ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 CAJUN TURKEY STYLE A WHOLE, COOKED, DELICIOUS CAJUN STYLE TURKEY - JUST REHEAT AND SERVE! MAKE IT A COMPLETE MEAL, ADD TO YOUR TURKEY LARGE MASH POTATOES AND GRAVY, LARGE COLESLAW, LARGE MAC & CHEESE, LARGE GREEN BEANS AND 6 BISCUITS $ 3999 $ 5999 The green iguana gold rush JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com All over Grand Cayman, the treetops are trembling. In West Bay, a man stands on the back of a flatbed truck and casts a fishing pole into the foliage. In Savannah, a sniper me- thodically picks off targets with a .22-cal- iber air rifle. In George Town, hunters with homemade poles and nooses sweep through patches of urban woodland. In a few short months, a citizen militia has been assembled to hunt and kill Cay- man’s invasive green iguana population. Enticed by a $5-a-head bounty, more than 300 men and women, armed with poles, machetes and air rifles, stalk the bush in search of the not-so-elusive prey. Already they have killed more than 100,000 reptiles, turning in an average of 7,000 car- casses every day to the newly established cull headquarters at the George Town land- fill. The scope of the effort is unprecedented. By the time they are done, if the govern- ment’s project is successful, a million green iguanas will have been slain. “This is historic,” says cull manager Karl Noble, a chartered accountant and property manager, whose diverse skill set enabled him to successfully bid on one of the more unusual contracts the Cayman Islands gov- ernment has ever put out. Part of Mr. Noble’s job is to oversee a grim audit of the daily death toll as a UK’s May faces growing ‘crisis’ over her Brexit proposal LONDON (AP) – Prime Minister The- resa May defied mounting calls to quit or change course Thursday over Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, warning that abandoning her Brexit plan would plunge the country into “deep and grave uncertainty.” Britain’s long-simmering di- visions over its future in the EU erupted into turmoil just a day after the government agreed to a divorce deal with the bloc. Two Cabinet min- isters resigned and some lawmakers from May’s own party called for her to be replaced. The crisis threatened to destroy the Brexit agreement, un- seat the prime minister and send the U.K. hurtling toward the EU exit without a plan. In an evening news conference aimed at regaining some control, May said she believed “with every fiber of my being that the course I have set out is the right one for our country and all our people.” “Am I going to see this through? Yes,” she said. The hard-won agreement with the EU has infuriated pro-Brexit members of May’s divided Conser- vative Party. They say the agreement, which calls for close trade ties be- tween the U.K. and the bloc, would leave Britain a vassal state, bound to EU rules it has no say in making. May insisted that Brexit meant making “the right choices, not the easy ones” and urged lawmakers to support the deal “in the na- tional interest.” But she was weakened by the resignation of two senior Cabinet ministers, including Brexit Secre- tary Dominic Raab. Hours after he sat in the meeting that approved the deal, Raab said he “cannot in good conscience” support it. Work and Pensions Secretary Es- ther McVey followed Raab out the door. She said in a letter that it is “no good trying to pretend to (voters) that this deal honors the result of the referendum when it is obvious PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 12 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » Officials keep count as dead iguanas are unloaded at the landfill site. Dorn Hamilton, of Wildlife Research and Control Services, snags another green iguana on a successful day of hunting last week. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY2 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS Turkey Feasts US Thanksgiving (November 24th) Christmas (December 24th & 26 th) Feast for 6 – 8 CI$105.00 A 10 Pound Wood Roasted Turkey with All the Trimmings!! 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Located in the West Shore Center 945-2290 Call 345-949-7028 | Visit caymanfirst.com PROTECT WHAT’S VALUABLE TO YOU. CHOOSE CAYMAN FIRST. DR. PERVEZ ALI, MD, FRCSC Orthopaedic Surgeon and Adult Hip and Knee Joint Reconstruction Specialist CAYMAN ORTHOPAEDIC GROUP PLEASE CALL 945-8380 FOR APPOINTMENTS will be at #1 SMITH ROAD PLAZA Monday, 19th November 2018 to Friday, 30th November 2018 call : 946-9020 between 9am to 5pm Dr. Wayne R. Porter MD F.A.A.D. Dermatologist Dees Plaza #282 on Crewe Road, GT He will be in office from November 19th - November 24th, 2018 REGISTRATION OPENS FOR JINGLE BELL RUN The annual Jingle Bell 5K and 10K Walk/Run, which raises funds for the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 9, and organizers say registration for the event is now open. The race, now in its 16th year, will start and finish at Holiday Inn at SafeHaven. After the race, participants will get breakfast and pic- tures with Santa, all in- cluded within the regis- tration fee. All proceeds from the event will be used to toward building a new shelter and services of the Crisis Centre to support the needs of do- mestic abuse victims. Or- ganizers said sponsorship packages are still available for companies and poten- tial patrons who wish to contribute. “The Jingle Bell Run is always a fun occasion, with many walkers and runners donning festive gear for the race. Last year we saw over 500 participants and this year we hope to top that. As always, we are grateful to our sponsors. Without their generosity we would not be able to host such a suc- cessful event which sup- ports our nonprofit service to the Cayman community,” said Michelle Lockwood, a member of the Crisis Centre board and chair of the fund- raising committee. Pre-registration, on www. caymanactive.com/jingle, costs $25 or $30 on the day of the run. Visit www.cicc.ky or contact fundraising@cicc.ky for more information. Mark Luke memorialized for years of dedicated service Marine vessel named in officer’s honor KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s law enforcement community came together Wednesday afternoon to com- memorate one of its own. Police Constable Mark Luke, who died Aug. 29 at the age of 48, was recognized at the Ma- rine Base in Newlands during an intimate gathering of col- leagues and family, who re- membered him for his dedica- tion and sacrifice. One of his favorite Joint Ma- rine Unit vessels – Tornado – was rechristened “M Luke” in his memory. “This vessel is one of our ‘go-fast’ interceptors. It’s ca- pable of intercepting just about any vessel that we come up in challenge