ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 High of 84 Low of 74 Seas: Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 THANKS TO CUC: CAYMAN’S OTHER ‘FIRST RESPONDER’ LOCAL | PAGE 3 SEARCH FOR MAN MISSING AT SEA CALLED OFF House of Lords paves way for OT public ownership registries MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The House of Lords has agreed to a con- troversial amendment of the U.K. Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill that instructs the British government to draft an order in council to institute publicly accessible reg- isters of beneficial ownership in the British Overseas Territories by the end of 2020, if they have not been set up by then. The amendment brought in the House of Commons at the end of April attracted strong criticism from the overseas territories govern- ments, given that orders in council are only issued in extremely rare circumstances, typi- cally involving the implementation of interna- tional human rights standards. Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin said at the time that the move uses “powers that date back to the colonial era” and repre- sented “a gross affront to the constitutional relationship” between Cayman and the U.K. The House of Lords had voted down a similar amendment in January this year but in the third reading of the bill on May 21, the upper house of parliament agreed to the new text of the bill after considerable debate without going to a vote. The bill now awaits Royal Assent, expected on Wednesday, May 23, to become law. During the debate of the amendment, Lord Tariq Mahmood Ahmad of Wimbledon, the minister responsible for the overseas territo- ries, made clear that his government would have preferred a different, collaborative ap- proach with the territories on the issue of beneficial ownership registries. However, a last-minute compromise amendment by the U.K. government was not accepted by the Speaker of the House in April because it was tabled too late. Facing a con- siderable number of defectors and defeats in the House of Commons, government then de- cided not to oppose the motion. Lord Ahmad emphasized that the over- seas territories are British, but also separate NO CRIMINAL CONVICTION IN FATAL 2009 WRECK BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com No criminal conviction was ever recorded in connection with a fatal collision in which a 33-year-old woman died in 2009, a Cayman Compass investigation has revealed. Carol Romero, a Filipino national, died at a Honduras hospital on Feb. 20, 2009, a month after she was struck by a vehicle while crossing Crewe Road on foot. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service filed drunk driving charges – a traffic offense – in connection with the auto-pedestrian crash on Feb. 19, 2009, the day before Ms. Romero’s death, according to police records obtained under the Freedom of Information Law. The DUI charges stated to have been filed in connection with the accident at that time were not reported to the public or the media. A March 10, 2009 news report on Ms. Rome- ro’s death in the Cayman Compass stated the driver involved in the auto-pedestrian crash “had not been charged at press time.” Police pointed out that, at the time, RCIPS traffic of- ficers could file traffic-related charges directly with the court without having to go to the public prosecutor for a determination. When the matter later went to court, it was noted during proceedings that the crash victim had since passed and all that had been filed in connection with the case were DUI charges. Seasonal rains soak Cayman SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Persistent rain continued to drench Cayman on Tuesday, and forecasters from the Cayman Islands National Weather Ser- vice believe the inclement weather will con- tinue through the end of the week. The rain did not impact operations at Owen Roberts International Airport Tuesday, although two outgoing flights were canceled and a few flights were diverted to alternate locations on Monday. Shamal Clarke, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said Tuesday morning that the precipitation is normal for this time of year and that it will likely con- tinue until the weekend. “It looks like it will continue at least through Friday. Right now, the models are indicating it will be light to moderate Wednesday, Thursday and Friday,” he said. “Given that there is a surface trough inter- acting with an upper level trough, it tends to produce a lot of rain. That’s the case at the moment.” The rain impacted operations at the local courthouse on Tuesday. Summary Court matters scheduled for Court 7, on the ground floor of Kirk House, had to be relo- cated because of water on the floor. Magistrate Philippa McFarlane was forced to hold court in Court 4, around the corner of the building, due to the precipitation. A main- tenance company was contacted to clean the excess water. Rhonda Verhoeven, business develop- ment and marketing manager for the Cayman PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » A white Honda Civic crashed through a garden wall and took down two power poles when the driver lost control in the rain on North West Point Road on Monday afternoon. See page 2 for more. - PHOTO: NORMA CONNOLLY2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. - WEDNESDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) AVENGERS INFINITY WAR (3D) PART 1 (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 6:40 I 9:40 VIP BREAKING IN (PG13) 2:00 I 4:20 I 7:15 I 10:00 DEADPOOL 2 (R) 1:00 I 4:15 VIP I 7:00 VIP I 9:30 I FEEL PRETTY (PG13) 4:05 I 9:25 LIFE OF THE PARTY (PG13) 1:45 I 4:40 I 7:20 I 9:50 OVERBOARD (PG13) 1:10 I 6:45 RAMPAGE (PG13) 1:00 I 3:30 I 7:10 I 9:50 The annual Balance of Payments (BOP) Survey collects information necessary in recording the Cayman Islands residents’ foreign transactions with the rest of the world. The survey runs from April 9th to June 1st, 2018. Data collected for the BOP survey is CONFIDENTIAL under the Statistics Law (2016 Revision) and EXEMPT from Freedom of Information Law. Foreign Exchange Revenue from Services in 2016, CI$Million For assistance or enquiries, please check www.eso.ky or call 244-4600 or 244-4607. Better Data...Better Decisions…Better Business Business Survey 2018... Your Response Matters! Did the Cayman Islands revenue on export of services increase or decrease? In 2016, total foreign exchange revenue from Cayman’s export of services totalled CI $1.97 billion. TravelFinancial and Accounting, legal Government insurance services & other business and other services 578.3 68.6 751.0 571.8 Vital sign monitors donated to Brac care center JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Veterans and Seamen’s Society of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman donated two portable digital electronic vital sign monitors to the Kirkcon- nell Community Care Centre. The instruments, which measure blood pressure, pulse rates, oxygen satura- tion and temperature, are mounted on trolleys that can be easily positioned next to a patient’s bedside. The seamen and veterans raised the funds for the mon- itors, which are valued at $1,200 each. They handed them over to staff on Friday. Community care worker Cecile Barnes thanked the Vet- erans and Seamen’s Society on behalf of the Kirkconnell Com- munity Care Centre’s super- visor and staff. “This is much easier for us and we don’t have to use three different machines to do the vitals,” Ms. Barnes said. The veterans and seamen uses subscriptions, donations and proceeds of fundraising events to assist its members and others on the Brac and Little Cayman. “To purchase the two mon- itors, we held special fun- draisers such as the sea- men’s picnic and country and western nights,” said Royce Dilbert, president of the Vet- erans