Sowell has called it the “vision of the anointed”. In other words, the elite educational bureaucracy bought into methods of teaching which do not ben- efit the majority of students who need a foundation of basic skills and knowledge on which to build their real- life experience. Any attempt to challenge the “vision of the anointed” and to say that the “emperor has no clothes” is met with ridicule by the educational establishment – as in, you must be stupid to challenge the vision of all those govern- ment bureaucrats and expen- sive consultants. I do not blame teachers who are caught up, along with students and their par- ents, in this grand charade. However, it is time to stop the charade and tell the truth. Why were methods of teaching and doing math, which had been successful for centuries, thrown over for the “new” math, the new utopia? I would venture a guess that Linton Tibbetts, when growing up on the Brac, was not taught the “new” math. I would also ven- ture that, along with the “old” math, he was taught Eng- lish grammar, geography, physics and civics. Therefore, do you want to change the results? Go back to the old ways. They are tried and true. I recognise that the apologists for the “anointed” will have more excuses for not doing so than Carter has liver pills. However, the time for excuses is over. The time for accountability has arrived and must be demanded. Paul Simon WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Despite increased efforts by Premier Alden McLaughlin, his government, and the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board, we report on Page One of today’s newspaper that the number of permanent residency applications is actually increasing, not decreasing. It’s the same issue Cayman faces with its green iguanas. They are reproducing faster than they can be dispatched. According to statistics just released in response to an FOI request by the Compass, there are currently more than 1,100 unprocessed permanent residence applications, dating back to 2013. Significantly, since January though mid-June of this year, 204 new applications were filed. Now the tale- telling math: For the past month, the Board has reviewed only about 10 PR applications per week. But even those minuscule numbers partially mask the board’s lack of progress, since they include decisions that were deferred (13), applications that had been withdrawn (4) or which were thrown out because they were filed after the deadline (3). In reality, the board has approved or denied in the last month only 20 applications – an average of five per week. At this rate, even if we do calculate using the more generous figures, if the board holds hearings once a week, all 52 weeks of the year, it will take 163 weeks (three years and seven weeks) to elimi- nate the backlog. And that’s assuming that no more applications are filed over the next three-plus years, an absurd assumption since the rate of new filings is growing, not slowing. This isn’t working, and unless major changes are made, it can never work. Meanwhile, another line that is getting longer is the line at the courthouse. To date, seven applicants for permanent residency have filed for judicial review, seeking resolution of their applications or compensatory damages from government resulting from the delays. It would be facile, but incorrect, to view this horde of applicants as ungrateful foreigners squatting on Cayman soil or sand. In fact, every one of them has been resident in Cayman for at least eight years, their work permits have been approved and re-approved multiple times allowing their tenure to continue and, most importantly, it was the Cayman Islands govern- ment which passed – but failed to administer – the immigration law governing this entire process. It is with extreme reluctance that we applaud (what is the sound of “one hand clapping”?) the recent gov- ernment decision to engage Deloitte to produce yet one more study of our immigration morass. We had hoped the so-called “Ritch Report,” generated by the law firm of Ritch & Conolly, would have been instruc- tive. Its author, presumably David Ritch himself, may well be the islands’ foremost expert on all matters immigration, having served multiple terms as chairman of the Immigration Board. In any case, a comprehensive review of Cayman’s immigration policies and departmental operations is essential to the economic well-being of these islands. Businesses require stability, certainty and consistency, all of which have been in short supply in recent years as we’ve fiddled around with an ever-changing hodge- podge of immigration “fixes.” For now, we would counsel our Premier, our Governor, our new Government and the leadership of the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board to re-evaluate their approach to the Perma- nent Residency backlog. None of the aforementioned wants to be consumed (subsumed?) with this issue for years to come. – EDITORIAL – PR backlog: The line is getting longer! I would venture a guess that Linton Tibbetts, when growing up on the Brac, was not taught the “new” math. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR In education, let’s return to the ‘tried and true’ Governor would have been delighted Looking for information about my great-uncle “Dick” (family name for Sir Allan Wolsey Cardinall, Commis- sioner, Cayman Islands 1934- 1940) I came across your ar- ticle bylined Editorial Board, July 7, 2016 entitled “Britain’s emissaries to Cayman.” It was absolutely won- derful to find that Britain and its governors, of whom my great uncle (he was my grand- mother’s brother) was one, are still, in the 21st Century, so appreciated – well, the good ones are! Thank you so much. I have visited the Cayman Islands twice, both times, sadly only fleeting visits on cruise ships. The last time I was there was in about 2013 when I met and was taken round by a lovely lady (a journalist/ photographer whose name now escapes me, I am afraid) who pointed out your Cardi- nall Avenue in George Town. The book, “Founded upon the Seas” which I bought in your Museum Shop is now a trea- sured possession. Once again, thank you, all of you Cayman Islanders for appreciating the work of people like my great uncle. I am sure he would have been delighted. Gill Trayner (Mrs.) Liphook, Hampshire, England 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”5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 www.seidegrees.com Regional Office: 27499 Riverview Center Blvd., Suite 223, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134, USA • Tel +1 239 444 4399 • Fax +1 239 444 4398 info@SEIdegrees.com APPLY NOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2017 INTAKE 100% FLEXIBLE 100% ONLINE 100% RELEVANT NEW MBA/MBM Exceptional value — earn an accredited UK MBA or MBM for under US$10,000 • Can be completed in 18 months • Specialisations: Banking, Entrepreneurship, Events, Finance, Health Management, Hospitality & Tourism, HRM, Info. 