with. It has numerous law enforcement capabilities,” said Brad Ebanks, acting super- intendent of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service spe- cialist units. “If we replace this vessel with another vessel, the name will go on that vessel as well.” Mr. Ebanks said if more people lived like Mr. Luke, a decorated and award-winning senior constable, that the world would be a better place. “He was a dedicated officer. He was a very brave and com- mitted officer. Unfortunately, he passed away but he has left a lasting impression on all of us. We are honored to be here this afternoon,” he said. “Mark was very profes- sional, very dedicated. I never heard Mark say, ‘No, I can’t do that. No, I can’t help.’” He served the RCIPS for 28 years. Before his passing, Mr. Luke, who endured a long battle against intestinal cancer, fought for alternative cancer treatment options in the islands. During his years of ac- tive duty, he was known for his bravery. The trained rescue swimmer was lauded after risking his life when he jumped off Pedro Bluff in Bodden Town to save two distressed swimmers. When one of the swimmers offered him a financial award, he re- fused to accept. He also won the deputy gov- ernor’s award in May 2013 for his service. Mr. Luke’s aunt, Annie Ebanks, said her nephew left a great legacy. “He was well-loved amongst his colleagues, his family members, his children and we miss him dearly,” Ms. Ebanks said. “So today we are very hon- ored to feel the presence of the Marine Unit coming to- gether along with Immigra- tion, Customs, the whole RCIPS … to honor Mark in this way. Words cannot express how we truly feel.” She described Mr. Luke as a humble man who never bragged about his many accomplishments. “We are very proud of Mark always. [There are] many things that we have learned since his death that we didn’t know about: his medals, his com- mendations that he received. He was so humble,” she said. “Mark was always there to help a convict, to try and lead them and help them to see the right way to live and not to do wrong. He tried to help those that were always in trouble continuously. He was there to help them lead a dif- ferent life.” A photo memorializing Mr. Luke will be hung in the Joint Marine Unit reception area. Compass journalist Al- varo Serey contributed to this story. Holiday cards now on sale Holiday cards designed by Bella Grieff, left, and Chloe Connolly are now available for purchase at Books & Books in Camana Bay. The two girls were chosen as the winners in a design competition that drew more than 1,000 entries from Cayman schoolchildren. Sales of the cards will benefit Hannah’s Heroes, which supports childhood cancer research. - PHOTO: MARK MUCKENFUSS CORRECTION A story in the Wednesday, Nov. 15, edition of the Cayman Compass, titled “Art of Fashion is gala theme for 2018,” on the upcoming gala at the National Gallery had the wrong date for the event. The Art of Fashion Costume Gala will be held Friday, Nov. 30. Acting Superintendent Brad Ebanks, left, speaks during a service honoring PC Mark Luke, as Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Police Commissioner Derek Byrne listen. - PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY Santa helps runners get ready for last year’s Jingle Bell Run.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 DoE: Contaminated wetlands pose little risk to humans KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Though waste dumped by the National Roads Authority into the wetlands tested posi- tive for carcinogens, it is very unlikely that humans are at risk from the contamination, according to the Department of Environment. “The concentration [of carcinogens] in the soil at the wetlands only slightly exceeded the threshold and there is very unlikely to be a pathway to any human health receptors,” the DoE’s Environmental Management Unit stated. The Department of En- vironment also stated that the wetlands that were used as a dumping site do not need to be cleared because the waste there will natu- rally decompose. “In the DoE’s view, given that the discharges have not continued, the best thing to do with the wetlands is leave them alone and allow natural deposition and de- composition to occur. Wet- lands are excellent filters and in some places, con- structed wetlands have been used to treat wastewater,” the department stated. “Benzo(a)pyrene [the carcin- ogen] exceeded the thresh- olds in the sludge sample and the soil sample from the wetland, but not in the water collected at the wetlands, in- dicating it may already have settled out.” The DoE further stated that the NRA’s waste is now being taken to an “elevated location” at the George Town landfill, “to facilitate the re- tention of contaminants in the mound while the water percolates through the mound so that contaminants do not end up in ground- water, and so further con- tamination of the wetland by the NRA vacuum truck con- tents will not occur.” The NRA apparently did not violate any DoE rules: The department stated that the National Conservation Law “does not cover pollution in this context.” “Protection of ground water comes under the Water Authority, Cayman and the Public Health Law addresses other aspects of pollution,” the DoE added. The department stated that it acted as soon as it be- came aware of the situation. The DoE’s statement came a day after the Water Au- thority released a report de- tailing the NRA’s practice of dumping wastewater and sludge from roadside storm drains into the island’s wet- lands since at least 2011. The NRA began doing this after the Water Authority and the Department of En- vironmental Health stopped accepting the waste at their facilities. According to the report, tests found the wetlands and well samples to contain the carcinogen Benzo(a)pyrene at levels higher than Florida soil remediation standards. Benzo(a)pyrene has been found in soot and is linked to “chimney sweeps’ car- cinoma,” or cancer of the scrotum, according to the U.K.