and Seamen’s Society. “They thought it was really important to assist the clients at the Kirkconnell Commu- nity Care Centre because they have to do everything manu- ally,” said Yvette Dilbert, ad- ministrator at Cayman Brac Faith Hospital. “This equip- ment is actually digital and electric and goes right next to the bedside. Every patient can get accessed even once for the day … a lot of the patients that are there have existing chronic illnesses.” She said the monitors are similar to those used at the hospital. Car takes down wall, two power poles A woman was in- jured after the car she was driving smashed through a garden wall and brought down two power poles on North West Point Road on Monday afternoon. The single-car accident happened in torrential rain, around 5:15 p.m., at the corner of Rennie Ebanks Road. The white Honda Civic ran into a power pole and the wall, snapping the pole in two. The bottom part of the pole landed on top of the car, while the top part was left on the roadside, held up- right by the power lines. The impact also brought down a second power pole on the other side of the street. That pole fell across the road, blocking traffic. Police said the woman suffered “serious but non-life threatening injuries” in the collision. She was taken from the car by fire officers and transported by ambulance to the Cayman Islands Hospital where she was admitted to the surgical ward. Police closed a section of the North West Point Road while the poles and electric wires were removed and Ca- ribbean Utilities Company crews carried out repairs. CUC reported that cus- tomers in West Bay – on North West Point Road, Wa- tercourse Road and all side roads in that area – expe- rienced power outages up until 2:28 a.m. “CUC’s line crews re- sponded immediately as pole debris and downed distribu- tion lines blocked the North West Point Road. CUC’s crews worked throughout the night and early morning occasionally battling ex- treme weather conditions to replace the damaged poles and restore service to cus- tomers,” CUC said in a statement Tuesday. Power was restored in increments throughout the night, with residents in the immediate vicinity of the crash getting their electricity back at 2:28 a.m. Some 1,710 customers were initially affected by the outage, the company said. From left, Chris Randall, Veterans and Seamen’s Society treasurer, care workers Annette Brown and Cecile Barnes, supervisor Francis Clyne, care worker Marva King-Crewe, and Royce Dilbert, president of the Veterans and Seamen’s Society. Part of a power pole stands upright on the roadside, held up by wires. The other half of the pole landed on the white Honda Civic when the car ploughed into a wall and the pole on North West Point Road on Monday afternoon. - PHOTO: CUC The monitors measure blood pressure, pulse rates, oxygen saturation and temperature.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 187825_PRINT-Ad-JrPg-Compass-PiePage 1 5/22/18 11:57:34 AM Search for man missing at sea called off The search for 54-year-old Linvol Smith, missing in wa- ters off Cayman Brac since Friday, has been called off. Mr. Smith was reported missing Saturday after he did not show up for work. Friends believe that on Friday he went snorkeling or swimming, rather than diving as reported previ- ously by RCIPS. His vehicle and clothing were found near Scotts Dock. The police dive team and community volunteers searched for the missing man throughout the weekend but were forced to call off the ef- fort Monday amid worsening weather conditions. “We believe that we have searched as completely as possible in the location, espe- cially given current weather conditions,” said Acting Su- perintendent Brad Ebanks, head of Specialist Sup- port Operations. “We must reluctantly admit that further under- water searches are unlikely to be successful and we have concluded these efforts. Our thoughts are with Mr. Smith’s family at this time.” The RCIPS thanked the Fire Service, the Department of Environment, the Brac Scuba Shack, private boat owners, local businesses and private citizens “for their in- valuable assistance this weekend in our efforts to lo- cate Mr. Smith.” Police continue to investigate the disappearance and encourage anyone who may have seen Mr. Smith Friday afternoon to contact the Cayman Brac Police Station at 948-0331.Linvol Smith CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Three men have been charged with conspiracy to import ganja in an incident that occurred in July 2016. They appeared in Summary Court on Tuesday. The defendants are Jamie Justin Solomon, 25; Ivon So- moza Bush Jr., 24, and Kevin Ashley Ebanks, 38. Their charge sheet listed Mr. Solomon and Mr. Ebanks as having addresses in West Bay. Mr. Bush’s address was in East End. They are accused of con- spiring together and with others between July 12-17, 2016 to import 35.66 kilos (77.18 pounds) of ganja. No details were men- tioned in court. A press re- lease issued by police the weekend of July 17, 2016 stated that three men had been arrested on suspicion of importing ganja after a canoe came ashore in Prospect. Magistrate Valdis Foldats adjourned the matter until June 12 and suggested that the defendants complete their applications for legal aid. 3 charged for 2016 ganja case Members of the newly formed RCIPS Dive Team assemble Sunday to search for Linvol Smith. The search was called off on Monday. - PHOTO: RCIPS TENNIS CLUB THEFT CHARGE ADJOURNED TO JUNE CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The former manager and head professional at the Cayman Islands Tennis Club, accused of theft and forgery, appeared in Sum- mary Court on Tuesday, only to have his case ad- journed again. Robert Todd Seward, 46, first appeared in court on May 8 to face charges that in- cluded theft of US$22,856.21 and CI$116,398. There were 70 other charges that included 24 counts of forgery, 22 counts of obtaining by deception, and 22 counts of uttering a forged document. Defense at- torney Prathna Bodden had said the case did not require that number of charges. This week, Crown counsel Greg Walcolm said the matter was being looked at with a view to com- bining or condensing various charges so that the case was not so unwieldy. Magistrate Philippa Mc- Farlane set the case for men- tion again on Tuesday, June 12, and continued the defen- dant’s bail until then. Bail conditions include non-con- tact with tennis club em- ployees or members. Former Cayman Islands Tennis Club manager Rob SewardThe islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com ADVERTISE WITH US: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS DAVID R. LEGGE AND VICKI L. LEGGE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAVID R. LEGGE EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will findtheirownway” In an emergency situation, it is usually the “boys in blue” who save the day – earning a pat on the back for rendering aid and preserving the peace. But for their quick and efficient actions following a single-car accident in West Bay early Monday evening, today we also offer thanks to the “guys in green” (and yellow) – the Caribbean Utilities Company crew who secured downed power lines and worked to restore electrical service to the northwest corner of Grand Cayman. At about 5:15 p.m., amidst heavy rainfall, a woman lost control of the white Honda Civic she was driving, slamming into a wall and a power pole, snapping it in two, and also damaging a second utility pole. CUC estimated that more than 1,700 customers lost power along North West Point Road, Watercourse Road and various side roads in the area. That particular stretch of asphalt is gener- ally known to be troublesome, particularly in wet weather. The hazards are further multiplied because of the road’s location – in “tourism territory” – near the beach, the Cayman Turtle