SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Caymanian crafter thrives in market Launa Green parlays her skills into a successful business B2 August concerts in South Florida From Ed Sheeran to the Psychedelic Furs, it’s a busy month for bands B5 Movies Lifestyle Music ■ EVENTS Breakfast at night The annual Kiwanis event raises money for kids’ meals. B6 Coming to Regal Cinema Camana Bay Action, thrillers, and animated flicks heat up the box office B4 Placemats promote education programs The National Trust has a new initiative with Cayman’s history in mind B7 WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO JAMAICA Celebrate Jamaica’s Independence Day and the Honorable Usain St. Leo “Lightning” Bolt’s retirement. Visit any one of SIX DISCOUNT LIQUORS Locations from Thursday, August 3 through Saturday, August 12. Make Any Purchase and Enter to WIN A ROUND-TRIP TICKET FOR TWO to Jamaica, via Cayman Airways. Winning receipt drawn Monday, August 14. ® DISCOUNT LIQUORS LOCATIONS: PASADORA PLACE SHAMROCK ROAD WEST BAY TURTLE CENTRE FORT STREET MARY LOU’S – CAYMAN BRAC CAYMAN WEEKENDER Breakfast at night High of 90 Low of 80 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 WIFI ACCESS: A WEAK SIGNAL FROM THE REGULATOR ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 HAPPY JAMAICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY From your friends at Popeyes and The Best Dressed Chicken Premier: No government support for new WiFi licensing/fees BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin said Thursday that his coalition government would not support any effort to charge li- censing fees to businesses that provide wireless internet access to customers on their premises. The issue has been raised publicly a number of times since February, when OfReg, Cayman’s newly formed utilities and com- modities regulator, indicated that a number of businesses charging customers to use their wireless internet service should be paying li- censing fees to government. Government officials told the Cayman Compass in May that at least nine com- panies were “illegally” charging customers for WiFi access. “There are currently no WiFi hot spot pro- viders licensed by the office to offer such service within the Cayman Islands,” the OfReg notice issued in February stated. Mr. McLaughlin said Thursday that he was not familiar with the technical specifics, but that the Progressives-led coalition would not approve what amounts to a new business operating fee. “We campaigned on reducing bureaucracy and to reduce the cost of doing business in this country,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “This pro- posal runs completely counter to the govern- ment’s policy. “The imposition of fees and taxes are a matter for the Cabinet of these islands, re- gardless of whether it is Cayman Airways or OfReg or the Water Authority.” Strictly speaking, OfReg (which now en- compasses the former Information and Com- munications Technology Authority) has been allowed to charge licensing fees for busi- nesses that provide WiFi at their premises since at least 2011. CONFUSION OVER SUNDAY LIQUOR SALES JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Liquor Licensing Board of Grand Cayman has claimed a previously announced decision to grant a license to a gas station to sell alcohol on Sundays was sent out in error. Peanuts convenience store at the Red Bay gas station was advised, in a list of decisions sent to the Department of Commerce and In- vestment and the media after a meeting in March, that its application for a retail li- quor license had been approved. The gas sta- tion was the first in Cayman to be granted the right to sell alcohol and would have been the first to be granted permission for Sunday sales since a ban on booze sales in gas sta- tions was lifted. The Liquor Board now says that decision COACH ATO STEPHENS JAILED FOR 18 MONTHS Former athletics coach Ato Modibo Stephens was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison for convincing a 14-year-old girl on his track team to send him topless photographs of her- self. Stephens, 38, was found not guilty of indecent assault or gross indecency involving the same teenage girl. For the full story, see page 2. Bridger: Four years later, no police interview BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Four years after a crim- inal investigation was initiated against him, former Operation Tempura senior investigator Martin Bridger said he has still not been formally interviewed by authorities concerning the facts of the case. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said in mid- July that a decision whether to charge Mr. Bridger was expected within four to six weeks. In a statement sent to the Cayman Compass this week, Mr. Bridger wondered how that de- cision could be reached without interviewing the alleged suspect. “I have, on numerous occa- sions sought to be interviewed in relation to these allegations,” Mr. Bridger’s statement read. “It is [with] profound regret that to date, after an investigation against me lasting over four years that I have not been able New MLAs attend seminar in parliamentary procedures Cayman’s newly elected Members of the Legislative Assembly and other MLAs attended a Post-Election Seminar hosted by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in the legislative chamber Thursday. The association’s Secretary-General Akbar Khan, back row, fifth from left, was on hand to make remarks at the opening ceremony of the seminar. For the full story, see page 6. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Martin Bridger PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS MIAMI (AP) – The United States cannot legally return a former Panamanian presi- dent to face political espio- nage charges in Panama, his lawyers argued Thursday, pointing in federal court to what they call flimsy evi- dence and flaws in an extra- dition treaty. The attorneys for Ri- cardo Martinelli said key parts of a bilateral extradi- tion treaty went into effect in July 2014, after the alleged criminal conduct happened, and cannot be applied retro- actively. They also said evi- dence of related embezzle- ment charges is too weak to justify sending him home. “That is pure fiction,” said Marcos Jimenez, a former U.S. attorney in Miami who repre- sents Martinelli. “They don’t have the proof of embezzle- ment. It is just not there.” U.S. Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres did not imme- diately rule, instead setting another hearing for Aug. 22. Martinelli is accused in Panama of illegally moni- toring phone conversations and other communications of at least 150 people with an extensive surveillance system he obtained from an Israeli company using public funds. His alleged targets included business and political rivals, union activists, journalists, even his mistress. The em- bezzlement charges involve more than $13 million in public funds used to set up the illegal system. Martinelli, Panama’s pres- ident from 2009-2014, has denied wrongdoing, calling the case a political ven- detta by his opponents. He is seeking asylum in the U.S., where he has lived for two years in a waterfront Miami- area mansion. Open daily 10am-10pm • West Shore Center, SMB Whole Jerk Chicken Feast $29.99 CELEBRATE JAMAICAN INDEPENDENCE WITH CHICKEN! CHICKEN! $29.99 RICE & BEAN STEAMED VEGE TABLES JAMAIC AN STYLE COLE SLAW FESTIV ALS HOME BREAD PUDDING JAMAIC AN STYLE COLE SLAW FESTIV ALS HOME BREAD PUDDING $29.99 AUGUST 4TH, 5 TH & 6 TH FOOTBALL CAMPS Exciting Summer REGISTER TODAY: info@esmcayman.ky 924-8797 / 925-5032 Week 1: July 3rd - July 7th Week 2: July 10th - July 14th Week 3: August 7th - August 11th Week 4: August 14th - August 18th Surfers Paradise 978 South Sound Rd Beachfront Luxury Estate with Pool 4 Bedrooms 5 Baths Gourmet Kitchen FOR RENT OPEN HOUSE Saturday 3-5pm Email Lin At lintibbetts@yahoo.com Coach sentenced to 18 months over photos of teenager Judge delivers not guilty ruling on indecency charges CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Ato Modibo Stephens, former athletics coach, was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in prison for convincing a 14-year- old girl on his track team to send him topless photo- graphs of herself. Stephens, 38, was found guilty of using an informa- tion and communication technology (ICT) network to annoy, harass or abuse, but not guilty of indecent as- sault or gross indecency in- volving the teenage girl, after a judge-alone trial. Justice Michael Wood said he did not for a moment find that the girl was a liar, but that was not the test. He had to be sure of the defen- dant’s guilt and there was “just enough doubt for me to be not sure.” He said it was per- haps with a degree of re- luctance that he found Ste- phens not guilty of the other charges against him. Justice Wood pointed out that the maximum sentence for using an ICT network to abuse is two years. He con- sidered that Stephens’s of- fending had been at the top end of such offending, but said he was bearing in mind that Stephens had pleaded not guilty only on legal advice. He had given his ruling earlier in the week that WhatsApp messages sent by Stephens to the girl were an offense: “It’s hard to imagine how they could not be abu- sive,” he said. Stephens had asked the girl to send him photos to help him “relax,” the court heard. The requests had become more explicit, first asking for pictures in her underwear, and then top- less, then with a shifting of her underwear to show more skin. “Your behavior was ab- solutely disgraceful,” the judge told Stephens. He said some of the photos were pro- vocative posing, as encour- aged by Stephens. The defense, conducted by lead counsel Paul Keleher and instructing counsel Amelia Fosuhene, contended that Stephens never touched the girl or exposed himself – that the messages between them were more like “sex- ting.” The judge agreed that Stephens was getting sexual pleasure from the messages and pictures. Justice Wood said the girl had been a credible witness, but there were some trou- bling aspects. For example, she had said she complied with requests for pictures because the coach had told her if she did not, she would get kicked off the team. But there were no messages re- covered from their phones to indicate any such threat or reference to being dropped from the team. Some messages had indi- cated a caring relationship, the judge noted. The defense had also queried whether there was any opportunity for the in- decent acts to have taken place in Stephens’s ve- hicle, as the girl described. Justice Wood referred to a hearsay statement from one athlete and testimony in court from two others about the way in which ath- letes would be dropped off by Stephens after practice. They indicated that the girl had been dropped off be- fore they were. One young person said there was not a single practice when the girl would have been dropped off after he was. Justice Wood said he found it extraordinary that the police officer investi- gating the matter made no effort to speak to the ath- letes about the girl being in the vehicle after police re- ceived the complaint from the girl’s mother. The of- ficer did not flag this factor for another officer when he was transferred. As a re- sult, the young people were not spoken to until the trial, which was not satisfactory, the judge said. Justice Wood also sug- gested that it would have been better for the officer to interview the girl in the pres- ence of a social worker in- stead of her mother. In passing the sentence of 18 months, he noted that Stephens had already spent about 12 months in cus- tody (some time in Florida awaiting extradition, and here in Cayman awaiting trial). Sixty percent of 18 months is some 11-plus months, he noted. He said he was ordering Stephens’s de- portation when the sentence is completed. Stephens in his evidence told the court he was born in Trinidad and Tobago and he was a citizen of the United States. He said he started coaching in Cayman in 2010. Ex-Panamanian president fights extradition WEARY FROM SCANDALS, BRAZILIANS SHRUG AT PROBE OF PRESIDENT BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) – People across Latin Amer- ica’s largest nation collec- tively shrugged Thursday as they came to terms with President Michel Temer’s latest victory in his struggle to remain in office despite a bribery charge against him and abysmal poll ratings. People interviewed in three of the country’s largest cities said they were angry and deeply frus- trated at a political class that appears more inter- ested in protecting its own than in listening to the will of voters or combatting the graft at all levels that has longed plagued Brazil. Yet they also expressed weariness after years of scandals, political wran- gling and large protests that have not led to an ap- preciable change. “Brazil has become a dic- tatorship-type democracy,” said Cesio Lucas Araujo, a fruit vendor working a few miles from Congress in Brasilia. “Politicians do what they want and steal, and we can’t do anything about it.” That lack