-based Royal Society of Chemistry. Infrastructure Minister Joey Hew, who is respon- sible for the NRA, spoke on the results of the report on Thursday. He said his min- istry welcomes the report, but that the NRA has al- ready “put protocols in place” since the issue came to the forefront in June – after a Cayman 27 reporter found an NRA crew dumping in the wetlands. “Unfortunately, the good people at the National Roads Authority were only doing their job to help alleviate flooding and damage to peo- ple’s homes in low-lying areas when vacuuming these wells,” Mr. Hew said. “I’d like to thank all the staff involved at the DEH and NRA and the Water Authority for helping us put together proper pro- tocols in dealing with this drainage water.” Mr. Hew also focused on the Water Authority re- port’s findings that the carcinogens in the waste likely came from road pol- lution that drains into the roadside wells. “We have to start con- sidering these illegal ga- rages and the protocols by which people dispose of oil and carbons when working on cars. And also, as iden- tified in our National En- ergy Policy, to work to- wards reducing our carbon footprint in the country, and embracing and encour- aging more environmen- tally friendly vehicles and equipment around the is- land,” he said. CHAMPION HOUSE CASE ADJOURNED AGAIN SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Representatives of Cham- pion House were back in court Thursday on a 10-year- old charge of failing to make pension contributions to employees. The case was adjourned on Thursday because the Crown is seeking further fi- nancial information, and the two sides will be back in court on Jan. 22. The case has been in the court system since 2008. Champion House has en- tered guilty pleas on charges relating to non-payment of pension contributions amounting to $177,000 on be- half of 32 employees. Defense attorney Graham Hampson explained to Magistrate Grace Donalds Thursday that pleas have been entered and mitigation given in this case. The two sides are in discussions for how to proceed, and Cham- pion House needed more time to provide financial informa- tion to the Crown counsel. Mr. Hampson said that the Crown counsel who nor- mally handles the case, Greg Walcolm, is currently off is- land, and that Champion House should be able to re- trieve its financial informa- tion by January.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. 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” Two-and-a-half weeks into Grand Cayman’s “great green iguana cull,” local hunters had bagged 111,732 of the invasive reptiles, according to figures from the Department of Environment. That’s an impressive start toward the year-long target of 1 million iguanas. The program’s initial success has been achieved by hundreds of cullers who have taken to the road- sides, parks, yards, bush, woods and grassy areas to ply their important but unpleasant trade. Armed with rifles, poles, nooses, nets, hooks and a hodgepodge of homemade implements, they systematically flush out the iguanas and exterminate them. Playing the Grim Reaper for the skittering lizards is a tough job – as readers will find upon reading today’s Page One immersive story about cullers on their rounds. Although cullers are, if anything, working harder as time goes by, the daily totals of culled iguanas are pre- dictably decreasing as the easiest targets are elimi- nated. Already, cullers are moving operations from heavily populated areas and venturing further into less developed country to locate their prey. Some cullers swear the survivors of these early efforts are more than lucky – that the green iguanas they encounter are much warier now of humans, whether because of their own brushes with death, or from observing their compatriots’ timely ends. No problem – the cullers are also learning. Even the seasoned pros are honing their skills and senses during this initiative – the magnitude of which overseers call “historic.” Except for a few early wrinkles (i.e., reports of headless iguana carcasses floating in canals, close brushes with live power lines), the cull appears to be progressing quite smoothly, with residents growing accustomed to the sight of armed men peering intently into trees. No stories have emerged of pass- ersby or personal property becoming “collateral damage” through misplaced zeal for iguana eradica- tion. Of course, as we have written, the real measure of the culling project will occur not after three weeks, but after three months … and six months, and a year, and beyond … as iguanas continue to become harder to find and harder to catch. At the current pace, within a year’s time, a million iguanas or more will have been removed from Grand Cayman, and $9 million will have been removed from government’s coffers for the program. Birds, crops and flora will be safer from egg-eating and plant-munching reptiles, and endemic blue iguanas will enjoy greater room to breathe (and breed). But even if the great green iguana cull is perfectly “executed,” the short-term effort won’t be sufficient to solve the long-term problem. So even as you enjoy today’s on-the-ground nar- rative by journalist James Whittaker, we suggest that readers retain a “tree-top level” perspective on the issue of invasive species generally, and green iguanas specifically. The laws of arithmetic and biology are immutable and irrefutable. As long as Grand Cayman is home to even one female iguana and one male iguana, the potential exists for there to be a million more. There’s no such thing as a permanent truce. Cayman’s cullers have invasive iguanas at bay FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS U.S. Democrats must accomplish something U.S. Democrats won a narrow House majority ap- pealing to minorities, college- educated women and subur- banites who want solutions to problems in their daily lives, not a revolution. The Great Blue Wave of radical progressivism, which promised gains of 40-plus seats, never materialized. Democrats who snatched Re- publican seats were largely moderates who ran on clean governments and incre- mental improvements to healthcare and other nettle- some issues – not promising to relentlessly oppose or im- peach President Trump. Healthcare costs are spin- ning out of sight, because the Affordable Care Act en- ables drug companies, hos- pitals, large insurers and large group practices of med- ical specialists to monopo- lize and impose outlandish prices in national and re- gional markets. Democrats must give up the fantasy of socialized medicine based on confisca- tory taxes on upper-income Americans. European soci- eties accomplish “free health- care” by heavily taxing the folks that use it – working and middle-class folks – and regulating prices. Republicans must wake up to the hard reality that competition in these mar- kets is rigged. Congressional oversight should cast a dis- cerning focus on monopoly exploitation to coax a reluc- tant Justice Department to start prosecuting abusers. Both parties need to fashion legislation that requires drug companies, hospitals, in- surers and medical profes- sionals to benchmark prices against those fetched in pros- perous northern European countries with insurance- based payments systems. An increasingly urban so- ciety requires better com- muter-mass transit and intercity connections. Fi- nancing infrastructure runs smack into the