Centre and dolphin attractions. (The road also, lately, has become some- thing of a magnet for processions of dirt bikers popping wheelies, generating noise and imperiling everyone nearby.) Several members of our news staff reside in the area, and one editor was on hand to witness the after- math of the accident and the admirable efforts of the CUC workers, who toiled diligently in conditions both dangerous (amid “live wires”) and uncomfortable (in the wind and rain), until nearly 2:30 in the morning – on the tail end of a long holiday weekend, no less – to get West Bay’s lights, air conditioners and refrigerators turned back on. It should be noted that CUC’s latest efforts were not a one-time occurrence. Cayman’s energy infra- structure is generally reliable, but accidents do happen. Whenever the power goes out – morning or night, holiday, weekend or workday – residents can trust that CUC is ready to respond. In addition, CUC does a consistently good job of communicating what is happening to customers who suddenly find themselves, quite literally, in the dark. For example, right at noon on Tuesday, CUC issued a news release explaining in detail what happened during Monday evening’s power outage – along with a photo- graph suitable for publication. Although we certainly appreciate CUC’s public relations efforts following electrical outages, we are not eager for a repeat performance any time soon. Accordingly, Cayman’s drivers ought to be especially cautious on the roads this week. There’s rain in the forecast for days to come. Many of Cayman’s roadways are arrow-straight, but there are exceptions, including North West Point Road. Heavy, or even light, rains reduce visibility, leave pavement slippery and cause standing water to collect on roads, making driving more difficult and conditions potentially dangerous. Additionally, wobbly cyclists and weaving pedes- trians frequently become part of the “traffic mix” along this narrow roadway. Use caution and common sense: Drive more slowly if necessary, leave extra space between your vehicle and others, allow for additional time for braking and acceleration, etc. If you do not feel comfortable driving in prevailing conditions, if possible, wait for the weather to clear before putting the car into “drive.” Thanks to CUC: Cayman’s other ‘first responder’ WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Battling campus oppression of freedom of expression WASHINGTON – On election night 2016, Mark Schlissel, the University of Michigan’s president, addressed more than 1,000 students, de- claring that the 90 percent of them who had favored the losing candidate had re- jected “hate.” He thereby ef- fectively made those who dis- agreed with him and with the campus majority eligible to be targets of the univer- sity’s “bias response teams.” That his announced con- tempt for them made him a suitable target of the thought police is a thought that pre- sumably occurred to no one, least of all him. Now, however, this leader of a public institution is being sued for constitutional violations. So are some mem- bers of Michigan’s archetypal administrative bloat – the ever-thickening layer of so- cial-justice crusaders and or- thodoxy enforcers who, na- tionwide, live parasitically off universities whose actual purpose is scholarship. These include Michigan’s vice pro- vost for equity and inclusion, and the director of the Office of Student Conflict Resolu- tion. Such bureaucrats have professional stakes in finding inequities to rectify and con- flicts to resolve. A splendid new organi- zation, Speech First, headed by Nicole Neily, is not con- tent merely to respond after the fact to violations of students’ constitutional rights. It is suing to invali- date Michigan’s “elaborate investigatory and disci- plinary apparatus” that ex- ists “to suppress and punish speech other students deem ‘demeaning,’ ‘bothersome’ or ‘hurtful.’” Speech First’s complaint notes that “the most sensitive student on campus effectively dic- tates the terms under which others may speak.” The uni- versity darkly warns that “bias comes in many forms” and “the most important indication of bias is your own feelings.” Speech First says that Michigan’s edi- fice of speech regulation, with its Orwellian threats to submit offenders to “restor- ative justice,” “individual ed- ucation” and “unconscious bias training,” amounts to unconstitutional prior re- straint speech and is too overbroad and vague to give anyone due notice of what is proscribed. “Verbal conduct” that “vic- timizes,” or jeopardizes a “social climate” that is “safe and inclusive?” Such va- porous language must have a chilling effect on humor, parody, satire or plain speech about almost anything. What constitutes forbidden “cul- tural appropriation?” You will be told – after someone, en- couraged by the adminis- tration to do so, has notified law enforcement. When The Wall Street Journal’s Jillian Kay Mel- chior asked Michigan for the records of one year of bias incident reports, “the university thwarted this in- quiry by imposing a fee of more than $2,400 for the public records.” If this secre- tiveness indicates that the university is embarrassed, this is progress. The Foundation for In- dividual Rights in Educa- tion (FIRE) says bias re- sponse teams produce “a surveillance state on campus where students and faculty must guard their every ut- terance for fear of being re- ported to and investigated” by bureaucrats. Their pro- fession is the suppression and re-education of those – generally conservatives – whose attitudes and opin- ions constitute, as Michigan students have learned from Schlissel, “hate.” FIRE has established a grading system whereby col- leges and universities are given green, yellow or red ratings depending on their commitments to freedom of speech and inquiry. Institu- tions are increasingly inter- ested in earning FIRE’s green approval. FIRE gives Mich- igan the red rating that iden- tifies a university that has “at least one policy that both clearly and substantially re- stricts freedom of speech.” Frederick M. Hess and Grant Addison of the Amer- ican Enterprise Institute, writing in National Affairs (“Restoring Free Inquiry on Campus”), note that when, after World War II, the fed- eral government decided to direct scientific and med- ical research through uni- versities rather than gov- ernment-run laboratories, there were worries that gov- ernment might threaten free inquiry on campuses. Today, say Hess and Ad- dison, “ideological homoge- neity” in academia is pro- ducing “formal policies and practices” whereby “limits on speech and expression have become ingrained in campus culture.” Hess and Addison have a sensible proposal: “Taxpayer funds should not be subsidizing research at higher-education institutions where the conditions of free inquiry are compromised.” Of the 30 academic in- stitutions that received the most research funding in 2015, six (20 percent) re- ceived $4.5 billion from the federal government (11 per- cent of all federal research funds) – and a red rating from FIRE. According to it, almost 40 percent of all fed- eral research funds went to 25 institutions that have formal policies that re- strict constitutionally pro- tected speech. Michigan ranks third among all universities as a recipient of federal research funding. In 2015, its $735 million in federal funding was 54 percent of the univer- sity’s total R&D grants. Al- though Schlissel is ideologi- cally blinkered, tone deaf and awfully complacent about his own flagrant biases, his bias response teams prob- ably are not worth $735 million to him. George Will’s email address is georgewill @washpost.com. © 2018, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 ftscayman.com info@ftscayman.com REGISTER ONLINE AT FTSCAYMAN.COM/EVENTS Friday May 25th 8:30AM - 11:00AM Westin Grand Cayman Fee: US$250 | CI$210 SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Heather Smith, Head of Investments and Securities Division, CIMA Ms. Smith is responsible for the authorisation and supervision of regulated hedge funds, fund administrators and securities investment companies in Cayman and for directing a programme of continuous monitoring and inspection of licensed fund administrators and securities investment companies. Paul Byles, Director, FTS Mr. Byles is Director of FTS, which provides regulatory and management consulting services. He is an experienced economist and finance professional, having worked in the financial services industry for 25 years. Prabhavathi Namburi, Chief Policy and Development Officer, CIMA Ms. Namburi is responsible for con, ducting research on international regulatory developments relating to financial services and with developing proposals for regulatory instruments to assist the Authority in fulfilling regulatory functions. Are you up to speed on CIMA’s recent changes in investment funds compliance? SEMINAR: ROLES OF MLRO, AMLCO & DEPUTY MLROS FOR INVESTMENT FUNDS CIMA recently issued a notice clarifying various compliance roles on investment vehicles and other entities. Find out more about each role, your duties and how to manage the related risks directly from the experts at CIMA. CAL worker pleads guilty in drug case BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Cayman Airways em- ployee pleaded guilty Friday to an illegal drugs exporta- tion charge in U.S. federal court, according to records published Tuesday by the Miami-area district court. Corey James Miller faces a maximum of five years in prison after court records stated he admitted to fed- eral investigators that he and another man, Kelven Claret, agreed to smuggle ganja from Miami to Grand Cayman “on multiple occasions” between January and late April. Mr. Miller and Mr. Claret were arrested at Miami In- ternational Airport on the jetway of a Cayman Airways flight on April 29, after se- curity personnel searched their suitcases and found 2.94 kilograms (about 6.5 pounds) of ganja stuffed in- side boxes of laundry deter- gent in 12 packages. Federal investigators said Mr. Miller initially told them he did not know Mr. Claret, but the probe later revealed that Mr. Miller’s girlfriend bought airline tickets for both men to travel on April 29. “Upon review of Clar- et’s phone, law enforcement discovered numerous mes- sages with Miller discussing smuggling of marijuana into the Cayman Islands airport,” court records stated. “Specif- ically, recorded audio mes- sages from Miller, which captured Miller’s voice, cor- roborated that Miller and Claret agreed to work to- gether to smuggle marijuana into the Cayman Islands on multiple occasions be- tween … January 2018 and April 29, 2018.” Mr. Miller’s sentencing was set for June 29. The court acknowledged he would likely receive a reduced sentence. Mr. Claret’s matter is still before the court. He told U.S. investigators that he was re- cruited by Mr. Miller and paid $2,000 for his assis- tance in the drugs trans- shipment attempt. Last week, Her Majes- ty’s Customs service in the Cayman Islands announced the arrest of another Cayman Airways employee and two customs officers in connection with a drugs conspiracy case. A male Cayman Airways em- ployee and a female customs officer were arrested Monday, May 14, and the second cus- toms officer, a male, was ar- rested Thursday, May 17. Assistant Customs Col- lector Jeff Jackson said Friday that the customs em- ployee arrested Thursday was arrested at Owen Roberts In- ternational Airport. Both Mr. Jackson and Customs Collector Charles Clifford declined to state whether the arrests in Miami and the latter arrests on Grand Cayman were re- lated to the same drugs im- port conspiracy. “Investigations are still ongoing in relation to the three arrests here, as well as investigations to the April 29 arrests in Miami by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol authorities,” Mr. Jackson said. Three charged with road racing Defendants also accused of dangerous driving CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two of three men charged with road racing pleaded not guilty in Summary Court on Tuesday. Seth O’Neil Watler, 25, and Jason Kennedy Wood, 23, both elected Summary Court trial. They then pleaded not guilty to taking part in “a race or a trial of speed” be- tween two vehicles along Es- terley Tibbetts Highway on Oct. 14, 2017. The vehicles alleg- edly racing were a Subaru driven by Mr. Watler and a Honda driven by Jared Allen Bush, 23. Mr. Bush also appeared but did not enter any pleas at this time. The three men are charged separately and also face charges of dangerous driving arising from the same incident. No details were discussed at this mention hearing. Magistrate Valdis Foldats adjourned the matter until Thursday, June 21. FINAL CALL MADE FOR MISS CAYMAN CONTESTANTS JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com A pageant orienta- tion and final call for Miss Cayman contestants takes place Saturday, May 26, at the upstairs Prima restau- rant at Royal Palms from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Women between the ages of 18-27 are encour- aged to attend. “We really have some great girls that we are re- ally excited to [announce],” said Latrese Haylock, acting deputy chairperson of the Miss Cayman Committee. So far, eight contestants have signed up to com- pete in the Miss Cayman 2018-19 pageant. At the orientation, appli- cants will get to meet rep- resentatives from local ser- vices and volunteers, and get information about sched- ules leading up to pageant day. Potential candidates will also get to meet the reigning Miss Cayman Islands, Anika Conolly. Organizers describe the pageant as a great oppor- tunity for young women to enhance their personal and professional develop- ment by gaining confidence in public speaking, interview and etiquette skills, as well as through media exposure and networking. Unlike in recent years, this year’s Miss Cayman pageant will not take place at the Lions Community Centre. A new venue has not been announced, but Ms. Haylock said there will be a limited amount of tickets printed and once they are sold, there will be no more available because of lim- ited seating capacity at the new venue. The Miss Cayman Pageant takes place on Aug. 11. Mr. Miller and Mr. Claret were arrested at Miami International Airport on the jetway of a Cayman Airways flight on April 29.6 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS 2 nd ANNUAL May 26, 2018 • 2 pm – 6 pm Salty's In Grand HArbour SPONSORED BY $ 40 $ 45 pre-sold AT THE GATE CRAWFISH BOIL Includes all you CAN eat crawfish & Bucket of 4 Abita beers tickets available at Tortuga Fine wine & Spirits Stores at The Greenery (next to the strand), 7 Mile shops, governor's Square & Industrial park Locations Fire truck pull competition returns A fundraising fire truck pull has been organized for next weekend in memory of the former fire chief Kirk- land Nixon, who passed away late last month. The Cayman Islands Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, a committee of police, cus- toms, immigration, fire ser- vice and Special Olympics Cayman Islands officials, announced that the first Kirkland Nixon Memorial Fire Truck Pull will take place on Saturday, May 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The pull is being orga- nized as a fundraiser to ben- efit Special Olympics Cayman Islands as they prepare for the Special Olympics Na- tional Games, which take place June 3-8. The pull will involve teams of 12 from govern- ment and private entities competing to see who can be the fastest to pull a fully loaded fire truck across a distance of 15 feet. There will be an overall winner in each of two categories, and a final “pull off” where the top two teams compete for the annual trophy. “As we came together this year to relaunch the LETR, our former Fire Chief, Mr. Kirkland Nixon, passed,” said fire officer Rodney Rivers. “He was always a big supporter of the Special Olympics and also arranged fire truck pulls during his tenure, and we be- lieve this is the perfect way to pay tribute to him. This event mirrors his values of service to community.” Law Enforcement Torch Run Cayman Islands, which is a local branch of the worldwide LETR organiza- tion, has been dormant for the past few years, and is being relaunched with this fire truck pull, with other ac- tivities to follow. “It is a pleasure to see the Law Enforcement Torch Run get back up and run- ning after being on a bit of a hiatus over the last few years,” said RCIPS Inspector Ian Yearwood, who is interim chairperson of the committee. “These activities allow us the opportunity to join to- gether as law enforcement agencies to support a very worthy cause.” For more information, and to download registration forms, visit the information page on the RCIPS website at www.rcips.ky/ partnership/special-olympics.A team competes in a previous fire truck pull. Cayman celebrates International Museum Day JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman celebrated International Museum Day on Friday, offering free admission to exhibits and a number of other events celebrating Cay- man’s cultural heritage. While the day has passed, Mu- seum Director Peggy Leshikar- Denton is urging the public to ex- plore Cayman’s cultural legacy with its two new exhibits “Shaped by the Sea: Captain Charles O. ‘Captain Chuckie’ Ebanks” and “1938 Oxford University Biological Expedition to the Cayman Islands.” The Oxford University expedi- tion occurred 80 years ago and was the first comprehensive natural his- tory survey of the Cayman Islands, while the “Shaped by the Sea” ex- hibit takes viewers through the life of tourism ambassador Charles Ebanks, who was a model boat builder, fishing rod maker and pro- tector of the environment. Held every year on or around May 18, International Museum Day was established in 1977 by the In- ternational Council of Museums. The aim of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the im- portance of museums to cultural ex- change. In 2017, more than 36,000 museums participated in the event in 157 countries. This year’s theme was “Hyper- connected museums: Innovative ap- proach, new publics.” It focuses on the integral role of the internet in the operation of museums across the world, such as face-to-face con- tact, email and instant messaging. “The day was free to the public and we had a lineup of wonderful festivities for everyone,” Ms. Le- shikar-Denton said. Showcased was a variety of in- teractive local crafts and skills in- cluding frying fish, silver thatch plaiting and quilting. Also, several displays such as Cayman sailing ves- sels, thatch bags and painting and jewelry made from Cayman stones highlighted the cultural heritage. The International Museum Day Message was read by Shenice Mc- Field, events and programs intern at the museum. Curators Christine Rose-Smyth and Ann Stafford intro- duced the two new exhibits. Marcie Hydes explains Cayman’s thatch products.Darwin Ebanks displays some of his artwork. Bodden Town Primary School Year 2 students visit the museum.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 CAYMAN ISLANDS GOVERNMENT PUBLIC VEHICLE AUCTION Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services Traffic Department - #24 Agnes Way, George Town MAY 25, 2018 at 8:30am All Vehicles Will Be Sold “AS IS” #YearMakeModelStarting Bid $ #YearMakeModelStarting Bid $ 12005 ToyotaYaris$1,500222009Suzuki Vitara $1,500 22009 SuzukiVitara$2,500232009Suzuki Vitara $1,500 32008ToyotaRav4$2,500242007HyundaiH1 $2,500 42009ChevroletMalibu$2,500252007Hyundai H1$2,500 52007HyundaiMatrix$1,000262001Mitsubishi L-300$1,000 62007HyundaiMatrix$1,000272012Suzuki Vitara $1,500 72007HyundaiHD65$2,500282005ToyotaCorolla$1,000 81988Detroit Mobile Pump Trailer$2,000292009SuzukiGrand Vitara $1,500 92006Darley Mobile Pump P.S.E$1,500302005Toyota Corolla$1,000 102010HondaOutboard$2,000312005DaihatsuHijet$2,500 112008HondaOutboard$2,000322002HondaCivic$1,000 122010(In the Brac) Boat Trailer$800332005HyundaiH-100$2,500 131987(In the Brac) Boston Wailer Boat 17 foot $2,500342008Mitsubishi L-300$2,500 142008ChevroletColorado$2,500352000Honda Civic$800 152009ChevroletMalibu$2,500362005FordF-350$4,500 162011SuzukiVitara$1,000372005Ford Ranger$1,500 172011DodgeCharger$2,000382005Ford Ranger$1,500 182011DodgeCharger$3,500392011Dodge Charger $3,500 192006FordExplorer$1,500402006Chevrolet Impala $800 202005HyundaiAccent$800412007Hyundai H-1$3,500 212008ChevroletImpala$500422011Ford Ranger $3,500 432008KiaCaren$1,500 “It is my understanding that [the DUI suspect] ap- peared before the court … for the DUI and the matter was stood down by the [former] presiding Magistrate, Ms. Margaret Ramsay-Hale,” wrote RCIPS Chief Inspector Raymond Christian, re- sponding to the open records request filed by the Compass. On Nov. 2, 2009, nearly nine months after Ms. Romero died, the driver charged in the DUI, identified by the RCIPS as Lo- riann Watler, appeared before the Traffic Court and pleaded guilty to DUI, for which she was fined $300 and disquali- fied from driving for a year. Mr. Christian responded to Compass questions con- cerning why more serious charges in connection with the fatal accident were not filed at that stage. “It is my understanding that the DUI charge was pro- ceeded with, to avoid it be- coming statute barred, pending the receipt of the post-mortem report from Honduras, which, apparently, the [RCIPS] Traffic Department hadn’t received,” the chief in- spector wrote. Statute barred proceedings are those where the time limit to pursue such proceedings, set under what is usually referred to as a statute of limitations, has expired. The post-mortem exam Mr. Christian referred to in his response was never re- ceived by police, it appears. Almost a year after pleading guilty to the DUI charge, police records provided to the Com- pass showed Loriann Watler appeared before the Traffic Court on Oct. 4, 2010, charged with driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and causing death. Those charges were filed despite the fact that the exami- nation required from the Hon- duran doctor was not available. “The [Oct. 4, 2010] matter was adjourned sine die [without a date] because no post-mortem report from the physician who performed the autopsy of [Ms. Romero] was received by the Crown,” Mr. Christian wrote. According to the Cayman Islands Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Lo- riann Watler, the driver in- volved in the fatal crash, died on Feb. 9, 2012. Police review The Compass has spoken to several police sources who confirmed that an internal review of the department’s initial investigation into the crash that killed Ms. Romero was conducted. The review was completed and given to Chief Superin- tendent John Jones by two RCIPS officers specifically as- signed to the matter. The Compass spoke with both of those officers, nei- ther of whom is still em- ployed with the RCIPS. Both acknowledged the existence of the internal review, but de- clined to say anything about it. The RCIPS response to a Freedom of Information re- quest from the Compass does not make reference to this in- ternal review. The Compass has filed a subsequent open records request for the docu- ment and/or its findings. Mr. Jones left the RCIPS in 2012 and could not be reached for comment. Health insurance It was reported at the time Ms. Romero died that health insurance coverage provided by her employer was inadequate to cover expenses incurred as a result of her serious injuries. Ms. Romero was initially taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital and later airlifted to Hospital Cemesa in Honduras with what her family members described as “critical head in- juries.” She was transferred to Honduras after attempts to send her to hospitals in Florida, Jamaica and Cuba all failed. Family members told the Compass in 2009 that Ms. Romero was showing signs of recovery at Cemesa just before her death. However, they said her insurance “ran out” and she was transferred to a public hospital in the city of San Pedro Sula, where she died Feb. 20, 2009. Her death was a catalyst to subsequent changes in the Cayman Islands Health In- surance Law that increased amounts of coverage required by government under the Standard Health Insurance Contract for employee health- care coverage. Islands Airports Authority, said flights were proceeding as normal on Tuesday. Four flights were diverted over the last few days due to low visibility as a result of the wet weather sur- rounding the airport. Two incoming flights – one from Tampa and one from Houston – were rerouted to Montego Bay, Jamaica over the last few days, said Ms. Verho- even. There was also a Cayman Airways flight from Honduras rerouted to Cayman Brac and a British Airways flight that went back to Nassau, Bahamas. Mr. Clarke said that he ex- pected a break in the weather to occur this weekend. “The break that I’m seeing based on analysis will come Saturday mid-morning or af- ternoon,” he said. When asked how the pre- cipitation will impact Cayman, Mr. Clarke said that it could be a good thing. “My personal opinion is that it helps to main- tain the water balance,” he said Tuesday morning. “Sometimes, we tend to have dry periods. This helps to replenish some of that water loss.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Na- tional Hurricane Center indi- cated a large weather system, producing heavy rains from east of Belize to the Florida peninsula, showed limited pos- sibility of tropical development in coming days. Over the next five days, however, as the system moves northward into the central or eastern Gulf of Mexico, the possibility of formation will in- crease to 40 percent. “Regardless of develop- ment, locally heavy rainfall is possible across western Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and much of Florida during the next sev- eral days,” the National Hurri- cane Center forecast said. Public input sought on school inspections The Office of Educa- tion Standards is holding a series of public meet- ings to get input on the proposed framework which will be used for in- specting schools. The first meeting is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, at Layman E. Scott High School on Cayman Brac. The framework, which will apply to private as well as public schools, breaks the goals of the educa- tion system into six areas: student achievement; stu- dent personal and so- cial development; effec- tive teaching; appropriate curriculum; safety and support of students; and school leadership. Topics for evalua- tion are listed for each of the areas, and each of those topics will be rated on a scale from ex- cellent to weak. School administra- tors and teachers have al- ready had a chance to provide feedback on the proposal. Officials want to gather ideas from the public before finalizing the framework. Other meetings will be held as follows: ■■ May 28, 6 p.m., Sir John A. Cumber Pri- mary School Library ■■ May 29, 6 p.m., John Gray High School ■■ May 30, 6 p.m., East End Primary School ■■ May 31, 6:30 p.m., Bodden Town Pri- mary School ■■ June 1, 6 p.m., Edna M. Moyle Primary School A copy of the framework can be found on the Office of Education Standards website, www.pocs. gov.ky. Click on the Publications link under the heading Freedom of Information. Then click on the Office of Education Standards link. Officials want to gather ideas from the public before finalizing the framework. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 No criminal conviction in fatal 2009 wreck Seasonal rains soak Cayman CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Pedestrians get a drenching in downtown George Town Tuesday morning as rainy weather conditions continue. More rain is forecast throughout this week. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS jurisdictions with their own democratically elected gov- ernments, who are respon- sible for their own fiscal mat- ters and not represented in the British parliament. “Financial services are an area of domestic respon- sibility for territory govern- ments, where they surpass, an important point to re- member, international stan- dards in the context of ben- eficial ownership,” he said. “Legislating for these juris- dictions without their con- sent in this field effectively disenfranchises their elected representatives. “We are also fully cogni- zant of the territories’ con- cerns that the economic im- pact of imposing public registers on them will be significant.” Lord Ahmad said the cen- tralized beneficial ownership registries that exist already in the territories had been used more than 70 times by British law enforcement as of Feb. 8. Imposing public regis- ters on the overseas terri- tories would risk a flight of business to other, less-reg- ulated jurisdictions where U.K. law enforcement author- ities would not have the same level of access to beneficial ownership information. A statutory review of the existing information ex- change mechanism, which is not accessible by the public, is scheduled for 2019. “I remain confident that that will provide further ev- idence to all concerned of the benefits this provides to law enforcement authorities,” Lord Ahmad said. Meanwhile, Lord Naseby, Michael Morris, the vice chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands, lashed out at the amendment, which he called “a catastrophe for fi- nancial services in the over- seas territories.” He said the Cayman Is- lands had taken advice from two QCs, Jeffrey Jowell and Lord David Pannick, who advised that if an order in council is issued in the future to implement a duty to adopt a public register, there would be a very strong legal case before the Cayman courts, and on appeal to the Judi- cial Committee of the Privy Council, that such an order would be unlawful. “This is because the con- stitution of the Cayman Islands confers limited powers on Her Majesty’s Government to make laws for the Cayman Islands – none of which applies in this context – and be- cause any such order would breach the guarantee of pri- vacy in the constitution of the Cayman Islands, there being no adequate justifi- cation for requiring public access to this information,” Lord Naseby said. According to the Con- servative lord, Premier McLaughlin raised the need for a review of the constitu- tion orders of the overseas territories with Prime Min- ister Theresa May, “with a view to putting in place safe- guards to prevent the type of constitutional overreach demonstrated by the Com- mons in the case of this Bill.” He also criticized the sponsors of the amendment, its supporters, the govern- ment for tabling a compro- mise amendment too late, and the way the amendment ultimately succeeded. “In my judgment, [the amendment] was driven through by two particular maverick Members of Parlia- ment – one a socialist and the other a member of my party not noted for his finesse or his understanding of very much at all,” he said. “I now understand, through the grapevine, that there was an argument be- tween the Whip’s Office and the Foreign and Common- wealth Office. Why should men and women in our over- seas territories suffer be- cause there is an argument between the Whip’s Office and the Foreign and Com- monwealth Office?” Lord Naseby said the overseas territories were “being hung out to dry,” es- pecially by international charities that suggest off- shore centers are the cause of money laundering to the detriment of some of the poorest countries in the world. “I have to say, having seen the performance of Oxfam and Save the Children, Oxfam in relation to Haiti and the governance of Save the Children, that they have lost the moral high ground,” Lord Naseby said. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 House of Lords paves way for OT public ownership registries Trump suggests N. Korea summit could be delayed WASHINGTON (AP) – Pres- ident Donald Trump sug- gested Tuesday that a planned historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un could be delayed. He said, “There’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out” for June 12. Trump raised the possi- bility that the meeting could be pushed back during a White House meeting with South Korea President Moon Jae-in, trying to coordi- nate strategy as concerns mounted over ensuring a suc- cessful outcome for the North Korea summit. Trump told reporters: “If it doesn’t happen, maybe it happens later,” reflecting re- cent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas. The North pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long- scheduled joint military ex- ercises between U.S. and Re- public of Korea forces. And the North threatened to abandon the planned Trump- Kim meeting over U.S. insis- tence on denuclearizing the peninsula, issuing a harshly worded missive that the White House dismissed as a negotiating ploy. “There are certain condi- tions that we want,” Trump said Tuesday. He added if they aren’t met, “we won’t have the meeting.” He de- clined to elaborate on those conditions. Trump said “there’s a very substantial chance” that the meeting won’t take place on June 12. “That doesn’t mean it won’t work out over a pe- riod of time,” he said. “But it may not work out for June 12. But there is a good chance that we’ll have the meeting.” Moon said in the Oval Of- fice that the “fate and the fu- ture” of the Korean Peninsula hinged on the talks, telling the U.S. president that they were “one step closer” to the dream of a denuclearized Ko- rean Peninsula. Trump said he’d noticed “a little change” in Kim Jong Un’s “attitude” after Kim took a second trip to China this month in the run-up to the summit. “I don’t like that,” Trump said. Trump said he hoped that Chinese President Xi Jinping was committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Ko- rean peninsula, calling him a world-class poker player. But he said he was displeased by China’s softening of border enforcement measures against North Korea. Trump encouraged Kim to seize the opportunity for the meeting and to make a deal to abandon his nuclear program, pledging not only to guarantee Kim’s personal security, but also predicting an economic revitalization for the North. “I will guarantee his safety, yes,” Trump said, if Kim agrees to complete, verifiable, and ir- reversible denuclearization. He said if an agreement is reached, China, Japan and South Korea would invest large sums to “make North Korea great.” Trump said the long-term status of the peninsula will be up to the North and South, and that the immediate goal for his summit is “two suc- cessful Koreas.” He added, “Ultimately, maybe someday in the future” you’ll “go back to one Korea.” The two Koreas both seek reunification of the divided Korean peninsula on their own terms but it has always been a distant aspiration be- cause of the incompatibility of their political systems and their mutual suspicion. Any move toward reunification would first likely require a peace settlement to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, which the two Koreas say they are aiming for. Fresh questions were raised Tuesday about North Korea’s goals and motives, with a Pen- tagon report to Congress that says nuclear weapons are cen- tral to North Korea’s strategic goal of ensuring the perpetual the rule of the Kim family dy- nasty. The report on North Ko- rea’s military capabilities was based on an assessment of de- velopments in 2017 and was provided to Congress in April. It was posted online by an anti-secrecy group. PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN AT FIRST ROYAL EVENT AS NEWLYWEDS LONDON (AP) – Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, on Tuesday attended their first royal event as new- lyweds – a Buckingham Palace garden party hon- oring Harry’s father, Prince Charles, for his many years of charitable work. The long spell of sunny weather that gave their Sat- urday wedding a special glow continued Tuesday at the outdoor occasion. More than 6,000 people involved with charities supported by Charles also attended the party in the vast palace gardens. It is the first of many events to be held in ad- vance of Charles’ 70th birthday in November. Meghan chose a pale pink dress by British label Goat for the occa- sion, worn with a matching saucer-style hat by milliner Philip Treacy. Harry spoke in glowing words about his father’s good deeds – despite being buzzed by a bee that mo- mentarily threw him off his prepared remarks. “It is your selfless drive to affect change, whether that is to improve the lives of those who are on the wrong path, to save an im- portant piece of our na- tional heritage or to protect a particular species under threat, which [Prince] Wil- liam and I draw inspiration from every day,” he said. The event marks the first time Harry and Meghan have been seen in public since an evening reception on their wedding night. President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-In Tuesday in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. – PHOTO: AP Meghan chose a pale pink dress by British label Goat for the occasion, worn with a matching saucer- style hat by milliner Philip Treacy. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex walks with her husband, Prince Harry as they attend a garden party Tuesday at Buckingham Palace in London. – PHOTO: AP Lord Naseby, Michael MorrisLord Tariq Mahmood AhmadThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Business CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2018 Brexit vote has already had economic cost Britain’s top banker says the country’s vote nearly two years ago to leave the European Union has cost the average household 900 pounds. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said Tuesday the British economy is around 1.5 percent smaller than expected on the eve of the Brexit referendum. US tax reform debate over, but firm still representing Cayman Government has spent $37K on policy advocate KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Leading up to last year’s debate in the U.S. over fed- eral tax reform, government hired the multinational law firm Baker Botts to advo- cate for Cayman’s financial sector in Congress. U.S. legislators passed tax reform in late December – President Donald Trump called the tax cuts a “big, beautiful Christmas present” for Americans – but govern- ment has continued to have Baker Botts represent its in- terests in Washington D.C. According to filings with the U.S. Justice Department, government has paid Baker Botts $37,000 as of the end of March, with $25,000 of those payments coming in 2018. The Ministry of Financial Services did not respond to Cayman Compass inquiries before this article’s press deadline about what gov- ernment hopes to achieve through its continued rela- tionship with Baker Botts, but Justice Department fil- ings list some of the work the firm has been doing. Last year, the firm circu- lated a three-page document touting the fact that Cayman is a tax-neutral jurisdiction, that it has information ex- change agreements with 112 other jurisdictions, and that it plays an important role in the global economy. The filings show that Baker Botts amended that docu- ment in April to reflect the