ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 High of 87 Low of 82 Smooth to slight with wave heights of less than 2 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 PROPER PLANNING OFFERS PLENTY OF ROOM TO GROW SPORTS | PAGE 15 CAYMAN CRUISES TO ANOTHER GOLD AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS Money laundering report finds ‘major deficiencies’ in Cayman MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands has major shortcom- ings in its ability to analyse and understand the risks from money laundering and ter- rorism financing. Large money laundering in- vestigations and prosecutions are non-exis- tent and the use of the Financial Reporting Authority to initiate investigations is be- nign, the latest mutual evaluation report by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force has concluded. The problems partially stem from a na- tional risk assessment, conducted in 2015, that, given Cayman’s role as an international financial centre, did not focus enough on in- ternational money laundering and terrorism financing threats. The regional affiliate of the Financial Ac- tion Task Force, the global standard-setting body in anti-money laundering, found that the risk assessment provided a “fair level” of un- derstanding. However, it did not contain an assessment of legal persons or arrangements, nor did it include a sufficient analysis of risks faced by parts of the financial sectors that are not subject to supervision, like lawyers or ex- cluded persons under the Securities and In- vestment Business Law. “This has resulted in major deficiencies that have inhibited the jurisdiction’s ability to analyse and understand its risks,” the mutual evaluation report stated. The high-level summary of the national risk assessment, therefore, did not contain enough information to help develop a comprehensive understanding of all the money laundering and terrorism risks faced by Cayman entities. The evaluation of Cayman’s anti-money laundering rules and practices was adopted by the CFATF Plenary held in Barbados in No- vember 2018, but only published on Tuesday. SHOTS FIRED IN OCEAN DRUG BUST Nearly $1M of ganja seized JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Armed police fired on drug smugglers during an extended boat chase in Cayman’s waters. Around 900 pounds of ganja, worth more than $800,000, was eventually seized and three men, from Jamaica, were arrested. Police said it was the biggest drug bust in the Cayman Islands in the last decade. Officers from the Joint Marine Unit in- tercepted a “suspicious vessel” around 11 miles off East End around 6:30 a.m. Monday morning. The boat refused to stop and was pursued for an extended period in open water. The sus- pects flung packages overboard as they were pursued and one of the men threatened police with a firearm. “Officers discharged a service weapon in response, and the vessel was disabled and de- tained,” according to a Royal Cayman Islands Police Service press statement. Police observed other firearms on board the drug boat, including some that were thrown overboard during the pursuit. A large number of the packages that had been tossed overboard were recovered by Joint Marine Unit officers. The three men on board the vessel, aged 66, 44 and 43, were arrested on suspicion of drug- related charges and firearm offences. The sus- pects and the drug vessel were detained and Prince Charles and Camilla begin Caribbean tour Royal couple will arrive in Cayman March 27 KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Caribbean tour of Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Corn- wall, is under way, with the royal couple spending Tuesday on the beaches of Bar- bados on their way to Cayman next week. Prince Charles and Camilla arrived in the Caribbean on Monday, helping St. Lucia celebrate its 40th year of independence. From there, they travelled to Barbados, where the U.K.’s Daily Mirror newspaper re- ported that the 70-year-old Prince of Wales revealed an “impressive physique” while strolling on the beach. “Prince Charles wowed onlookers by stripping off on a Barbados beach to re- veal a rather impressive muscular frame,” the Mirror reported, adding, “The Prince has been known to do push-ups and crunches before bed and was even recorded asking the National Welsh Rugby team for training advice, to help him be even more fit.” The prince and duchess are scheduled to stop in St. Vincent on Wednesday, St. Kitts PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6 » The Prince of Wales inspects a guard of honour in St. Lucia on Sunday as he begins his Caribbean Royal Tour. - PHOTO: CLARENCE HOUSE2 LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 • 