exorbitant costs imposed by cumber- some regulatory and permit- ting procedures by federal, state and local agencies. En- gaging Mr. Trump on regula- tory reform and encouraging a special dialog with gover- nors about prohibitive con- struction costs would help. Still, trillions more dol- lars are needed but the fed- eral deficit is already too big and someone has to pay – namely transportation users through higher gas taxes and transit fees. Many members of Congress reflexively balk at such solutions, but Dem- ocratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer may be able to triangulate the issue with Mr. Trump. On immigration, the movement toward a com- monsense compromise to realign U.S. policy to place great emphasis on admit- ting immigrants with skills in short supply, a greater ca- pacity to quickly assimilate and attributes less threat- ening to struggling rural communities has some bi- partisan support, but little enthusiasm from the Demo- cratic leadership and their more strident acolytes. The U.S. Supreme Court may soon permit Mr. Trump to end President Obama’s il- legal DACA program and that would force reluctant Demo- crats to the table on broader reforms. If they balk, those young people face deporta- tion and neither party should count on twisting that spec- tacle to its advantage–in- cumbents of all stripes may end up with bulls-eyes on their backs. On trade and the broader economy, Democratic con- gressional leaders like to ex- ploit Mr. Trump’s missteps – for example, putting tariffs on bicycle parts but not bicycles that force U.S. manufacturers to offshore even more and his indiscriminant targeting of our allies with tariffs. However, many Democrats in Congress recognize China’s criminal behavior is a menace to American prosperity and security. A steady, private di- alog that links their support for congressional approval of the new North American free trade deal to Mr. Trump trading in his spray gun for a more focused trade rifle would help broaden their party’s appeal to working- class voters. President Trump’s economy is doing quite well and it is starting to finally lift the wages and overall circumstances of lower in- come Americans. Able-bodied adults on the sidelines are rejoining the workforce, but to maintain an elevated pace of growth without running into crip- pling shortages of engineers, technicians and other skilled workers requires Democrats to support immigration re- form and make the recent tax cuts permanent. That will require the Dem- ocrats to shelve their tropism for higher marginal taxes on upper-income Americans and for the president to give up on yet more budget busting tax cuts. Alternatively, both sides could go after the “car- ried interest” tax break for Wall Street’s financial engi- neers – those levy lower cap- ital gains tax rates on income that should rightly be classi- fied as wage income for their professional efforts. All this may disappoint the combative political in- stincts of Mrs. Pelosi and President Trump. But win- ning long-term majorities – holding power by gov- erning effectively – requires moving to where the Amer- ican people really stand – in the pragmatic center. Peter Morici is an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland, and a national columnist. © 2018, The Washington Times, LLC. PETER MORICI Democrats must give up the fantasy of socialized medicine based on confiscatory taxes on upper-income Americans. 5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 15%-50% SPEAKERS & SUBWOOFERS SAVE UP TO $ 1000! BLACK FRIDAY This Friday & Saturday, Nov 16th & 17 th Only the best brands at the best prices with full local warranties. info@creativetechltd.com www.creativetechltd.com Shops 5-6 Bay Town Plaza 36 West Bay Road Corporate Solutions T: 946 8324 Authorized Dealer: Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+ Headphones 4K Smart TVs 43” - $475 55” - $750 STARTS AT ONLY $ 475 60”4K Smart TVs ONLY $ 799 SAVE $ 25 ON SONOS ONE SAVE $ 50 ON SONOS BEAM SAVE $ 100 ON SONOS SUB 4K Smart TVs 43” - 83” models in stock! 50” 4K TV $ 499 55” 4K TV $ 599 New Bose Soundbars Gift Certifi cates also available! SoundLink Micro OFF 15% Headphones OFF 20% OFF 15% Headphones and Bluetooth Speakers OFF 25% Legislators support stalking bills JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A pair of bills to outlaw stalking and enable vic- tims to seek protection through the courts were unanimously approved by legislators Wednesday. Changes to the Penal Code will make stalking a specific offense in its own right for the first time, while a new Stalking (Civil Jurisdiction) Bill allows victims to get restraining orders and seek compensa- tion through the courts. Attorney General Sam Bulgin said the companion pieces of legislation repre- sented a “two-prong” ap- proach to the problem of stalking. He said victims would now be able to get a protection order and seek damages for pain and suf- fering while police pursued a separate criminal inves- tigation with the aim of charging the offender. The amendment to the Penal Code makes stalking a specific criminal of- fense for the first time and outlines patterns of be- havior that can be defined as stalking. They include repeat- edly watching someone, following them, engaging in unwanted written or verbal communication, in- timidating, harassing or molesting the victim. The offense carries a penalty of four years in prison in the most extreme circumstances. Mr. Bulgin said the issue had been brought into focus by a case earlier this year where a man had followed his ex-girlfriend to the island from Canada, moved into the same apart- ment complex and started showing up at her work. He was eventually prose- cuted for harassment, but police said at the time that stalking legislation would have made the case easier to prosecute. Mr. Bulgin said the bills were “not an overnight for- mulation.” In fact, stalking legislation has been under consideration since 2005 when the Business and Professional Women’s Club established a task force to investigate the issue. “They prepared a report dealing with what they termed the prevalence of stalking and it concluded that stalking presents a serious problem that re- quires legislative interven- tion,” Mr. Bulgin said. A report by the Law Re- form Commission followed, which culminated in the pair of bills, he added. It was not clear why it took more than a decade from the initial report until the bills were formulated and Mr. Bulgin acknowl- edged that many other countries had already en- acted similar legislation. Commending the bills for approval, he said, “Gov- ernment believes the en- actment of this legislation would address the inad- equacies