of energy was apparent Wednesday when the Chamber of Dep- uties spent all day de- bating whether to sus- pended Temer and put him on trial for allegedly plot- ting to receive millions in illicit payments for helping a company with a business dispute. Outside Congress, about 30 people gathered for a protest against Temer. In Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the country’s two largest cities, similar dem- onstrations drew fewer than 200 people. Those numbers stand in stark contrast to mobiliza- tions in recent years that brought millions into the streets – to protest aus- terity measures by local governments, to call for the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff and even as recently as a few months ago to de- mand that Temer resign or be forced out. The latest national poll said 80 percent of Bra- zilians surveyed favored Temer being put on trial – and just 5 percent approved of the job he is doing. Brazil’s President Michel Temer3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 For full event details and more Town Centre happenings, visit CAMANABAY.COM Saturdays, until August 26, 3-5 p.m. Splash, play and stay cool while grooving to family-friendly tunes. Tuesdays, July-August, 7 p.m. Enjoy free, family-friendly movies on our giant outdoor screen. MOONLIGHT & MO VIES Peter Pan (2003, PG) AUGUST 8AUGUST 15AUGUST 22AUGUST 29 GARDENIA COURTGARDENIA COURTTHE CRESCENTGARDENIA COURT Spend just $25 at Camana Bay for the chance to win a private Moonlight & Movies event* Shop, dine or play and then show your receipt at the Visitor Centre to enter! For further details and entry rules visit camanabay.com/summer *Until August 31, 2017 This contest is restricted to Grand Cayman residents only. Proof of residence is required. SHOP, DINE OR PLAY TO WIN! The Secret Life of Pets (2016, PG) Trolls (2016, PG) Thor (2011, PG-13) Immigration denies 12 of 13 PR cases ‘Sped up’ process results in rejections BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com An administrative review of permanent residence ap- plications by the Cayman Is- lands Immigration Depart- ment that took place over two days last week ended with 12 out of 13 people being de- nied that status. Another five residency applications were de- ferred during July 25 and July 26, according to immi- gration records. The applications, re- questing that the individuals involved be allowed to re- main in Cayman for the rest of their lives, were heard by immigration administrative staffers operating under the authority of the chief immi- gration officer. The revised Immigra- tion Law approved in Oc- tober 2013 allowed, for the first time, immigration offi- cials to decide on permanent residency applications. Previ- ously, the Caymanian Status and Permanent Residency Board was required to hear all of those cases. The difficulty with having the board hear all the ap- plications is that a backlog of residency cases, building since the law was changed in late 2013, had grown to more than 1,100 people by last month. A Cayman Com- pass analysis of the numbers found that it would take the board more than three years to get through the old appli- cations at its current rate. The hiring of six new ad- ministrative staffers to review the applications, announced last month, allowed another 20 residency applications to be heard over two days. Govern- ment officials said, ultimately, the plan is to have administra- tors work three days per week to resolve the backlog. “With the administrators working three days a week, along with the work done by the board, the total number of applications being pro- cessed weekly will obviously be increasing,” Ministry of Immigration Chief Officer Wesley Howell said. Before last week, the Cay- manian Status and Perma- nent Residency Board had heard all of the applications filed by individuals seeking residency since October 2013. It had only managed 10 per week, with about half of that number being deferred – delay until another meeting. As of last week, 73 appli- cations had been reviewed since May, with 14 having been granted, 28 refused and 22 deferred. Six others were withdrawn by the applicant and three applications were filed to late and could not le- gally be considered. Mr. Howell has said the process for hearing residency applications can be quite in- volved, with hundreds of pages of documents to re- view. If more information is needed, the board of the Im- migration Department has to contact the applicant and request more details before completing the process. Premier Alden McLaughlin said Wednesday that re- solving delays with the out- standing applications remains a top priority for his coalition government administration. “I applaud the team’s dedi- cation in doubling the amount of applications reviewed, but also committing themselves to meeting now three days a week to increase produc- tivity,” Mr. McLaughlin said. As of last month, eight ap- plicants for resident status had filed legal challenges in the Grand Court, seeking damages against govern- ment following multi-year delays in hearing their cases. Three of those challenges re- sulted in the applicant being granted PR status, five others are still outstanding. “The total number of applications being processed weekly will obviously be increasing.” WESLEY HOWELL, chief officer, Ministry of Immigration The Department of Immigration is facing a backlog of 1,100 permanent residency applications. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY POLICE TRYING TO CONFIRM GULF BOATER’S IDENTITY The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service is looking into reports that a man found adrift in a small craft in the Gulf of Mexico this week is one of two missing boaters from Grand Cayman. “We can confirm that ear- lier this week a man was found adrift in a boat in the Gulf of Mexico, but he is in very poor condition and en- quiries are continuing,” an RCIPS statement released late Thursday said. Chadwick Bodden and Ed- ward Henricks-Hydes were last seen on June 23 off the coast of Grand Cayman. They were expected to return on June 28 and were reported missing on July 2. Marine Unit searches ended last month pending the receipt of additional informa- tion as to their whereabouts.The 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. 