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) FIVE FEET APART (PG13) 12:55 I 4:40 I 6:30 I 9:50 WONDER PARK (PG) 12:45 I 3:00 3D I 5:15 I 7:30 3D CAPTAIN MARVEL (PG13) 12:30 VIP I 1:10 3D I 3:25 VIP I 4:05 6:30 VIP I 7:00 3D I 9:30 VIP I 9:50 WE DIE YOUNG (R) 2:20 I 7:30 I 10:00 A MADEA FAMILY FUNERAL (PG13) 3:45 I 6:45 I 9:20 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD (PG) 1:20 I 3:55 3D I 9:15 3D Rare glimpse of hammerhead at sandbar JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com They came for “breakfast with the rays” and found the rays were on the menu. Tourists on a Red Sail Sports trip to Stingray Sandbar on Saturday got a rare glimpse of nature in action when an 8-foot great hammerhead shark showed up. The shark appeared to be hunting and was later dis- covered to have eaten at least one stingray. The species, which is not typically dan- gerous to humans, is known to inhabit the North Sound, but sightings on the Sandbar are relatively rare. Katie Thorpe, a photog- rapher with Caribbean Pro- ducer Services, was on board the Red Sail boat, and swam with the shark for 15 minutes, capturing close-up images. “None of the images are zoomed in. The shark was maybe an arm’s length away from me,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind to be worried, I was so excited. I have never been that close to such a big shark before. It was a super cool experience. I feel so lucky. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity.” She said the shark had been hunting and the staff found a stingray with a chunk taken out of it under the boat. The Red Sail boat showed up at the Sandbar around 8 a.m. for its breakfast trip. There was one other boat at the other side of the Sandbar, which was otherwise empty at that time of morning. While the staff jumped in to check out the shark, the guests stayed on board. “Some of them found it amazing, others were a little wary, but they all got in once the shark had gone,” Thorpe said. She believes most people understand that sharks are not generally a threat to people. “They are gentle giants really,” she said. “Sharks are magnificent creatures, I know some people are scared of them but they really don’t need to be.” Artist and environmen- talist Guy Harvey, who has been documenting life at the Sandbar for over a decade through his ocean founda- tion, said sharks do prey on the rays at the site. “It is spectacular when these predator-prey interac- tions happen. To be there [at] the right time [in] the right place is very lucky,” he said. “Hammerheads are the chief predator of southern sting- rays, so you will get these in- teractions from time to time.” He said it was great for tourists to get a close-up look at a great hammerhead, which is listed as an endan- gered species. He said they were resi- dent in the North Sound but not in significant numbers. “They are generally shy animals and stay away from people,” he said. “You won’t see them at the Sandbar when there are 200 people there.” The same was true of most sharks, he said, though his research teams have seen blacktip sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks and Caribbean reef sharks at the Sandbar on occasions over the years. All shark species are rel- atively scarce in Cayman and their populations are decreasing in the world generally. Sharks are pro- tected under Cayman’s Na- tional Conservation Law, and it is illegal to take them from the water. CORRECTION A story titled “Sick turtle restored to health” that ran in Tuesday’s Cayman Compass should have stated that Ebb the turtle underwent the MRI at 3T Cayman imaging clinic, rather than at CTMH Doctors Hospital. Exploring Cayman’s past in British Museum A group of Caymanians and Cayman students living in the United Kingdom vis- ited the British Museum in London on a VIP tour to ex- plore some behind-the-scenes collections of items relating to the Cayman Islands. The tour, organised by Cayman Connection UK and hosted by the Cayman Gov- ernment Office in the U.K., focussed on the history of currency and identity, and explored how the Cayman Is- lands currency showcases the identity of the country and its people through history. The group went on a pri- vate Cayman tour of the mu- seum’s Money Gallery, which displays the history of money around the world, from the earliest evidence to the latest developments in dig- ital technology, showcasing how money can be used as a way to understand the his- tory of the world, the identity of countries and how they choose to design their curren- cies. Kayte McSweeney, head of community partnerships for the museum, led the tour. The group was then taken to a private session with the British Museum’s Modern Money curator Thomas Hock- enhull who presented