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Bradley Christian Conolly, 26, got another chance after Magistrate Valdis Foldats asked why the defendant should not go to jail. A message must be sent to the public that denounces driving danger- ously in order to avoid po- lice, he asserted. Defense attorney Jona- thon Hughes agreed, but suggested, “The court may want to send the mes- sage that when you do the right thing and try to ad- dress the issues and turn your life around, the court will assist.” He also pointed to the defendant’s guilty pleas and contrition; his behavior had caused him great shame and embarrassment. Senior Crown counsel Candia James outlined Conolly’s offending, which began around 1:26 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2016. Police officers conducting a radar check observed a car going 49 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone on West Bay Road. They pursued the ve- hicle using their siren and flashing lights to get the driver to stop, but he did not. The vehicle traveled onto the Esterley Tibbetts Highway toward George Town, then went through a red light at the Jacques Scott intersection, going on to Bobby Thompson Way and then heading east. The driver made a U-turn in the Red Bay roundabout, going in the wrong direction until he turned off to head to South Sound, where he even- tually stopped in the vicinity of the South Sound dock. Ms. James said offi- cers searched the vehicle and found a container with what turned out to be 67.2 grams of ganja, a little over 2 ounces. Conolly refused a give a breath test (to measure alcohol consumption) saying, “It doesn’t make sense – I know I’m over the limit.” He was asked for a urine sample (to check for drugs) and told officers, “I don’t want to.” Mr. Hughes said the facts were admitted. Since the incident, however, Conolly had made efforts to change his lifestyle. He now dealt with stress by cycling and running instead of turning to alcohol or ganja. He had tested negative for ganja use every time he came to court. The attorney emphasized his client’s good work re- cord, which included a re- cent promotion and a char- acter reference from his boss. Conolly was in a pos- itive relationship and had supportive family mem- bers, he added. “I have no doubt your comments will be reported and the message will go out,” he concluded. Asked her opinion, Ms. James said she did not think immediate custody was necessary to have a de- terrent effect, given Conol- ly’s record and current circumstances. The magistrate said he did not want to use the phrase “police chase.” He pointed out that it was the defendant who did some- thing wrong that caused police to pursue him. “You realize how dangerous it was. You were both high and drunk,” he told Conolly. “People do not take dan- gerous driving seriously enough as long as someone is not killed or injured. So- ciety would not tolerate someone drunk firing a gun. Driving is as serious. You were trying to escape from police, who were trying to keep our roads safe.” He pointed out that Conolly’s driving had in- cluded the “tourism cor- ridor” and residential areas. “You were a serious danger to everybody out there,” he told the defendant. “It was only by luck that someone was not killed or injured, or property damaged.” The maximum sentence in Summary Court for dan- gerous driving is one year, he noted. He also agreed that the court must not pass a custody sentence unless the offending is so serious that no other sentence fits. “I’m not sending you to jail today,” he decided. “You realize how serious your situation is, how much of your life you’d be throwing away.” Although he did not im- pose immediate impris- onment, the magistrate said he was going to cur- tail Conolly’s freedom for a while. For the dangerous driving, he ordered a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew for the next four months, unless there was a medical emer- gency, and a total of three years’ disqualification from driving. The failure to comply with a traffic signal drew a fine of $100. Failing to pro- vide a specimen of breath was met with a fine of $300 and concurrent disqualifi- cation for 18 months. For speeding at almost double the limit, the sen- tence was 40 hours of com- munity service. For driving without insurance, the sen- tence was another 40 hours of community service and a concurrent disqualification. For the ganja offenses, Conolly was ordered to do another 40 hours of com- munity service – for a total of 120 hours – and be on probation with counseling for one year. “You did the right thing. You got yourself clean,” the magistrate said. He also ordered Conolly to pay $300 in costs in ad- dition to the fines. “It was only by luck that someone was not killed or injured, or property damaged.” VALDIS FOLDATS, magistrate Police: Woman attacked in bar A woman was assaulted in- side Vic’s Bar in George Town on Sunday night after being approached by a man and re- fusing his advances, according to a police report. The man began pulling on the woman and touching her inappropriately, possibly in an attempt to dance with her at the bar on Seymour Road, po- lice said. When the woman re- fused, the man became violent and began punching her face and body. The victim told po- lice she had never met the man before the attack. The woman was treated for bruises at the hospital and was released. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service asks anyone with information to call the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. Dump truck causes brief power outage SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com A driving mishap caused a power outage in Seven Mile Beach and Camana Bay on Monday night, ac- cording to the Caribbean Util- ities Company. Pat Bynoe-Clarke, corpo- rate communications man- ager at CUC, said power was disrupted for about an hour. “A dump truck was driving on Eastern Avenue and the carriage for the truck was in the upright position,” she said. “As a result, it pulled down the Flow line and CUC’s line and primary and neutral wires.” Power was out along Eastern Avenue and in parts of Seven Mile Beach and Ca- mana Bay, but Ms. Bynoe- Clarke said she was not sure how many CUC customers were affected. “We had to make sure there was no energy in the area,” she said, “And our crew went down and isolated the area and repaired the wires and pole and restored the power.” Brac artist arrested for ‘obscene’ artwork Cayman Brac artist Ronald “Foots” Kynes was arrested Tuesday for the alleged “ob- scene publication” of sculp- tures and artwork. Mr. Kynes, 63, had erected four sculptures featuring sev- eral nude women, some of whom are locked in embraces, as part of what he described in a Cayman Compass story this week as a tribute to gay rights and the right to choose. A police press release is- sued late Tuesday afternoon did not name Mr. Kynes, but stated that a 63-year-old man of Cayman Brac had been ar- rested “under Schedule 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code (2017 Revision) in relation to the sus- pected breach of Section 157(1) (a) of the Penal Code (2017 Re- vision), also referred to as ob- scene publication.” The statement continued: “The arrest was in relation to sculpture and artwork he had exhibited in public space around Cayman Brac.” Mr. Kynes was taken into custody and later released on police bail.