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” For even entertaining the possibility of requiring licenses for businesses providing wireless Internet “hot spots,” the Cayman Island’s “super regulator” OfReg has emerged as a candidate for a name change: OfRez — short for going “off the reservation.” The backward-looking notion runs counter to global trends toward (and consumers’ increasing expecta- tions of) more openness and greater access to this critical technology. Forward-thinking cities around the globe are blan- keting public spaces with WiFi signals. Private com- panies such as Google and Microsoft, and influen- tial public bodies such as the European Commission and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission have been pursuing the universality of free WiFi for everyone as a public good (now considered nearly as vital as access to clean water and a decent shelter). So why did Cayman’s regulator threaten to disincentivize similar progress in our country? In February, the utilities and commodities regulator disseminated an enforcement advisory warning that anyone providing an internet or communications tech- nology service for a fee can be considered an “Internet Service Provider” (ISP) under the law and should be licensed as such. In other words, if a business – say a hotel – wants to charge customers for using its wireless internet connection, it could somehow be magically trans- formed into an ISP. More on that in a moment. In May, OfReg told the Compass they were aware of nine companies that were “illegally” charging cus- tomers to use their WiFi. This week the regulator’s Executive Director of ICT, Alee Fa’amoe, said that a “strict interpretation” (we would characterize it as an “expansive interpretation”) of a 2011 enforcement notice could imply that every business that provides WiFi – paid or free – could be required to be licensed (along with an accompanying fee, of course). Casting that wide of a net would potentially snare most restaurants, coffee shops and offices (think of “guest WiFi” access) in Cayman. The very idea is preposterous, detrimental to consumers and disastrous to businesses. In short, the proposal puts the – Dare we say it? – “Why” in “WiFi.” Why should OfReg involve itself in any business’ decision to provide WiFi to its customers – whether it charges for the amenity or not? A coffee shop offering WiFi access to customers makes it as much an ISP as offering power outlets makes it an electrical utility. What it charges for the service, or doesn’t, is a business decision, and a relatively insignificant one at that. As for Mr. Fa’amoe’s assertion that new licenses and fees might actually encourage entrepreneurship … simply put, it demonstrates a profound (possibly purposeful) ignorance of fundamental economic principles, and of the nature of innovation – which is about identifying unmet needs or wants and creatively addressing them. What need could Mr. Fa’amoe’s proposal meet, other than to feed a perpetually growing bureaucracy or offer his agency even more leverage and control? If Mr. Fa’amoe honestly believes that such regulatory overreach is a recipe for economic growth, we would suggest he needs a new cookbook – or perhaps to get out of the kitchen altogether. Kudos and applause, however, should go to another chef, in fact the chief chef of the Cayman Islands, Premier Alden McLaughlin, who has since publicly said his coalition government would never support any effort to force businesses to pay licensing fees if they choose to provide WiFi access to their customers. OfReg’s anti-business, anti-customer and anti-prog- ress proposal never should have been suggested in the first place. Hopefully Premier McLaughlin’s swift inter- vention can serve to kill this nascent telecom proposal before it breathes another breath. – EDITORIAL – WiFi access: A weak signal from the regulator FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Do not condemn Apple for bending to China on VPNs TYLER COWEN Several weeks ago, while traveling in China, I couldn’t read Bloomberg View because the censor had blocked the website. But I turned on my VPN — virtual private net- work — and connected by going around the Great Fire- wall. I could access Facebook, Twitter, Google and the New York Times the same way. Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, the Chinese gov- ernment has moved against such VPNs, most notably asking Apple Inc. to stop selling them through its app store. Apple acceded, and the response of the critics has been pretty sour. Mike Butcher at Tech- Crunch said, “Apple should have stood its ground.” Martin Johnson, who mon- itors Chinese censorship, claimed, “Apple is now an in- tegral part of China’s censor- ship apparatus.” The Farhad Manjoo article in The New York Times referred to Ap- ple’s decision as a “dan- gerous precedent.” Those remarks are un- fair to Apple, which in diffi- cult circumstances probably did the right thing. China has already shown Facebook Inc. and Google parent Al- phabet Inc. that it is willing to do without their services. How would it help the world to have Apple join that list, either partially or in full? I don’t approve of Chinese cen- sorship, but the VPNs are in fact illegal. It hardly seems unreasonable for a major company to follow the laws of the country it is operating in. Go back to the banned status of Bloomberg View in China, which is also a ban on some of my writings. (My educational videos are also blocked because they are on YouTube.) Does that mean I should stop having my books translated into Chi- nese, or that I should refuse to speak at Chinese univer- sities, on the grounds that they do not present all of my written product? No, hardly anyone behaves that way, nor should they. I prefer to try to communicate with the Chi- nese — including listening to and learning from them — as much as I plausibly can. Some Western authors who write books on sensi- tive topics of Chinese politics don’t want their work trans- lated in mainland China be- cause they know it will be al- tered. That makes sense, but demanding that any country allow “full carry” of all rel- evant goods and services is going too far. Furthermore, Apple is still doing plenty to help Chinese citizens counter their cen- sors. It sells chat and messen- ging apps in China that allow for encryption. Apple iPhones and iPads, bought in the U.S., bypass Chinese censorship al- together when they use the 4G network (not Wi-Fi); pre- sumably some Chinese citi- zens have bought these prod- ucts and use them. Perhaps most important, VPN apps are still available in China through other means. Many of the previous Chi- nese government attacks on VPNs ended up being re- versed or neglected, so per- haps Apple is expecting it can restore the apps later. Or Apple might