of criminal and civil law as they relate to this issue of stalking and would serve as recognition by the government that comprehensive protection should be made available to people who fear they will become victims of vi- olent activity in the imme- diate future.” The bills attracted unanimous support and will go to a third reading later in the week before being passed into law. Attorney General Sam Bulgin said the companion pieces of legislation represented a “two-prong” approach to the problem of stalking. SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two Bodden Town women appeared in court Thursday on charges re- lating to illegal gambling. Emelina Mendoza Wood and Linda Rosalia Men- doza Wood both pleaded not guilty to a charge of “using a place as a common gaming house,” and to possession of criminal property. The court heard that at an earlier appearance Linda Mendoza Wood had initially pleaded guilty to a third charge, that of selling lot- tery tickets, but her plea was not accepted because co-defendant Emelina Men- doza Wood intended on pleading not guilty to the same charge. Emelina Mendoza Wood pleaded not guilty to the lot- tery ticket charge Thursday. The case will proceed to trial on March 27. The charge of possession of criminal property refers to $10,000 that was found on the premises, but defense attorney John Furniss said that the women contend the money was earned lawfully. They will be back in court for a case manage- ment hearing on Feb. 21. WOMEN CHARGED WITH GAMBLING OFFENSES TRIPLE C 5K RUN SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY Police are asking drivers to be alert to runners and walkers taking part a 5K run hosted by Triple C school on Saturday afternoon. The Theda Whittaker Memorial 5K run starts at 4:30 p.m. The original route, which was announced earlier, has changed, police advised. Participants will leave from the Triple C school, travel north along Fairbanks Road, loop around Fern Circle, and then travel south along Fairbanks Road, and west past Aspiration Drive and onto Academy Way. They will then turn around and travel east onto Aspira- tion Drive, follow that road north and loop around Le- guinea Circle, back onto As- piration Drive and then re- turn to the Triple C School via Fairbanks Road. “Motorists are still ad- vised to exercise cau- tion in these areas during the event,” police said in an advisory. They will be back in court for a case management hearing on Feb. 21.6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS UCCI'S PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME featuring FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC UCCI Sir Vassel Johnson Hall Thurday, November 29 6:00 pm Keynote: The Adult Learner and the Workplace Goldie Blumenstyk, Editor, Chronicle of Higher Education YOU ARE INVITED to the soft launch of an initiative that will seek to help adult learners accelerate degree completion by awarding college credits for demonstrated college-level knowledge Email events@ucci.edu.ky to learn more. Cayman loses treasured guitarist with death of Swanky’s Jonathan Ebanks JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman music commu- nity has lost another of its iconic performers. Regarded as one of the most in- fluential individuals in the Cayman music scene, legendary guitarist Jonathan Ebanks died Wednesday at the age of 58. Mr. Ebanks passed away at Cayman Islands Hospital, his family said. “We are devastated by the news. … My heart literally stopped beating when I heard the news,” said Errol Watler, manager of the Memory of Justice band in which Mr. Ebanks played in the 1980s. “We have lost a great friend and one of the best guitar players on the island, if not in the Carib- bean,” he said. “Jonathan could play that guitar. Not only could he play, he was one of the nicest persons anyone wanted to know even though he had all that talent. He was just so pleasant to everyone. We had some good times and he will be greatly missed.” Nicholas Johnson, a member of Swanky Kitchen Band in which Mr. Ebanks performed as lead guitarist, said the group had just rehearsed Tuesday night for the upcoming KAABOO auditions on Saturday. They were also devastated by the loss. “When we finished rehearsing, we took a group photograph of the band and everyone left in good spirits,” he said. “We were blessed to have Jon- athan in the band with us since 2011 and to have received the best of him over those years,” he continued. “I knew him from the time I was a boy and his playing was unlike any other guitarist I have ever heard. … He was a genius in his own way.” Mr. Johnson said Mr. Ebanks kept them laughing and always found a way to bring humor into any situation. Breaking the news to Lambert “Lammie” Seymour, who played with Mr. Ebanks in Memory of Justice, was hard, Mr. Watler said. Despite not seeing each other often, the three men would still talk on a regular basis. “Our friendship was more impor- tant than any band,” Mr. Watler said. A self-taught musician, Mr. Ebanks began playing the guitar from age 7. He joined Memory of Justice in 1979/80. The band had formed in 1976 and included Lammie, Henry Leslie, Charles Gregory, Leonard Bodden and Alan Myles. The band recorded several al- bums and was placed number one for eight weeks on the Carib- bean Charts. Memory of Justice produced more than 50 songs with Broad- cast Music Inc. Their songs “Me and My Crew,” “Jammin’ in the Park,” “Right on Time,” “Leavin’ Babylon” and “The Pie,” were hits with the Caymanian people. Mr. Watler said he wrote most of the lyrics and the band played the music. Their song “Me and My Crew” was a number one hit on the Ja- maican charts, he said. Born in the district of North Side on June 1, 1960, Mr. Ebanks settled in Bodden Town after marrying his wife, Cindy Wood. The couple were married for more than 29 years and have three children. Jonathan Ebanks, left, and Lammie Seymour rehearse with Memory of Justice. – PHOTO: COMPASS ARCHIVE Jonathan Ebanks, back row, second from left, with fellow members of the Swanky Kitchen Band. This photo, taken on Tuesday night following a rehearsal, was the last taken of the band before Mr. Ebanks’s death on Wednesday.The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 • CAYMAN COMPASS to everyone that it doesn’t.” A handful of junior gov- ernment ministers also quit, and leading pro-Brexit law- maker Jacob Rees-Mogg called for a vote of no-confi- dence in May. Rees-Mogg said May’s deal “is not Brexit” because it would keep Britain in a cus- toms union with the EU, po- tentially for an indefinite pe- riod. He said May was “losing the confidence of Conserva- tive members of Parliament.” Rees-Mogg called for May