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS are going to be persuaded that all possible is being done to get through the backlog,” Mr. Joseph said. Seven people have now filed for judicial review against the government since last year over delays in their residence applica- tions, including the most recent challenge that was submitted to the Grand Court on July 7. Three of those ap- plications have already been granted. The individ- uals involved are pursuing damages claims against the government. How did we get here? In October 2013, the Cayman Islands govern- ment changed the way it processed permanent resi- dence applications, which involve non-Caymanians seeking the right to re- main in Cayman for the rest of their lives. The new system made residence generally more dif- ficult to obtain, but it also sought to provide greater clarity for applicants via a revamped points system that governed the award of resident status. Uncertain- ties over how board mem- bers or immigration officials should award points in that process led to a delay of at least two-and-a-half years in board hearings. During that period, no new applications were considered. During that delay pe- riod, a number of legal chal- lenges were filed and, in once such case, a verdict by the chief justice ques- tioned the legality of some of government’s methods in determining residence applications. across the three-lane Owen Roberts Drive just north of the airport terminal around 10:45 a.m. Monday when she was struck, police said. The taxi van that hit her showed significant damage on the right side of its hood. Some bags she had appar- ently been carrying on a trolley were strewn across the road, and first responders found her lying in the middle of the street. No arrests were reported as of press time Tuesday in connection with the crash. Dr. Jones-Leslie’s family members flew to Cayman Monday afternoon to be with her, medical per- sonnel confirmed. News of the veteran physician’s death spread quickly throughout the medical communities in Cayman and Jamaica. “I know we are all just so saddened,” said Dr. Rhonda Reeves, a fellow doctor and former trainee of Dr. Jones- Leslie told the Cayman Com- pass on Tuesday. “Her work touched all over Jamaica and overseas. “She was my consultant [physician] when I was first starting out. She gave you the confidence to go out there early on, that you can do it.” Dr. Reeves said histori- cally the ob-gyn medical field in Jamaica was a male-dom- inated profession, but she said that has changed in re- cent years with many of fe- male doctors trained by Dr. Jones-Leslie working in gov- ernment facilities and pri- vate practice. “She pretty much took the female [doctors] under her wing,” Dr. Reeves said, adding that her mentor al- ways seemed to connect well with the younger generation. “Everybody always thought that she was really young, 10 years younger than she actu- ally was,” she said. Ms. Yearwood said the impact of Dr. Jones-Les- lie’s sudden death was “immeasurable.” “Her life and work as a clinician will be remem- bered by all of us,” Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr. Elizabeth McLaughlin said Tuesday. “Her warm spirit, caring attitude and com- mitment to making a differ- ence in the lives of others was exemplary.” The HSA also noted that medical staff, including sur- geon Dr. James Akinwunmi, had to work “under very dif- ficult and emotional circum- stances” in attempts to save their colleague’s life Monday and early Tuesday. Dr. Jones-Leslie had worked up until last year at the government-run Spanish Town Hospital in Jamaica, but she retired in 2016 from public service, according to hospital Chief Executive Of- ficer Gregory Thomas. She was still active in private practice, according to col- leagues in Jamaica. Safety concerns Monday morning’s acci- dent raised some safety con- cerns among officials about the entrance road into the airport terminal. There are three crosswalks along Owen Roberts Drive which, is bookended to the north and south by airport parking lots and by Andy’s Rent-A-Car property. How- ever, there are no crossing lights at those intersections, and the road heading into the airport terminal does not have any speed bumps, al- though the road adjacent to the terminal does. “[The ministry] will … be looking at strengthening ex- isting safety protocols at the airport and its environs in an effort to prevent such in- cidents happening in the fu- ture,” Transport Minister Moses Kirkconnell said. Chris Hadome, the head of the Cayman Islands Taxi Association, said Tuesday that the crash was unfortu- nate, but that he believed the government had done what it could to ensure the area around the airport was safe. He suggested that crossing lights could be in- stalled at the pedestrian in- tersections to further warn drivers to slow down while on approach to the terminal. POLICE CITE ‘LACK OF ATTENTION’ IN ACCIDENTS Several serious acci- dents, including a fatal collision at Owen Rob- erts International Air- port, were reported by the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service between Sat- urday and Monday. RCIPS Inspector Ian Yearwood described the incidents as “prevent- able tragedies.” “In addition to the victim in [Monday’s] tragic fatal accident at the air- port, [Tuesday] morning there were three other people in hospital from crashes over the weekend, two of whom have se- rious and potentially life- changing injuries,” Mr. Yearwood said. “It appears that a lack of attention is a culprit all too often in such incidents, and we cannot stress enough the need for all road users to be conscious of what they are doing and to share the road.” One accident referenced by Mr. Yearwood hap- pened Saturday evening on Shamrock Road near Bimini Drive where a pe- destrian was struck. The victim survived. The other accidents happened on Saturday morning. In one case, a 2005 Jaguar ran off the road and struck a tree, bursting into flames. Fire officers spent two hours cutting the driver from the vehicle. He remained in hospital Tuesday with several fractures, but his injuries were not considered life-threat- ening, police said. At around 8 a.m. Sat- urday, two vehicles col- lided at the intersection of Smith Road and Crewe Road. Three people were taken to hospital from that crash and survived their injuries. Visiting Jamaican doctor dies from accident injuries CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 RCIPS Inspector Ian Yearwood described the incidents as “preventable tragedies.” Justice, she hid her own- ership of shell companies and trusts to conceal in- come earned