money collections, including historic notes and coins from the re- gion for discussion. “These partnerships are particularly important for the British Museum as we are able to focus on our col- lections, review any gaps we have and ask communities for further insight into those collections,” Hockenhull said. “When we were contacted by CCUK, I was able to re- view our Cayman collection and have since ordered more historic bank notes to com- plete the collection, I have also further researched how we can continue to improve our collections.” CCUK co-founder Kate Kandiah said in a press re- lease about the museum visit, “It is fascinating to see how Cayman is presented in cul- tural institutions in the U.K. and we find that more often than not these institutions welcome our input to their collections. This is the start of what we are calling our ‘CCUK cul- tural rampage’ around the U.K., to discover how the Cayman Islands is being pre- sented in museums across the country. “These partnerships with museums and institutions are invaluable to us to get an insider view into behind- the-scenes collections, and we are very grateful to the British Museum for taking the time to show us their Cayman artifacts and for their enthusiasm talking to us about our views.” CCUK is planning other cultural tours, including a visit to the Houses of Parlia- ment and the Zoological Mu- seum. Other upcoming events include a Cayman-themed pub quiz in April and an An- nual Reception in Cayman at the Governor’s Resi- dence in August. Kayte McSweeney, head of community partnerships at the British Museum, leads the Cayman delegation on a tour. The group went on a private Cayman tour of the museum’s Money Gallery, which displays the history of money around the world. Pictured from above, the distinctive head shape of the great hammerhead is clearly visible. - PHOTOS: KATIE THORPE, CARIBBEAN PRODUCER SERVICES Smile, you’re on camera: Photographer Katie Thorpe captured close-up images of a great hammerhead at the Stingray Sandbar.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 dartscholar.ky Beyond prestige and financial support for both high school and university students, the Dart Scholarship provides young Caymanians with life-changing experience in the real world of industry. If you’re a high achieving Caymanian student with aspirations to be a future leader and innovator, we invite you to apply for the 2019 programme. A whole new world of possibilities. It begins with a simple application. The Dart High School Scholarship Submit your application by 10 April 2019 Irish eyes shining on Little Cayman Maxine Moore of McCoy’s Lodge, left, on Little Cayman hosted a St. Patrick’s Day gathering at the weekend to help raise funds for an upcoming school trip for Little Cayman Primary School. Sponsors donated raffle prizes, which included a Cayman Airways round trip ticket to any of its destinations. Tickets are still available from Moore at McCoy’s Lodge or Little Cayman Primary School. - PHOTO: GEORGE NOWAK New report paints rosier picture of economy KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman’s economy may be bigger than economists originally thought. The Economics and Sta- tistics Office released a re- port earlier this month that uses a different methodology for calculating the territo- ry’s gross domestic product (GDP) – the monetary value of all goods and services produced within a given year – from 2006-2017. The Economics and Sta- tistics Office explained that the new methodology was used to put Cayman’s GDP calculations within interna- tional best standards. Often, this results in a downward adjustments to jurisdic- tions’ GDPs. However, “In the case of Cayman, the rebasing and benchmarking exercise com- pleted recently has led to significant improvements in the revised current and con- stant price GDP series,” the Economics and Statistics Of- fice stated. Under the new meth- odology, the Economics and Statistics Office calcu- lated Cayman’s GDP to be about $3.9 billion in 2015, which is roughly 27.5 per- cent larger than the $3 bil- lion estimate under the of- fice’s old methodology. GDP per capita increased accord- ingly from about $52,000 to more than $66,000. The growth rates through 2017 are 1.9 percent for the old GDP series and 1.5 percent for the rebased GDP series. The reason the growth rates are lower under the new methodology is partly due to Cayman experi- encing a larger recession from around 2008 through 2010. For instance, the old methodology calculated Cayman’s economy as con- tracting by 5.9 percent in 2009, but the new method- ology calculates a 6.6 per- cent contraction. One of the largest con- tributors to Cayman’s rosier economic picture is how the Economics and