to be replaced by a more firmly pro-Brexit politician, naming ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, former Brexit Secretary David Davis and Raab as potential successors. Under Conservative rules, a confidence vote in the leader is triggered if 15 per- cent of Conservative law- makers – currently 48 – write a letter to the party’s 1922 Committee of back- benchers, which oversees leadership votes. Only committee chairman Graham Brady knows for sure how many missives have been sent, but Rees-Mogg’s letter is likely to spur others to do the same. If a confidence vote is held and May loses, it would trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conser- vative lawmaker – except her – could run. The turmoil is the latest eruption in the Conserva- tive Party’s long-running civil war over Europe. Ever since Britain joined what was then the European Economic Community in 1973, the party has been split between supporters and opponents of Britain’s membership. In 2016, then-Prime Minister David Cameron called a ref- erendum “to settle this Euro- pean question in British poli- tics” once and for all. He was confident the country would vote to re- main, but voters opted by 52 percent to 48 percent to quit the EU, a result that left both the Conservatives and the country more divided than ever. Cameron’s suc- cessor, May, has been strug- gling ever since to deliver a Brexit that satisfies those who want to leave, recon- ciles those wanting to re- main and does not rock the economy – a near-impossible balancing act. Thursday’s political mayhem prompted a big fall in the value of the pound, which was trading 1.5 per- cent lower at $1.2797 as in- vestors fretted that Britain could crash out of the EU in March without a deal. That could see tariffs on British exports, border checks and restrictions on travelers and workers – a potentially toxic combination for businesses. Business groups have warned that if there is no deal by next month, compa- nies will have to enact con- tingency plans that could include cutting jobs, stock- piling goods, and relocating production overseas. May and her supporters say the alternatives to her deal – leaving the bloc without a deal or a second vote on Brexit – are not real- istic options. If the agreement was abandoned, “nobody can know for sure the conse- quences that will follow,” May said. “It would be to take a path of deep and grave un- certainty when the British people just want us to get on with it.” News that a deal had been struck after a year and a half of negotiations was wel- comed in Brussels, and EU chief Donald Tusk called for a Nov. 25 summit of leaders so they can rubber-stamp the agreement. The deal requires the con- sent of the European Par- liament, whose chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, wel- comed it as “the best agree- ment we could obtain.” It also needs approval from Britain’s Parliament be- fore the U.K. leaves the bloc on March 29 – and even if May survives as leader, the chances of that look slim. Her Conservative govern- ment does not have a parlia- mentary majority, and relies on the support of the Dem- ocratic Unionist Party from Northern Ireland. But the DUP has rejected the deal, saying its provisions to avoid a hard border be- tween Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland would impose new barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K., weakening the bonds that hold the United Kingdom together. Opposition parties also signaled they would vote against the agreement. Main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said May should withdraw the “half-baked” Brexit deal and that Parliament “cannot and will not accept a false choice between this deal and no deal.” Ian Blackford, who heads the Scottish National Party in Parliament, said the deal was “dead on arrival” and urged May to “stop the clock and go back to Brussels.” An EU official warned that Britain was unlikely to get a better deal. Speaking on con- dition of anonymity because the process is still ongoing, the official said both sides “exhausted our margin of maneuver under our respec- tive mandates.” In Brussels, where some EU officials hold out hope that Britain will change its mind about Brexit, officials watched the political up- heaval with interest. Tusk said it was “not for me to comment on the latest developments in London.” “All I can say is that the EU is prepared for a final deal with the U.K. in No- vember,” he said. “We are also prepared for a no deal scenario – but of course we are best prepared for a no- Brexit scenario.” Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May reacts during a press conference inside 10 Downing Street in London, Thursday. - PHOTO: AP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 UK’s May faces growing ‘crisis’ over her Brexit proposal The Brexit story so far: How Britain got itself in a bind LONDON (AP) – Britain’s 2-day-old draft deal to leave the European Union is in danger of collapsing, in- creasing the likelihood of a disorderly, economi- cally painful exit from the bloc next year. British politicians in favor of leaving the EU have criti- cized the agreement reached Tuesday after more than a year and a half of negotia- tions. They say it keeps the country bound to the EU under unfavorable terms and floated the idea of unseating Prime Minister Theresa May. Even if May remains in her post, the British Parlia- ment might reject the deal. Britain’s formal exit is set for March 29, so that would leave little time to seek an alternative. Here’s a look at how Britain got into this situation: Referendum May’s party, the British Conservative Party, has long been split between those in favor of EU membership and those who want out. One advantage of member- ship is it gives seamless ac- cess to trade across 27 other countries. The EU is Britain’s biggest trading partner. Opponents have argued the EU took too much po- litical power from London; many want to restrict im- migration from other EU member countries as well. To settle the question, former Prime Minister David Cameron called for a nation- wide vote on whether Britain should stay or go. On June 23, 2016, 52 percent of voters said they wanted to leave. Negotiations The unexpected outcome threw the country into chaos, with Cameron resigning and the value of the pound tum- bling 15 percent in a day. May eventually took over as prime minister. In March 2017, she submitted the formal notice of Britain’s intent to with- draw from the EU. The action started a two-year count- down and negotiations on the terms of the exit and for fu- ture EU-U.K. relations. The difficulty of the ne- gotiations quickly became clear. The EU took