think this is an appropriate topic for U.S. trade negotiators to raise. To the extent Apple is crit- icized, other institutions in the future might avoid having anything to do with contro- versial products in foreign nations, which will be worse for everyone. If Apple had never offered the VPN apps in the first place, no one would be talking about the com- pany right now. The danger is that this lesson is learned all too well. Might Apple at least have publicly complained about the actions of the Chinese government? That’s a judg- ment call. The case for a public corporate complaint is strongest either when the government might back down or when civil society might be emboldened by the com- pany’s support. I understand why com- mentators have been so harsh on Apple. The tech companies are highly profitable giants, and there is a sense that they ought to exercise more so- cial responsibility. Maybe so, but each case differs. When it comes to China and censor- ship, the low drama route is often what social responsi- bility dictates. Tyler Cowen is a professor of economics at George Mason University and writes for the blog Marginal Revolution. © 2017, Bloomberg View LETTER TO THE EDITOR Governments have a role in paving the way for electric vehicles The op-ed by Bloomberg columnist Leonid Bershidsky (Promises won’t kill the com- bustion engine, July 31) sounds like a Luddite argument. He suggests that promises to ban all cars with combustion engines by Germany (2030), France and Great Britain (2040) may come to nothing, that research into electric ve- hicles (EV’s) will get nowhere, that the technology will be un- affordable and that the com- bustion engine will remain the car market’s mainstay. This is what can be ex- pected from the powerful pro- oil anti-climate change lobby in America. We have to ask why the accelerating move to EV (which he acknowledges) is happening world-wide. CO2 emissions cause climate change. Nobody doubts the scientific evidence of global warming any more. NOx (ni- trogen oxide) from diesel ve- hicles can be linked to 38,000 premature deaths worldwide. Whether it is the health of the planet or our own bodies, governments have to lead. Such issues cannot be left to con- sumer preference. Without gov- ernment leadership in legisla- tion and education, motorists will continue to stick with the engine they have known and loved for the last 100 years. Without government leader- ship to ban smoking in public places and to enforce wearing of seat belts, consumers would have remained apathetic to health and safety warnings and hundreds of thousands of lives would have been lost. The times are changing faster than Mr. Bershidsky cares to admit. Volvo has an- nounced that they will make no more petrol or diesel vehicles after 2019. Nissan forecast that there will be more EV charging stations than petrol stations in the UK by 2020. Shell and BP are scrambling to get on the bandwagon. Fortunately the Cayman Government is playing its part with plans which in- clude for zero duty on EV’s for a five-year period. Graham MorseThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Gender equality lacking in Cayman politics KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Extensive work remains to be done to increase female representation in Cayman Is- lands politics and across the British Commonwealth of Nations, according to post- election analysis by the Commonwealth Parliamen- tary Association. Three of the 19 members of the Cayman Islands Leg- islative Assembly are female. Speaking on the floor of the Legislative Assembly Thursday, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretary-General Akbar Khan highlighted the polit- ical inroads made by pio- neering Caymanian women like Sybil McLaughlin, the Caribbean’s first female speaker of the house. “Five women speakers on since Sybil McLaughlin, we see a disappointing un- derrepresentation now of women in the Legislative As- sembly. Although you had the largest number of women standing for election, this only made up 26 percent of all candidates,” Mr. Khan said during the first day of the Cayman Islands Post Election Seminar. “There therefore remains an enormous amount of work to be done to reflect on how we can increase participa- tion of women in the legisla- tive chamber.” The Cayman Islands does not stand alone in its polit- ical under-representation of women, Mr. Khan said. De- spite notable improvements over the past 20 years, fe- male representation in par- liaments worldwide stands at 22 percent. Across the Commonwealth, only 18 percent of parliamentar- ians are women. He said several Carib- bean nations, including Gre- nada, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, have reached the recommended goal of 30 percent female represen- tation established by Com- monwealth heads of gov- ernment in 1997. “This is a floor, not a ceiling. Only a number of the branches in this region have managed to reach 30 per- cent,” Mr. Khan said. Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush recalled the difficulty to establish the Commonwealth Women Par- liamentarians network to support elected women. “It was not easy to get the acceptance to form the CWP. Many opposed it, including many women who thought there was no need for it,” Mr. Bush said. When women run for of- fice, they must still over- come the hurdle of election, Mr. Bush added. A number of barriers stand in the way of female candidates, including is- sues of public perception, Mr. Khan said. “We must look at the way media represents women. In some of our Commonwealth countries, the way media por- trays a woman representative can be very negative at times compared to the way it por- trays a male representative. That may have a chilling ef- fect on women standing for election who feel they do not want to expose themselves to unjustified criticism based on gender,” Mr. Khan said. Looking at the broader picture of the 2017 election, Mr. Khan praised the Cayman Islands for its commitment to democracy. The number of registered voters in the is- lands increased from 18,492 in 2013 to 21,227 in 2017. “The increased turnout in the recent elections clearly demonstrates the commit- ment of the Cayman Is- lands to nurture demo- cratic values and standards,” Mr. Khan said. As public scrutiny on public officials grows, gender representation will be in- creasingly important to en- sure public confidence. “This not only ensures participatory decision- making, but it engenders le- gitimacy and public con- fidence in our democratic institutions. Without