Statis- tics Office revised its cal- culations for financial in- termediation services – the bringing together of deposi- tors with borrowers who re- quire funding. Under the old method- ology, the office determined the value of these interme- diation services by calcu- lating the spread between the interest charged on loans in relation to interest paid on deposits. Under the new methodology, the of- fice determines the value of these services by using a more technical calcula- tion, and also includes all loans and deposits – not just those made from intermedi- ated funds, as was the case previously. This new way of cal- culating the value of fi- nancial intermediary ser- vices increased the value of such services by 53 per- cent, which added more than $200 million to the revised GDP estimates. Another major meth- odological change was how the Economics and Statistics Office treats work permits. Under the old method- ology, work permit fees were largely treated as “interme- diate consumption” – goods and services that are used up by businesses in the produc- tion process – and therefore not included in Cayman’s GDP estimates. The new methodology has a much larger proportion of work permit fees being treated as taxes, which includes them in the GDP figures. “Therefore, the concep- tual adjustment in the treat- ment of business work permit fees has resulted in an increase in the level of GDP of CI$58.1 million or 6.9 percent of the total in- crease,” the Economics and Statistics Office stated. Cayman is not the only jurisdiction that has a healthier economic outlook under the new way of cal- culating GDP. “The increase in the re- based GDP series for the Cayman Islands is not un- usual, as other countries which implemented re- cent rebasing and applica- tion of SNA 2008 showed the following increase in nominal GDP: Bahamas +27.6 percent in 2012 GDP; Nigeria +89.2 percent in 2013 GDP; Tanzania +27.8 percent in 2013 GDP; Mal- dives +19.5 percent in 2014 GDP; Zambia +25.2 percent in 2010 GDP; and Kenya +25.3 percent in 2013 GDP,” the office stated. The Economics and Sta- tistics Office’s efforts to re- calculate Cayman’s GDP fig- ures was a three-year project completed with the assis- tance of the Caribbean Tech- nical Assistance Centre. To read the full report, go to www.eso.ky. “ In the case of Cayman, the rebasing and benchmarking exercise completed recently has led to significant improvements in the revised current and constant price GDP series.” ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS OFFICEThe 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 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 PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” Kudos to government for moving forward on a 10-mile extension of the East-West Arterial Highway. Construction could begin in 2020. In the meantime, the National Roads Authority is working on short-term solutions to commuters’ daily headaches, Infrastruc- ture Minister Joey Hew told the Compass this week. Initially, the extension project was to be carried out in partnership with the developers of the Ironwood golf resort near Frank Sound. But as that development per- colates, with no definite timeline to completion, gov- ernment is wise to forge ahead. Public-private partner- ships usually are a more efficient use of resources, but easing traffic congestion from the eastern districts is a critical need. It seems as if every time a large project is proposed to the east of George Town, our cramped infrastruc- ture endangers its success – Ironwood, Health City and the Bodden Town landfill come immediately to mind. A robust arterial that allows free flow of heavy traffic would make it easier to live, work and play in the eastern districts. It would dramatically increase the quality of life for residents who prefer quieter, more affordable communities but dread the 45-minute (or longer) commute. But it would be a mistake to expect this extension, or any highway, to single-handedly solve our mad- dening daily gridlock. Just as with previous improve- ments and upgrades, we suspect it will make some travel easier, exacerbate bottlenecks in other areas and leave still other congested roads entirely unchanged. The fact is, as it has been said, Grand Cayman cannot pave its way out of traffic headaches. There is a limit to the amount of asphalt our small island can comfortably accommodate. Luckily, we are not alone in the struggle – small and dense jurisdictions the world over have grappled with overwhelming traffic flows. We can learn from their experiences. As Hew told the Compass, the long-term fix must include alternative and public transportation options. There are tremendous growth opportunities in our bus