a tough approach. It insisted Britain would no longer enjoy any of the bloc’s “four freedoms”: the freedom for citizens, money, goods and services to travel and operate across borders without hindrance. In a bid to solidify her power and the stated goal of ensuring a “strong and stable” government would be seated at the Brexit negotia- tions, May called a general election for June 2017. The move backfired, and her Con- servatives lost their majority in Parliament. She had to create a minority government with the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland. Irish question The talks on a Brexit deal remained stalled for months, largely over the problem of the future border between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and the EU’s Republic of Ire- land. The fear was that rein- stalling a hard border with import duties and travel re- strictions would renew sec- tarian violence. The EU insisted that Britain should not be allowed to enjoy the fruits of staying in its seamless trading union. So it proposed allowing Northern Ireland to remain in the cus- toms union, but not the rest of Britain. May’s government rejected that, saying it threat- ened to break up Britain. The deal With the clock ticking, British and EU officials intensified their efforts and reached a draft deal on Nov. 13. The agreement envi- sions Britain leaving the EU as planned on March 29 but remaining inside the bloc’s single market and bound by its rules until the end of De- cember 2020. That would buy time to work out a per- manent post-Brexit trading relationship. Other terms call for Britain paying 39 billion pounds (US$50 billion) to settle outstanding obligations to the EU. British and citi- zens of EU countries would be allowed to remain where they currently live and work. The deal also commits the two sides to a “backstop” so- lution that keeps the U.K. in a customs arrangement with the EU as a guarantee the Irish border remains free of customs posts. The backstop would last until superseded by new trade arrangements, which both sides say they hope to have in place by the end of 2020. Political backlash Many pro-Brexit politi- cians immediately slammed the deal. They said it would leave Britain a vassal state by making it observe EU customs rules that it will no longer have a say in shaping. Some pro-EU politicians favored calling an- other vote on whether Britain should leave the EU at all. May has defended the deal as providing the continuity businesses need while the country and the EU agree on a long-term trade relationship. Two Cabinet ministers and five junior government mem- bers resigned Thursday and a leading pro-Brexit lawmaker called for a no-confidence vote on May. No-deal risks If Parliament rejects the draft deal, the more likely it is that Brexit hap- pens without any agreement spelling out future relations with the EU. Businesses and most economists view that as a worst-case scenario for the British economy. It would mean a return of tariffs on trade between Britain and the EU as well as border checks on goods. That could delay shipments of ev- erything from food and fuel to clothing and cars. Some companies have been stock- piling to prepare for such a possibility. And Britain would drop out of Europewide proto- cols that govern areas such as aviation and prescription drugs, threatening to ground flights and disrupt sup- plies of drugs. Britain’s Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab leaves after a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday. Mr. Raab resigned from Theresa May’s Cabinet on Thursday. - PHOTO: AP9 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2018 The family of the Late Carol Mascarenhas regrets to announce her passing on Monday, 5 November, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, 24 November, 2018 at Church of God Chapel, Walkers Rd. Viewing will be held from 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Friday, 23 November, 2018 at Church of God Chapel, Walkers Rd. Interment will follow the service in Prospect Cemetery. The family of the Late Richard “Dick” Christiansen regrets to announce his passing on Friday, 2 November, 2018. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com A funeral service will be held 10:00 a.m. at Cayman Islands Baptist Church on Saturday, 17 November, 2018. Viewing will take place from 9:00 a.m. one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow in East End Cemetery. Churchill’s Funeral Home Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com Alverth Kentish Forbes Sunrise: May 04, 1936 - Sunset: November 12, 2013 My Husband It broke my heart to lose you, but you did not go alone. A part of me is with you. The day God called you home, a million times I’ve have saved you, you never would have died. Rest in Peace my dear beloved husband in the arms of our Savior until one day I will see you again. From your loving wife Carmen Forbes. thought of you, a million times I’ve cried. If Loving could thought of you, a million times I’ve cried. If Loving could Legal amendments recognize Cayman’s new law association MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Legislative Assembly approved a bill that amended several laws as a result of the merger of the Caymanian Bar Association with the Cayman Islands Law Society. The memberships of the Bar Association and the Law Society approved a plan in June, under which a new body, the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Associa- tion, will assume the func- tions previously undertaken by the organizations. As a result of the merger, it had become necessary to recognize the new en- tity legislatively by replacing references to the old or- ganizations, Attorney Gen- eral Samuel Bulgin said in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. The amendments covered the composition of the Legal Advisory Council, which until now included the heads of the Bar Association and the Law Society. Under new rules, they will be replaced by two attorneys with more than 10 years of experience in front of the bar nominated by the head of Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Associa- tion, or alternatively by one such attorney and the head of the association. Other changes enable Cabinet, after consulta- tion with the new associa- tion’s council, to make regu- lations for the provision of continuing legal education and practical training for lawyers. This would include continuing training and ed- ucation in anti-money laun- dering and the combating of terrorism financing. Mr. Bulgin said, “A natural corollary of these amend- ments will be the ability of the government to desig- nate CILPA as a self-regula- tory body for