gender equality, greater inclusion and diversity, our democracy is incomplete,” Mr. Khan said. Speaking in place of Pre- mier Alden McLaughlin, Min- ister Roy McTaggart em- phasized the educational importance of the Post- Election Seminar for legis- lative members. “We have enough exper- tise here to get good lessons in what are essentially con- tinuing professional edu- cation for the more senior MLAs,” Mr. McTaggart said. “Nothing much can be learned if we are not open- minded, attentive and par- ticipatory. And as I have mentioned, there is much to be learned during these two short yet packed seminar days.” The Commonwealth Par- liamentary Association will host students at the Town Hall in George Town Friday from 3:30-5 p.m. The event, hosted by the secretary- general, will provide stu- dents the opportunity to discuss democracy and meet local MLAs. “There therefore remains an enormous amount of work to be done to reflect on how we can increase participation of women in the legislative chamber.” AKBAR KHAN, secretary-general, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Secretary-General Akbar Khan addresses parliamentarians on the floor of the Legislative Assembly. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 Creativity : Heritage : EducationThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS We have been asked to announce the passing of Mrs. Oliber Silby Porter of Spot Bay, Cayman Brac,who passed away after a long illness on Tuesday, July 25, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 3:00p.m. at Spot Bay Church of God (Holiness). Viewing will be from 2:00-2:45p.m. Interment follows at Spot 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. Charles O. "Captain Chuckie" Ebanks regret to announce his passing on Sunday, 30 July 2017. A funeral service will be held 2:00 PM on Saturday, 12 August 2017 at Wesleyan Holiness Church. Viewing will be from 5-7:00 PM at Bodden Funeral Service , 117 Walkers Rd. on Friday, 11 August 2017. Interment will take place in West Bay Cemetery. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Vendryes Cornwall regret to announce his passing on Friday, 28 July 2017. Service arrangements will be announced at a later date. The Family Of The Late Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Pansy Lucille Borden regret to announce her passing on Monday, 31 July 2017. A funeral service will be held 4:00 PM Sunday, 13 August 2017 at Bodden Funeral Service Chapel, 117 Walkers Rd. Interment will follow in West Bay Cemetery. We regret to announce the passing of Monica Holness of George Town, Cayman Islands and Endeavour, Manchester, Jamaica. Monica passed away on July 21st, 2017 Funeral Services will be held in Manchester, Jamaica, on August 13th, 2017 Internment in the family plot in Mile Gully, Manchester. Sadly missed by friends. We regret to announce the passing of , 2017 Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Roylin Dempthsy Powell of Breakers, who passed away after a short illness on Wednesday, July 26, 2017. Details of a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date. An enforcement notice under the ICTA Law dating from 2011 reads: “The au- thority has … determined that all ICT services that use an ICT network to pro- vide services to the public, whether or not for a fee or for commercial profit, are required to be licensed ….” The 2011 notice, the most recent issued under the law, seems to require that every business providing WiFi to their customers would have to pay for a license. However, OfReg has not taken any enforcement ac- tion under the section and has more recently acknowl- edged that current rules set out under Cayman’s ICTA Law may not reflect “reality and the rapidly changing landscape of technology.” The OfReg statement is- sued in February notes: “If you are providing or reselling an ICT service without a license, you should stop immediately.” However, the OfReg notice at the time applied only to those businesses that were charging customers for the service. The WiFi provider would not be licensed in the same way large telecommunica- tions companies, such as FLOW and Digicel, are li- censed. Rather, OfReg Deputy Chief Executive Of- ficer Alee Fa’amoe said the process would operate sim- ilar to the noncommercial use of radio waves. “While WiFi has tradi- tionally been used for pri- vate, noncommercial uses, there are potential commer- cial applications for WiFi, and the office is considering how we might offer licenses which would actually en- courage that kind of entre- preneurial use of the tech- nology,” Mr. Fa’amoe said. “We would envision that kind of license attracting a low fee, certainly nothing approaching the kind of fees which a traditional [telecom] license would attract.” Premier McLaughlin said Thursday that is not going to happen. “We are not going to im- pose, nor are we going to countenance, the imposition of new fees or taxes … with respect to business,” he said. “In fact we are pushing hard to go the other way.” was sent out in error and the application was actually ad- journed and later rejected. Peanuts had already been granted a package liquor li- cense at the previous board meeting, which enabled it to sell liquor Monday to Sat- urday. The retail license, more typically used for bars and restaurants, would have en- abled it to sell on Sundays. The decision to grant the Sunday license appears to be verified by the list of li- quor license holders issued by the Department of Com- merce and Investment for April, May and June, all of which list Peanuts as having two licenses – a package li- cense effective from Dec. 5, 2016, and a retail license, ef- fective from March 28, 2017. Both expire on Sept. 30 this year, according to the list. However, full minutes from the Liquor Board’s March meeting, which ap- peared much later on the De- partment of Commerce and Investment website, contra- dict that and suggest Peanuts was never granted a license to serve liquor on Sundays. Liquor board chairman Woody DaCosta said incor- rect information had been sent out after the meeting on March 24 and 28 indicating that the license was granted. He attributed this to an “untimely and unauthorized release” by a member of De- partment of Commerce and Investment staff. He said the error must have been inadvertently repeated on the department’s list of li- cense holders. In any case, Mr. DaCosta said a license is not veri- fied and deemed approved until the business owner had been issued with a “Form 3” and affixed it to the door of their premises. Anyone