in the United States, transfer it to the Cayman Islands, and grow it tax-free until she chose to repatriate it to the U.S. This resulted in a crim- inal tax loss of $1,704,421, which Womack paid in res- titution to the IRS after sen- tencing this week. The court documents allege Womack created a web of undisclosed finan- cial accounts, businesses, nominees and trusts in the Cayman Islands to hide in- come from the IRS “Womack began her busi- ness dealings in the Cayman Islands in 1995 when she formed the captive reinsur- ance company MFC Insur- ance Company, but elected to have it file United States tax returns. She also opened personal checking and sav- ings accounts in her own name at the Bank of But- terfield in the Cayman Is- lands,” according to the sen- tencing memorandum. Womack failed to dis- close the accounts on her tax returns. She also cre- ated several trusts at the Bank of Butterfield and used her Cayman Islands’ shell companies and trusts to evade reporting income to the IRS, the DOJ stated. Womack, through her Cayman Islands compa- nies, owns condominiums on Grand Cayman, which she purported to pay rent on as a means of concealing her income, and in Trump Tower in New York. The court records fur- ther indicate that Womack used a Cayman Islands company to hide more than $500,000 in income from the sale of her wine collec- tion at auction. “Since the mid-1990s, Womack maintained two wine cellars in her home in Mission Hills that she used to store her personal collection of investment- grade wine. In 1996 she formed Lucy Limited in the Cayman Islands and began transferring funds to Lucy Limited, fraudulently con- cealed as consulting fees,” the DOJ summary of evi- dence indicates. “Womack then used those funds to purchase wine for her collection. Lucy Lim- ited kept the wine collection as an asset on its balance sheet but Womack never disclosed to the IRS her in- terest in Lucy Limited. In March 2008, Womack sold approximately half of her wine collection through an auction house in New York for approximately $1.6 mil- lion but did not include the revenue from that wine sale on her 2008 tax return.” The charge of lying under oath relates to testi- mony from Womack at a de- position in a civil enforce- ment action brought by the Department of Justice in 2009 against a tax adviser known to Womack. During the deposition, Womack gave false testi- mony about her links to Jo- JoDi Insurance Company, Lucy Limited and other Cayman Islands compa- nies and trust. Womack has owned and operated multiple Kansas City businesses, including an insurance company called National Association of Independent Truckers Inc., which sold in 2002 for about $35 million. According to a sen- tencing memorandum from her lawyers, she is a well respected member of the Kansas business com- munity, and the court re- ceived more than 100 char- acter references. “Ms. Womack’s offense conduct is completely at odds with her personality and actions as observed by her family and acquain- tances, many of whom have written letters of support for this court’s consider- ation at sentencing. Without exception, all of the letter writers hold Ms. Womack in very high regard, telling a life story of a woman who selflessly gives her time and support to many positive activities within her com- munity – as a mother, an en- trepreneur, a friend, and a community volunteer.” In an earlier court hearing, Womack. sought to challenge the confiscation of her passport, arguing that she needed to make a trip to the Cayman Islands to discuss a waste-to-energy business deal. Politicians in the territory said they knew nothing of the trip or any deal with Womack. Kansas businesswoman jailed for concealing income in Cayman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cheryl Womack pleaded guilty in April 2016 to testifying falsely under oath with the corrupt intent to impede an IRS investigation. More than 1,100 applicants await residency hearings At the current rate, it will take approximately 163 weeks (three years, seven weeks) for the board to get through the backlogged applications. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Cheryl WomackThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 UN seeks $421M for African refugee flow The United Nations’ refugee agency is appealing for $421.2 million to help improve protection of refugees in sub-Saharan and North Africa. The U.N. says the plan is needed ‘to help provide meaningful alternatives to refugees and others undertaking dangerous journeys to Europe.’ Six human rights activists jailed in Turkey pending trial US poised to impose sanctions against top Venezuelan officials The U.S. is poised to im- pose sanctions on Venezuela’s defense minister and several other top officials for human- rights violations, according to people with knowledge of the plan, who added that the action was one of sev- eral under consideration by the Trump administration against President Nicolas Maduro’s government. The U.S. Treasury could an- nounce the sanctions, which would freeze the officials out of the U.S. financial system, as soon as this week, the people said. Among those named would be Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, 54, and Diosdado Cabello, 54, a longtime ally of late Presi- dent Hugo Chavez and power broker within the ruling So- cialist party, they said. The of- ficials could not immediately be reached for comment. The move against top of- ficials – potentially the third round of sanctions against Venezuelans under the Trump administration – is one off- shoot of a broader U.S. probe into allegations of Venezuelan corruption that began several years ago and has resulted in some criminal charges. Other Venezuela-related mea- sures are also in the works, the people said, adding that U.S. officials have given brief- ings on the potential ac- tions in recent weeks to law- makers including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. The administration laid the groundwork this week for new penalties on Venezuela’s gov- ernment. On Sunday, millions of Venezuelans, struggling with an economic collapse many blame on years of official cor- ruption, protested the Maduro government’s plan to rewrite the country’s constitution to maintain its hold on power. On Monday evening the White House said it would bring “strong and swift eco- nomic actions” if Maduro’s government went ahead with its constitution plan. But there is tension in- side the White House about which measures to adopt, and whether to wait to see how Venezuela’s constitu- tional issue plays out, some of these people said. Among the measures creating divi- sions is whether to impose some sort of ban on crude imports from Venezuela, the third-largest supplier of U.S. crude, according to people fa- miliar with the discussions. Members of the National Security Council view limits on Venezuelan crude imports as a potent weapon, said Joe McMonigle, a senior energy policy analyst at HedgeEye Research and former chief