European Union’s decision last December to not include Cayman on its blacklist of non-cooperative tax jurisdic- tions. The territory was in- stead put on a gray list of jurisdictions that have prom- ised to address certain defi- ciencies by the end of 2018. “Cayman hopes that in the debate over U.S. tax re- form in Congress, this point is acknowledged without unnecessary criticism of Cayman, and legitimate in- ternational business trans- actions undertaken there, by U.S. persons and others,” the letter states. Filings also show that Baker Botts spent $1,585 to travel to Grand Cayman to attend the Maples Invest- ment Funds Forum confer- ence and meet with govern- ment and Maples officials. Additionally, Baker Botts has continued a series of meetings with U.S. policy- makers that began last Sep- tember, when Department of Financial Services Se- nior Legislative Policy Ad- visor André Ebanks and Policy Officer Wilbur Wel- come had meetings with several senators and con- gressmen on Sept. 25-26 in Washington, D.C. Other meetings on April 10-11 included officials for the Office of Threat Reduc- tion, the U.S. Treasury, the Committee on Ways and Means, the Internal Rev- enue Service, the Interna- tional Tax Counsel and the Senate Finance Committee, as well as the legislative aide for Congressman Lacy Clay (Democrat-Missouri). After government hired Baker Botts last year, the Ministry of Financial Ser- vices said in October that the firm was hired to as- sist “with engagement to de- velop mutual understanding between Cayman and key audiences about our re- spective regimes on tax transparency.” Government also dis- puted an Oct. 13 article in Politico, which reported that government hired Baker Botts to lobby Congress. “In fact,” the Ministry of Financial Services stated, “the Ministry’s representa- tives specifically told U.S. of- ficials that Cayman had no lobby-type ‘ask,’ but that our goal was to provide them with facts about our regu- latory and tax transparency regimes which, among other things, would help them to assess the accuracy of any commentary about Cayman.” Baker Botts attorney Jeff Munk, who is the firm’s of- ficial advocate for Cayman, has served as legislative counsel to a U.S. senator, as a law clerk for the U.S. Tax Court, and as counsel to a presidential elec- tion campaign. He also made a presenta- tion to the Cayman Islands Law Society in January 2017 on how the Trump adminis- tration was likely to address tax policies and anti-money laundering rules, according to the law society’s website. “Our goal was to provide them with facts about our regulatory and tax transparency regimes which, among other things, would help them to assess the accuracy of any commentary about Cayman.” MINISTRY OF FINANCIAL SERVICES U.S. HIKES TARIFFS ON CHINESE STEEL EXPORTED VIA VIETNAM WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States has raised tariffs on steel from Vietnam that Washington says originated in China and evaded anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel. The announcement fol- lowing this week’s truce in a broader trade dispute be- tween Beijing and Wash- ington reflects the wide array of strains in the world’s big- gest trading relationship. Importers of corrosion- resistant and cold-rolled flat steel from Vietnam will be required to post de- posits to pay possible du- ties of 39 to 256 percent, the Commerce Depart- ment said Monday. U.S. steel producers complained imports of Chi- nese-made steel through other countries soared after Washington imposed anti- dumping charges in 2015 to offset what it said were im- proper subsidies by Beijing. Imports of cold-rolled steel from Vietnam rose from $9 million to $215 mil- lion, the Commerce Depart- ment said. It said imports of corrosion-resistant steel from Vietnam rose from $2 million to $80 million. Products affected by the latest tariffs were made in Vietnam using Chinese steel. The Commerce De- partment said that triggers the same anti-dumping penalties as steel imported directly from China. EU braces for US to go ahead with tariffs BRUSSELS (AP) – The Euro- pean Union expressed doubt Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump will accept an offer of trade talks and other incentives to perma- nently exempt the bloc from punishing tariffs on steel and aluminum exports next week. In March, Trump imposed tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on im- ported aluminum, but granted the 28 EU countries an ex- emption until June 1. He also temporarily excluded big steel producers Canada and Mexico, provided they agree to renego- tiate a North American trade deal to his satisfaction. Should a permanent ex- emption be granted, the EU stands ready to deepen trans- Atlantic energy cooperation, notably on liquefied nat- ural gas, improve reciprocal market access for industrial products and work together to reform World Trade Orga- nization rules. “Is this going to be enough? I’m not sure frankly,” Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters in Brussels after discussing the tariffs with EU ministers. “There have been signals from the U.S. that the exemp- tions will not be prolonged. So either they will be imposed on us the first of June, or there will be other sorts of limiting measures,” Malmstrom said. She did not elaborate on what those measures might be. Malmstrom pointed out that she and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross speak about the problem sev- eral times a week, but she conceded that “the final de- cision on this will be made personally by the president.” Convinced that the U.S. move breaks global trade rules, the EU has drawn up a list of “rebalancing” duties worth some US$3.4 billion to impose on U.S. products if it is not permanently exempt. It has vowed not to negotiate under threat. “The moment the threat is lifted, we are ready to talk,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. The EU, the world’s big- gest trading bloc, rejects Trump’s argument that the tariffs are needed to pro- tect national security. Most EU countries are U.S. partners in NATO. “We think that they are not legitimate, and they go against the WTO,” Malmstrom said. German Economy Min- ister Peter Altmaier said Tuesday’s meeting sent “a signal of the determination and unity of the EU: we want to defend and strengthen free, fair and rules-based trade in the WTO framework.” A welder works Saturday on a steel plate in a factory in Qidong, China. The U.S. says China evaded anti-dumping duties on steel. – PHOTO: AP FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 226 YEARS, WOMAN TO HEAD THE NYSE NEW YORK (AP) – The New York Stock Exchange for the first time in its 226-year his- tory will be led by a woman. Stacey Cunningham, who started her career as a floor clerk on the NYSE trading floor, will become the 67th president of the Big Board. That means that two of the world’s most well- known exchanges will be led by women. Adena Friedman became CEO of Nasdaq in early 2017 Cunningham, who is the chief operating officer for the NYSE Group, becomes presi- dent Friday, according to In- ternational Exchange, they NYSE’s parent company. Current NYSE President Thomas Farley, is leaving to head a special purpose ac- quisition company. The historically male- dominated financial in- dustry has grappled with its own issues tied to the #MeToo movement. Last month it was an- nounced that the “Fearless Girl” statue, which has be- come a global symbol of fe- male business prowess, will be moved from her spot staring down Wall Street’s bronze “Charging Bull” to a new home facing the New York Stock Exchange. “There have been signals from the U.S. that the exemptions will not be prolonged. So either they will be imposed on us the first of June, or there will be other sorts of limiting measures.” EU TRADE COMMISSIONER CECILIA MALMSTROMNext >