who sold liquor without that form was liable to a $10,000 fine, he said, and should “cease and desist.” It is understood that Pea- nuts has now ceased to sell alcohol on Sundays. Mr. DaCosta said the de- cision had to be delayed, in part, because of a complaint from Tortuga Rum Company owner Robert Hamaty, who had suggested the board did not have the authority to lift a moratorium on the granting of any licenses to gas stations. He said the board sought advice from the Attorney General on the issues raised by Mr. Hamaty and the wider application of the new Li- quor Licensing Law. Fol- lowing that review, he said, the board reconvened and re- jected Peanuts’ application on the basis of a new policy that will restrict all liquor li- cense holders to one type of license only. He said the review had also confirmed that Mr. Ha- maty’s complaint was base- less and that the introduc- tion of the 2016 Liquor License superceded the pre- vious order in relation to gas stations. The minutes of the meeting now published on the Department of Com- merce and Investment web- site refer to only two meet- ings, on March 24 and 28, and it is not clear when the decision to reject the applica- tion was actually taken. The minutes recap attorney Cline Glidden’s submission on be- half of Peanuts that the gas station had received a pos- itive response since being granted a package license to serve alcohol during the week and was seeking the additional retail license to allow it to do so on Sunday. The minutes state, “The Board agreed by consensus that the letter and spirit of Liquor Law is very clear in- sofar that Convenience Stores, be they located in gas stations or elsewhere are not to conduct business as set forth in section 10(4) of the Liquor Law, where in- toxicating liquor can be con- sumed on the premises.” It goes on to indicate that Mr. Rutty’s application was rejected. Asked for comment this week, Mr. Rutty said, “We were notified in writing by the board secretary after the meeting that the application (for a retail license) was ap- proved and they also had it on their website as ap- proved. Now a set of min- utes are circulating saying that it was denied. My law- yers are looking at it and trying to figure out what the conflict is.” Premier: No government support for new WiFi licensing/fees CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Premier Alden McLaughlin Confusion over Sunday liquor sales Peanuts gas station will no longer be able to sell liquor on Sundays. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ECUADOR PRESIDENT STRIPS VP OF POWER QUITO, Ecuador (AP) – Ec- uadorean President Lenin Moreno is stripping his vice president of much of his au- thority over corruption alle- gations that surfaced amid a battle for power within their ruling leftist coalition. Moreno says in a decree signed Thursday that he is withdrawing all the tasks that had been assigned to Vice President Jorge Glas since both took office in May. The move comes after an audio recording surfaced in the media in which an ex- ecutive at Brazilian con- struction giant Odebrecht is heard discussing alleged requests by Glas for bribes in exchange for public work contracts awarded by former President Rafael Cor- rea’s government. Glas has denied wrong- doing, citing a lack of evi- dence. He in turn accuses Moreno of betraying Cor- rea’s trust and legacy. Both men served as vice president under Correa.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY AUGUST 4, 2017 HAVOC Pro Scooters and Accessories Mini’s $125 Storm starting at $145 For more info: 939.1301 havoccaribbean@gmail.com www.havocpro.com All prices in CI$. Specialty orders available Now Available in Cayman!! to answer my accusers. “If I was interviewed, all the facts concerning Oper- ation Tempura from Sep- tember 2007 to date could form part of my defense. I am aware that such an inter- view could result in the ex- posure of some individuals and the [U.K.] Foreign and Commonwealth Office to fur- ther scrutiny. “The fact that after four years I remain under crim- inal investigation continues to have a debilitating effect on my post-retirement career and my family.” It’s been nearly 10 years since Mr. Bridger, a former U.K. Metropolitan Police of- ficer, arrived in Cayman to in- vestigate allegations of col- lusion between a newspaper publisher and a top-ranking member of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. More than $10 million was spent, two criminal trials held and half-a-dozen police officers lost their jobs. There were no convictions after the court cases, and the initial allega- tions against the publisher and the senior RCIPS officer turned out to be bogus. In August 2014, then- RCIPS Commissioner David Baines alluded to the possi- bility that Mr. Bridger could be in some legal trouble over certain statements he made regarding the case, partic- ularly criminal allegations Mr. Bridger made in early 2013 against the territory’s former governor and cur- rent attorney general. The former U.K. lawman had al- leged to the U.K. Met Police and the RCIPS that former Cayman Governor Stuart Jack and Attorney General Sam Bulgin misled him about var- ious facts in the Tempura investigation. Former Governor Jack and Mr. Bulgin have publicly de- nied those allegations. Mr. Jack at one point commented that it was “high time” Mr. Bridger be held accountable for his statements. Mr. Baines said in 2014, “Whilst the criminal allega- tions made by Mr. Bridger failed, were unsupported and unproved after analysis of all of the available evidence, it is correct to say that his account and publishing of data within the media led to counter-allegations of crim- inal conduct being made in relation to his conduct. Those allegations remain under in- vestigation and are subject to continued inquiry.” Bridger statement Mr. Bridger’s statement released to the Compass this week sought to clarify a number of issues around the criminal investigation initi- ated against him. The allegations referred to by former Commissioner Baines had their genesis in 2012, after private conver- sations between Mr. Bridger and former RCIPS Commis- sioner Stuart Kernohan who was eventually fired over the Tempura fiasco. Those con- versations, Mr. Bridger said, led him to conclude he was “grossly misled on key as- pects” of the corruption probe “by senior officials.” Both Mr. Kernohan and former RCIPS Chief Super- intendent John Jones pro- vided Mr. Bridger with state- ments to support claims Mr. Bridger made to the U.K. Metropolitan Police in April 2013 