of staff at the Energy Depart- ment. A person familiar with the administration said that others in the administration have argued that cutting off a major source of foreign trade would harm already-suffering Venezuelans while also poten- tially raising U.S. gas prices. White House spokeswoman Natalie Strom declined to comment. Spokesmen for the U.S. Treasury did not respond to requests for comment. Trump entered the White House as the government was already well into a probe of alleged Venezuelan cor- ruption. At the center of the broad probe – conducted by the U.S. Justice Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies – are allegations of bribery and money laundering related to the country’s state- owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, or PDVSA. Last year, Roberto Rincon-Fer- nandez, a Venezuelan national living in Houston, pleaded guilty in a Houston court for taking part in a $1 billion bribery scheme to secure con- tracts with PDVSA for compa- nies affiliated with him. Senators briefed in recent weeks on Venezuela-related measures include Rubio as well as Bob Corker of Ten- nessee, according to two people familiar with the dis- cussions. The officials pre- sented a dossier of more than 200 pages that included al- legations of white-collar crimes related to PDVSA, three of the people said. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Con- trol, which administers and enforces sanctions, in Feb- ruary blocked the country’s vice president, Tareck El Ais- sami, from the U.S. financial system, branding him a drug kingpin. In May, Treasury ex- panded the sanctions list to include eight members of the country’s Supreme Court of Justice that it accused of un- dercutting the country’s dem- ocratically elected legislature. Treasury put the individ- uals on its Specially Desig- nated Nationals list, reserved for individuals and compa- nies accused of acting on be- half of countries sanctioned by the U.S. based on for- eign policy or national secu- rity goals, or for crimes such as drugs and weapons traf- ficking or terror financing. © 2017, Bloomberg Director of Amnesty International in Turkey among them ISTANBUL (AP) – A Turkish court on Tuesday jailed Am- nesty International’s Turkey director and five other human rights activists pending trial for allegedly aiding an armed terror group – making them the latest suspects in a mas- sive government crackdown initially launched against alleged supporters of last year’s failed coup but has since broadened to include government opponents. In a decision which Am- nesty International called a “crushing blow for rights in Turkey,” the court in Is- tanbul also decided to release four other activists from cus- tody pending the outcome of a trial, but barred them from traveling abroad. They will also have to report regu- larly to police. The 10 – Amnesty’s Turkey director Idil Eser, seven human rights defenders and their German and Swedish trainers –were detained in a July 5 police raid on a hotel on the island of Buyukada, off Istanbul, where they were attending a digital secu- rity workshop. The detentions added to the growing concerns over rights and freedoms in the country where the post-coup crackdown has resulted in more than 50,000 arrests and the dismissal of more than 110,000 from govern- ment jobs. The crackdown has netted journalists, poli- ticians and activists. Several media outlets and NGOs have been shut down. “This is not a legitimate investigation, this is a polit- ically motivated witch-hunt that charts a frightening fu- ture for rights in Turkey,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty Interna- tional’s secretary general. He said, “Today we have learnt that standing up for human rights has be- come a crime in Turkey. This is a moment of truth, for Turkey and for the interna- tional community.” Shetty also called on countries to put pressure on Turkey to release the activists, saying: “leaders around the world must stop biting their tongues and acting as if they continue business as usual.” Amnesty said the 10 are suspected of “committing crime in the name of a ter- rorist organization without being a member.” Germany calls for detainee’s release Germany’s government is calling for the release of the German trainer, who it iden- tified as Peter Steudtner. “We are in solidarity with Peter Steudtner, who is in unjustified custody in Turkey, and will lobby for him at all levels,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, wrote on Twitter. Turkish media reports said prosecutors, requesting the arrests, presented as ev- idence records of their com- munications with suspects linked to Kurdish and left- wing militants as well as the movement led by U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is accused of or- chestrating last year’s failed coup attempt. Amnesty said accusa- tions against Eser tried to link her to three terror orga- nizations through her work with the advocacy group. Prosecutors had referred to two campaigns led by Am- nesty, which were not au- thored by Amnesty Turkey, the rights group said. Erdogan rejects ‘activist’ label Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this month rejected the label “ac- tivists” when asked about the 10, and made vague accusa- tions, saying the group was involved in a meeting that had the “nature of a continu- ation” of the coup attempt. Turkey says the crack- down is necessary to weed out Gulen’s followers amid a continued threat from his movement and to eradicate terror groups. In April, Erdogan went on to win by a narrow majority a referendum on a series of constitutional amendments that will increase the powers of his office with few checks and balances and abolish the position of prime minister, a development critics fear will lead Turkey toward au- thoritarian rule. Earlier this month, the European Parliament ad- vised the European Union to freeze accession talks with Turkey amid growing con- cerns over declining human rights, media freedoms and rule of law issues in Turkey. Frequent comments by Er- dogan vowing to re-instate the death penalty have also raised alarm. Turkey’s main opposition party called the court’s de- cision a “shame for Turkey” and raised concerns about whether they would get a fair trial. “In Turkey, the judiciary is far away from being objec- tive and independent,” said Sezgin Tanrikulu, a former human rights lawyer and legislator from the oppo- sition Republican People’s Party, CHP. “It’s impossible to speak o fair hearings in an environment where there is no objective and indepen- dent judiciary.” Also this month, the CHP’s leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, completed a 25-day “March for Justice” from Ankara to Istanbul to oppose the gov- ernment’s crackdown and highlight alleged government interference in the judiciary. In addition to Eser, ac- tivists from the Helsinki Citizens Assembly and the Human Rights’ Agenda As- sociation were jailed. The four activists that were re- leased