attorneys for the purposes of anti-money laundering and related mat- ters” in much the same way the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants carries out that function for the accounting profession. This was of particular im- portance, the attorney gen- eral said, because reviews of Cayman’s anti-money laun- dering framework had re- peatedly identified areas of practice by attorneys that re- main unregulated for anti- money laundering purposes. Designating the Cayman Islands Law Practitioners Association as a self-regu- latory body in the Proceeds of Crime Law and the Anti- Money Laundering Regula- tions will capture all legal practice fields and address the criticism, he said. The bill was opposed by Deputy Opposition Leader Alva Suckoo and East End MLA Arden McLean, who accused the government of creating a back-door way of “controlling” the legal in- dustry, after it had been forced to withdraw a revised Legal Practitioners Bill on previous occasions. Mr. McLean said vested interests were trying to con- trol the industry to the det- riment of young Cayma- nian lawyers. “What bothers me is that [those young Caymanian law- yers] have acquiesced,” he said, and claimed that they had voted for the merger at the direction of the “big law firms” and installed a “token Caymanian” as head of the new organization. Premier Alden McLaughlin, a former presi- dent of the Caymanian Bar Association, said he fully un- derstands that the motivation for the formation of the Bar Association was to further the interests of Caymanian lawyers. But he noted he was the first to suggest a merger with the Law Society. “It has never served these islands well to have a divided profession especially divided on the basis of nationality,” he said. “The optics of it are terrible internationally and the politics of it are disas- trous locally.” The continued failure to “mend the Legal Practitio- ners Law for the best part of 20 years” was “a travesty,” the premier added. The attorney general thanked the members for their “passionate debate of the bill and in some in- stances what was not be- fore the house” rather than the narrow focus of the bill of establishing a framework dealing with anti-money laundering issues in the legal profession. Mr. Bulgin emphasized that the two associations de- cided to merge without influ- ence from the government. “I don’t think that we are best placed in this house to advise 800 lawyers how they should conduct their af- fairs,” he said. The Caymanian Bar Association and the Cayman Law Society are merging to form a single entity, the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association. APPEAL DENIED IN RAPE CASE SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Court of Appeals denied an application Wednesday by Rohan An- thony Gidarisingh to va- cate a 2017 criminal con- viction for rape. Mr. Gidarisingh, who is serving a 13-year sen- tence for raping a 23-year- old woman, had appealed on grounds that the po- lice had not properly ana- lyzed evidence. He was represented by defense attorney John Furniss, and the defense contended that the Crown had not properly analyzed CCTV footage or DNA evi- dence on a knife that had been used in commission of the crime. Those failures, Mr. Furniss said, made a fair trial impossible. Mr. Furniss said that the verdict was “perverse and against the weight of evidence,” adding that the judge had not properly cautioned the jury about Mr. Gidarisingh’s prior his- tory of infidelity. The court heard Wednesday that the rape had occurred in 2014 and did not come to trial until April 2017. The justices of appeal found that the prosecu- tion was justified in asking the defendant about his prior record of infidelity and bringing women to the hotel where the rape took place. The justices of appeal found that the trial judge had properly instructed the jury of the defen- dant’s prior good character and that the appellant’s grounds for appeal were not justified. International regulators demand legislative changes from Cayman KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com As the Caribbean Fi- nancial Action Task Force continues to review Cay- man’s defenses against ter- rorist financing and money laundering, officials from that organization have re- quired government to make legislative changes to come in line with interna- tional standards. Attorney General Samuel Bulgin brought these changes to the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, and legislators voted in favor of a second reading of The Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill 2018. Mr. Bulgin said the bill would give more indepen- dence and autonomy to the Financial Reporting Au- thority, the organization that provides information to law enforcement agen- cies from other jurisdic- tions who have investiga- tions that involve Cayman. The attorney general ex- plained that the amend- ments will remove the re- quirement for the Financial Reporting Authority to ob- tain permission from the Anti-Money Laundering Steering Group before en- tering into agreements with other financial investiga- tive units. The amendments will also remove require- ments for the authority to get consent from the at- torney general before ful- filling international infor- mation requests. Mr. Bulgin said these amendments are required by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. “We’re going through a period of review and have a third draft report of our system, and this was one of the things that was flagged in that report,” he said. Even though the CFATF is reviewing Cayman based on the task force’s 2012 standard, the standards can be changed in the middle of the review, Mr. Bulgin said. “It’s a crazy process, but we’re required to comply,” he said. Before legislators voted on the second reading, East End MLA Arden McLean spoke out against the CFATF. He said the Proceeds of Crime Law has been amended at least five times since it was passed about 10 years ago, and that in- ternational regulators keep moving the goalposts for Cayman. “When will they stop?” he asked. “Maybe never.” Mr. Bulgin agreed with Mr. McLean that the stan- dards for Cayman keep shifting, and he said that the territory is becoming “review-fatigued.” “[Mr. McLean] is correct: this is an ongoing process. And each time we think we’re there, the standards change, and we’re required to amend our laws to be in compliance,” he said. “As I stand here, we’re being re- viewed. The FATF has a way of changing its stan- dards, and we’re required to comply if it’s rolled out tomorrow morning. That’s how this works.” Mr. Bulgin added that he’s going to Barbados next week to discuss the review with CFATF officials.Next >