that certain Cayman Islands officials had en- gaged in misconduct while Operation Tempura was being conducted. U.K. Met police who re- viewed the matter indi- cated there were “reasonable grounds to suspect an offense had occurred,” but noted the London-based police force was conflicted in the Tem- pura matter and, therefore, could not investigate. Following the Met’s deci- sion, Mr. Bridger said he for- warded the same allegations to then-Cayman Islands Gov- ernor Duncan Taylor, who gave the matter to Mr. Ba- ines to review. Mr. Bridger said after a relatively short inquiry, in which neither he nor other top Cayman police officials were in- terviewed, the allegations were dismissed. “To my knowledge, al- though [Mr. Baines] was in possession of witness state- ments from Kernohan and Jones he did not interview either of them to objectively and dispassionately test the evidence they provided,” Mr. Bridger’s statement to the Compass read. It was shortly after the probe into the Bridger crim- inal complaint was closed that the former corruption investigator found he was the subject of counter alle- gations. It is those allega- tions for which Mr. Bridger remains under investigation today, he said. In 2016, the retired U.K. lawman said one of the RCIPS investigators informed him the case had been sent to the Director of Public Pros- ecutions in Cayman “for di- rections.” Mr. Bridger said he has not been informed of any progress since then. “I remain resolute to have all the facts of Opera- tion Tempura and [Operation] Cealt appropriately exam- ined,” Mr. Bridger’s statement read. “If that opportunity does not arise through the criminal investigation then other mechanisms will be ex- plored whereby all the facts are established and any culpability of all those in- volved in these matters is established.” Operation Cealt “Operation Cealt” was a spin-off probe, separate from Operation Tempura, which in- volved dozens of complaints from Cayman Islands resi- dents, largely involving alle- gations of police corruption. These allegations were in- vestigated by the Mr. Baines- led RCIPS and resulted in the dismissal of six officers for reasons that have never been disclosed. RCIPS officials have said all investigative records per- taining to Tempura and Cealt, which now span the adminis- trations of three Cayman Is- lands governors, are still kept in a secure area. “In terms of confidential allegations made by members of the public, such records are secured and have been secured for years,” the police statement noted. “We are un- aware of anyone’s exposure as a result of these records.” Mr. Bridger said, during his time in Cayman, he was asked to receive and record the various corruption alle- gations made by members of the public. “Many of the allegations were of a very serious na- ture and involved individ- uals across all spectrums of the Cayman Islands society, stretching back a significant number of years,” the state- ment he provided to the Com- pass read. “An independent report which assessed the allegations and those it was considered required investi- gation was completed.” Mr. Bridger left Cayman in April 2009. He said he un- derstood all decisions as to whether to proceed with fur- ther investigation of the ‘Op- eration Cealt’ claims were left to Mr. Baines. “I do not know the out- come of any of these mat- ters,” his statement noted. US to probe Puerto Rico debt, ties to crisis SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A federal control board over- seeing the finances of Puerto Rico’s government said Wednesday that it will inves- tigate the causes of the is- land’s economic crisis as well as examine how its debt was issued and probe disclosure and selling practices. The announcement comes as government officials seek to restructure a portion of the $70 billion public debt in a process similar to bank- ruptcy following multimil- lion-dollar defaults that have angered creditors. Board members said they will form a special committee that will appoint an inde- pendent investigator, and the findings will be made public. The board said the investiga- tion aims to restore fiscal bal- ance and help Puerto Rico re- enter the capital market. It is unclear what hap- pens next if significant find- ings emerge and whether any federal government agencies would become involved. The board did not respond to a re- quest for additional comment. Puerto Ricans affected by austerity measures amid a 10- year recession and those who have faced big losses after in- vesting in government bonds have long demanded an audit of the debt as they seek to hold officials accountable. A federal judge next week is expected to address a de- mand by a group of credi- tors to probe what role sev- eral banks played in the sale of debt obligations. Economist Vicente Feli- ciano said the investigation adds uncertainty to debt re- structurings hearings that re- cently began in federal court. “At the same time, it strengthens the position of the board and the government when negotiating with credi- tors,” he said, adding that cred- itors may be willing to make additional concessions before the investigation concludes. One fear creditors may have is that the investi- gator finds some of the debt may have been illegally is- sued, which raises the ques- tion of whether it should be paid, he said. Martin Bridger leaves the Grand Court in downtown George Town in 2015. - PHOTO: BRENT FULLER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bridger: Four years later, no police interview “The fact that after four years I remain under criminal investigation continues to have a debilitating effect on my postretirement career and my family.” MARTIN BRIDGER STATEMENT MEXICO SEIZES JAGUAR THAT WAS BEING WALKED IN A PARK MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexi- co’s environmental protection agency seized a nearly full- grown jaguar that had been walked on a leash in a park in the city of Culiacan, con- sidered the nation’s capital of drug trafficking. The agency said Wednesday that while the animal appeared healthy and had papers, it was being held in inadequate con- ditions – a fenced area about the size of a small dog run. Photos posted on social media showed a young woman walking the cat on a leash. In June, photos circulated in Culiacan of a tiger being driven in a pickup truck. And in January, authorities found a tiger cub on the streets of a nearby city. Mexican drug traffickers have been known to keep big cats, though there’s no evi- dence the jaguar’s owner had any criminal ties.Next >