on bail are from the Citizen’s Assembly, the Wom- en’s Coalition, Equal Rights Watch Association and the Rights initiative. Eser is the second top Amnesty International of- ficial in Turkey to be ar- rested. Last month, Amnes- ty’s Turkey chair, Taner Kilic, was arrested for alleged links to Gulen’s movement. “This is not a legitimate investigation, this is a politically motivated witch-hunt that charts a frightening future for rights in Turkey.” SALIL SHETTY, secretary general, Amnesty International Among those named would be Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, 54, and Diosdado Cabello, 54, a longtime ally of late President Hugo Chavez and power broker within the ruling Socialist party, sources said. Amnesty International’s website calls for Idil Eser’s immediate release.8 WORLD&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Italy considers emergency visas to ease migrant strain MILAN (AP) – With Italians showing increasing discon- tent over unabated migrant arrivals and European part- ners not responding to pleas to ease Italy’s burden, the country’s leaders are con- sidering what many have dubbed the nuclear op- tion: approving emergency visas for migrants that could allow them unrestricted travel in Europe. Premier Paolo Gentiloni is under growing domestic pressure over the migrant crisis, as more than 85,000 migrants have arrived in Italy in the first half of this year, a 20 percent increase over last year. Asylum requests are up by 25 percent. The emergency visa pro- posal was not on the agenda when foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday – but it was a hot topic on the sidelines. Italian Foreign Min- ister Angelino Alfano denied media reports that 200,000 visas could be issued under the plan. But other Italian of- ficials have acknowledged the plan is being considered, if only to gain negotiating le- verage at the EU table. “It is not a threat. It is an instrument of persua- sion,” Italian Senator Luigi Manconi of the Democratic Party told private Sky TG24 this weekend. He confirmed that the idea was being studied by Interior Minister Marco Minniti. A deputy in the foreign ministry, Mario Giro, ac- knowledged that Italy lacks leverage in Brussels. “At the moment we don’t have a strong negotiating power, but we need to find al- lies,” he told Sky. Gentiloni has already had to abandon one pro- posed legislative measure to tackle the migrant crisis. Amid a political backlash, he has withdrawn from the Senate consideration of a new citizenship law for mi- grant children until after the summer break. Opponents of the law, which has passed in the lower house, have leveraged on the crisis – even though no migrants arriving in recent waves would be immediately eligible under the five-year legal residency requirement. Meanwhile, mayors throughout Italy, particularly in the south, are revolting against the government’s at- tempts to relocate migrants to their midst. In one Si- cilian town, Castel’Umberto, the mayor joined a protest that temporarily blocked 50 migrants from a hotel this weekend. He will join some 40 mayors from the area around Messina, which is ex- pecting thousands of new ar- rivals, in a meeting with the local prefect later this week. All of this has pushed Gentiloni’s hand. Italy’s neighbors are wor- ried that the proposed visas could allow migrants to con- tinue their journey to other European countries. Austria has repeated threats to close its borders, with Interior Minister Wolf- gang Sobotka telling Bild Zei- tung on Tuesday that it could have soldiers at the Brenner Pass border – one of the main routes connecting Italy with northern Europe – within 24 hours “if the number of il- legal migrants toward Aus- tria increases more.” Austria’s foreign minister told reporters in Brussels that redistributing migrants was not the answer, rejecting the issuance of emergency visas by Italy as well as any European Union plan to relo- cate migrants to central and northern Europe. “It cannot be that Italy and Greece get relief by al- lowing more people to travel north. If that is the case, more people will follow, traf- fickers will earn more and more people will drown in the sea. Nothing will be solved,” Sebastian Kurz told reporters in Brussels. Australians see woman’s shooting by police as US nightmare SYDNEY (AP) – Half a world from where an Australian woman was shot dead by a Minneapolis police of- ficer, Tuesday’s front-page headline in her hometown Sydney newspaper sum- marized Australia’s reac- tion in blunt terms: “AMER- ICAN NIGHTMARE.” In Justine Damond’s na- tive country, news of the meditation teacher’s baffling death has dominated the air- waves, newspapers and web- sites for days, feeding into Australians’ long-held fears about America’s notorious culture of gun violence. “The country is infested with possibly more guns than people,” said Philip Alpers, a gun policy analyst with the University of Sydney who has studied the stark differences in gun laws between the na- tions. “We see America as a very risky place in terms of gun violence – and so does the rest of the world.” While police officers carry guns in Australia, deadly shootings by police are ex- ceedingly rare; there are only a handful reported each year, according to the Austra- lian Institute of Criminology. And though the U.S. does not keep a national database of deadly police-involved shoot- ings, even incomplete sta- tistics show there are hun- dreds every year. America’s reluctance to strengthen its gun regula- tions and its seemingly end- less stream of shooting deaths have long been a source of confusion and con- cern in Australia, which in- stituted tough gun owner- ship laws in 1996 following a deadly mass shooting. At the time, then-Prime Minister John Howard – a conserva- tive – warned Australians against following America’s lead on gun control, saying: “We have an opportunity in this country not to go down the American path.” The Australian govern- ment’s official travel advice to those heading to the U.S. specifically warns tourists to be on guard for gun crime, and urges Australians living in the U.S. to be familiar with “active shooter” training drills. Australian media cov- erage of America’s frequent mass shootings is often tinged with disbelief – “an- other day, another shooting in America” is a common re- frain on newscasts. The death of Damond, a 40-year-old meditation teacher who was report- edly dressed in her pajamas when she was shot by a po- lice officer late Saturday, has sparked a similarly stunned reaction. The story has led network newscasts and was splashed across newspapers’ front pages. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph ran an editorial headlined “A senseless and tragic death.” Authorities have released no details on what prompted Saturday’s shooting, which occurred after Damond called police to report what she believed to be an active sexual assault in an alley near her home. Damond’s Sydney-based family issued a statement on Monday saying they were trying to come to terms with the tragedy and understand why it happened. On Tuesday, her father spoke out publicly for the first time. “We thought yesterday was our worst nightmare, but we awoke to the ugly truth and it hurt even more,” John Ruszczyk told reporters. “Jus- tine was a beacon to all of us. We only ask that the light of justice shine down on the cir- cumstances of her death.” REPORT: HUNDREDS OF BOYS ABUSED AT GERMAN CHOIR SCHOOL BERLIN (AP) – At least 547 members of a prestigious Catholic boys’ choir in Ger- many were physically or sexually abused between 1945 and 1992, according to a report released Tuesday. Allegations involving the Domspatzen choir in Regensburg, which was run for 30 years by Emer- itus Pope Benedict XVI’s elder brother, were among a spate of revelations of abuse by Roman Catholic clergy in Germany that emerged in 2010. In 2015, lawyer Ulrich Weber was tasked with producing a re- port on what happened. The report said that 547 boys at the Domspat- zen’s school “with a high degree of plausibility” were victims of physical or sexual abuse, or both. It counted 500 cases of physical violence and 67 of sexual violence, com- mitted by a total of 49 perpetrators. At the choir’s preschool, “violence, fear and help- lessness dominated” and “violence was an everyday method,” it said. “The whole system of education was oriented to- ward top musical achieve- ments and the choir’s suc- cess,” the report said. “Alongside individual mo- tives, institutional motives – namely, breaking the will of the children with the aim of maximum discipline and dedication – formed the basis for violence.” The report’s authors said that they checked the plausibility of 591 potential victims’ cases. The choir was led from 1964 to 1994 by Bene- dict’s brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger. Ratzinger has acknowl- edged slapping pupils after he took over the choir, though such punishments were commonplace in Ger- many at that time. He also said he was aware of alle- gations of physical abuse at the elementary school and did nothing about it, but he was not aware of sexual abuse. The report faulted Ratz- inger “in particular for ‘looking away’ or for failing to intervene.” It also cited criticism by victims of the Regens- burg diocese’s initial ef- forts to investigate past abuse. It said that the bishop at the time the al- legations surfaced, Ger- hard Ludwig Mueller, bears “clear responsibility for the strategic, organizational and communicative weak- nesses” of those efforts. Migrants wait to disembark from a Spanish ship in the harbor of Salerno, Italy, on June 29. - PHOTO: AP A woman leaves a message on the sidewalk near the scene where a Minneapolis police officer on Monday shot and killed Justine Damond. - PHOTO: AP9 WORLD&REGIONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY JULY 19, 2017 Europe’s press shuns Brexit for fires, storms, Erdogan and Trump Russia demands US return properties as talks fail to reach deal Russia stepped up pres- sure on the U.S. to return seized diplomatic com- pounds after talks ended without a deal, in a dis- pute that was become a test of whether Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin can con- vert the personal rapport of their initial meeting into im- proved relations. The Russian Foreign Min- istry said it “reserves the right to retaliate based on the principle of reciprocity” in a statement Tuesday, after U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon and Rus- sian Deputy Foreign Min- ister Sergei Ryabkov failed to break the deadlock at the talks in Washington. The discussions were “tough, forthright and delib- erate, reflecting both parties’ commitment to a resolution” on issues that have “strained the relationship,” the State Department said in a state- ment on its website Tuesday. “It is clear that more work needs to be done.” Russia has made in- creasingly strident demands for the issue to be resolved since it was discussed at Trump and Putin’s first offi- cial meeting, which stretched for more than two hours at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg this month. It’s threatening to retaliate by seizing U.S. embassy prop- erty in Moscow and expel- ling diplomats. The confrontation is put- ting Trump in a bind as he seeks to strengthen relations with Putin while also bat- tling investigations in Wash- ington into whether members of his campaign team col- luded with Russia during last year’s presidential elections. “The longer the Ameri- cans persist, the less chance there’ll be of finding a solu- tion that won’t also infringe on their interests,” Ryabkov said Tuesday, according to the RIA Novosti news service. He said he’d warned Shannon at Monday’s talks that Russia may take “practical retalia- tory steps” soon. Putin broke with tradi- tion and refrained from re- sponding when then-Presi- dent Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and shut down the two com- pounds in December in re- sponse to the election hacking that U.S. intelligence agencies blamed on Russia. Trump hailed Putin’s decision at the time on Twitter as a “great move” and said “I always knew he was very smart!” However, nearly six months after Trump took of- fice pledging to repair ties that all but collapsed under Obama, Russia’s patience is running out over his failure to reverse the measures. The two confiscated prop- erties at the heart of the dis- pute are a former governor’s mansion near Oyster Bay, Long Island, and a sprawling 45-acre compound on the Corsica River in Maryland that includes a Georgian- style mansion with a swim- ming pool, tennis court and Russian steam bath. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakha- rova said the seizure of the two properties had deprived children of Russian diplo- mats of their annual summer camps and weekend breaks. She dismissed U.S. media re- ports that American agents had discovered traces of dis- mantled antennas, computers and other spy equipment at the compounds. The dispute shows there’s “a severe crisis in relations” between Russia and the Trump administration, ac- cording to Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Foreign and De- fense Policy Council, an ad- visory body to the Kremlin. “An absolutely small thing has become fundamental for both sides” and may create a spiral of tit-for-tat re- sponses, he said. The Trump administra- tion may return the country houses to Russia because “we want to give collabora- tion, cooperation a chance,” in order to secure progress on issues such as resolving the war in Syria, Sebas- tian Gorka, a deputy assis- tant to the president, told CNN on Thursday. Russia canceled a pre- vious meeting between Ry- abkov and Shannon in St. Petersburg last month after the U.S. imposed new sanc- tions on Russian companies and individuals over the con- flict in Ukraine. © 2017, Bloomberg As the U.K. finally gets down to Brexit business, the rest of Europe has al- ready moved on. Britain may be consumed by the political and economic fallout from voters’ decision to leave the European Union, but judging from the reac- tion of the main newspapers across continental Europe, their readers are far less oc- cupied by the drama on the other side of the Channel. The second round of nego- tiations under way in Brus- sels between Brexit Secre- tary David Davis and his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, made few waves outside the U.K. Their encounter failed to make the front pages of many Tuesday’s editions. In fact, most papers chose to ig- nore it altogether. Those that did give it some attention focused on the political confusion back in the U.K. and the weak ne- gotiating hand of its embat- tled leader, Theresa May. The spread of stories shows the wider issues vying for space in mainland Europe but also hints at the distrac- tions facing EU leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. The geopolitical reality suggests what while Brexit is the be all and end all for the British, the EU may not be bluffing when it says the bloc has plenty else on its plate, from its dealings with U.S. leader Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin to a series of complicated relationships with other G-20 partners. In Germany, Die Welt led on Tuesday with a spying dispute with Turkey that threatens to further damage the already poor relations between Berlin and Ankara. Perhaps fittingly, it carried a piece inside citing a German member of the European Par- liament, Michael Theurer, as saying Merkel’s government needs to make the Brexit ne- gotiations a bigger priority. He suggested the cre- ation of a “Brexit cabinet” to speed up and influence the talks and protect the German economy once the U.K. exits. For Germany’s government, the talks currently “live only a shadow existence,” he told the newspaper. The article was at the bottom of page 6. Bild, the country’s biggest- selling paper, gave Brexit a pass, as did the altogether more serious Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which in- stead chose to feature on its front page Turkey, Venezuela and moves in the EU Parlia- ment to highlight what it sees as threats to democracy and the rule of law in Poland. Business daily Handelsb- latt published an editorial ti- tled “A country in a state of emergency,” in which it decried the U.K.’s political divisions, saying they caused Britain to enter the Brexit talks “weak- ened and unguided.” Because of the U.K.’s in- ternal wrangling, it’s “easy” for the EU to up the pressure in the talks, it said, next to a car- toon showing Davis and Bar- nier gnawing on knives under the caption “Read my lips.” Across the Alps, Brexit failed to make the front pages of Italian newspa- pers, which were more in- terested in domestic politics, migrant arrivals from across the Mediterranean, and forest fires along the coast. Only the Turin newspaper La Stampa mentioned Brexit in a short article on an inside page. French media had the latest news on domestic poli- tics, sports and summer spe- cials on their covers, rather than European concerns. The economic newspaper Les Echos focused on Ma- cron’s plan for local-govern- ment reform, while Le Pa- risien zeroed in on the Tour de France’s highest-placed French rider, Romain Bardet. Fires near Nice, storms in western France and a car- parts company’s decay fea- tured elsewhere. Le Figaro was the only outlet to have the talks on its cover, albeit as the smallest item, head- lined “Brexit: Brussels and London in the thick of it.” In Spain, El Pais chose to keep the talks off the front page, instead carrying a half- page story in the interna- tional-news section on page 4 headlined “Brussels and London confirm their differ- ences over Brexit.” El Mundo devoted a page to Brexit in its “World” section – after a spread on Venezuela – under the headline “Tory War.” In Ireland, the only EU country with a land border with the U.K., Brexit remains in the headlines. “Cautious optimism in EU over prog- ress of Brexit talks” was the lead item on the front page of the Irish Times on Tuesday. Back in Brussels, at the EU’s heart, the Belgian press was dedicated to a political crisis in the Walloon region. The only paper to reference Brexit was the De Tijd finan- cial daily, and then it was with a report showing how the U.K’s strawberry industry is under threat. © 2017, Bloomberg The second round of negotiations under way in Brussels between Brexit Secretary David Davis and his EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, made few waves outside the U.K. This 45-acre compound on the Corsica River in Maryland is one of the properties involved in the dispute between the U.S. and Russia. ‘LET OBAMACARE FAIL,’ TRUMP SAYS AFTER GOP PLAN COLLAPSES WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump de- clared Tuesday he is going to “let Obamacare fail” after the Republicans’ effort to rewrite the 2010 health- care overhaul imploded in Congress. Senate Ma- jority Leader Mitch McCo- nnell proposed a vote on a backup plan simply re- pealing the statute, but de- sertions by his own party seemed to ensure that would fail, too. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Shelley Moore Capito of West Vir- ginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said they op- posed McConnell’s Plan B. That’s enough to spell de- feat and could send a mes- sage to conservative Re- publicans that it is time to abandon efforts to tear down Obama’s law. All Senate Demo- crats are opposed to the GOP changes. In the morning, Trump tweeted a barrage of crit- icism over his party’s failure on its flagship legislative priority. For seven years, the GOP has pledged to repeal President Barack Obama’s law. “Most Republicans were loyal, terrific & worked re- ally hard,” Trump tweeted. “We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans.” Later, the president went further, describing a legislative tactic and po- litical outcome that con- tradicts the views of many in the GOP. “I’m not going to own it,” he said as he opened a White House event with military officers. “I can tell you that the Republi- cans are not going to own it. We’ll let Obamacare fail and then the Democrats are going to come to us and they’re going to say how do we fix it?” Many Republicans worry that the public al- ready views health- care as their responsi- bility, since they control the White House and both houses of Congress. Trump has talked before about discontinuing federal payments to insurers that have let the companies sub- sidize out-of-pockets costs for millions of low-earning customers. Insurers say the threat of such disruption has already encouraged them to leave some markets and seek higher premiums. Two GOP senators – Utah’s Mike Lee and Jerry Moran of Kansas – sealed the doom of McConnell’s bill replacing much of Obama’s law late Monday when they announced they would vote “no” in an ini- tial, critical vote that had been expected as soon as next week.Next >