system, particularly for commuters. Expanding bus routes and increasing ridership could remove hundreds of cars from our busy roads. Long-term planning could divert traffic over time from cramped and congested areas and incorporate street and sidewalk improvements that encourage walking and cycling – perhaps by improving road shoul- ders, adding or connecting sidewalks, and planting shade trees to make paths more attractive and provide protection from the sun. Most importantly, all improvements must be stra- tegic elements in a comprehensive road plan which, itself, meshes into a larger infrastructure framework that includes the airport, ports, public transport, water and wastewater, telecommunications, electricity and essential services, like hospitals and schools. A well-designed, maintained and functioning trans- portation system is not unlike a body’s circulatory system, bringing energy, activity and vitality to every district. Our current, inadequate system diminishes residents’ and visitors’ experiences and threatens our long-term economic growth. In fact, we would bet that many residents’ com- plaints about Grand Cayman’s ‘overdevelopment’ stem not from our changing skyline as much as from our inadequate infrastructure. This does not have to be a permanent condition. With long-range comprehen- sive planning and adequate resources, we can develop world-class systems with plenty of room for growth. Proper planning offers plenty of room to grow WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS ISHAAN THAROOR A couple of months ago, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hobnobbed among the billionaires and global cognoscenti gath- ered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She extolled the fight against climate change alongside Britain’s Prince William and championed her govern- ment’s plans to prioritise the societal – not just eco- nomic – “well-being” of her country. In a polite rebuke of President Donald Trump and other right-wing politi- cians, Ardern said she hoped world leaders would recog- nise the virtue of “more com- passionate” domestic policies that would obviate “the false promise of protectionism and isolation”. Then she partied with Google. Ardern, whose personal magnetism drove her La- bour Party to electoral vic- tory in 2017, has appeared in a Vogue photo spread and on American late-night tele- vision. When she gave birth to a baby in office – and then brought her 3-month-old daughter to the United Na- tions General Assembly last year – the unusual precedent only burnished her image as a global feminist icon. There even was a term for her ce- lebrity: “Jacindamania”. But not all at Davos were impressed with the charis- matic, liberal and young – Ar- dern is just 38 – world leader. Speaking on the condi- tion of anonymity to Today’s WorldView, one Western fund manager with dealings in the Asia-Pacific region scoffed that Ardern “was just a less annoying Justin Trudeau with an easier country to run” – a jab both at her and the Canadian prime min- ister, another darling of the centre left who critics argue has traded too long on his rosy image rather than actual policy achievements. As my Washington Post colleague Anna Fifield wrote Monday, Ardern has “had plenty of political trials and tribulations”. Fifield ex- plained: “Her handling of the economy has been criticised, and her efforts to introduce more affordable housing have been plagued by embar- rassing bureaucratic blun- ders. Detractors said she was all style and no substance.” And, then, the terrorist attack in Christchurch hap- pened. Since a self-pro- claimed white supremacist burst into two mosques in the South Island city Friday, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens more, Ar- dern has become the face of her nation’s sorrow and grief, and its resolve. Observers hailed the calm and compassion she has shown in the wake of the worst mass killing in her country’s modern history. She led a multiparty delegation from the country’s capital, Wellington, to Christchurch, donning a black headscarf and mourning with rela- tives and friends of the vic- tims. She also promised to cover the funeral costs of all those slain. She immediately decried the white-nationalist ide- ology that fuelled the mas- sacre and spoke firmly for what she believed were her country’s values. Now, Ardern says she will pursue changing New Zea- land’s gun laws. She said that her government will an- nounce plans “within 10 days of this horrific act of ter- rorism” that she believes will make “our community safer”. My colleagues reported that the “measures could include restricting the military-style semi-automatic weapons that were used in the attacks”. Ar- dern has discussed full bans on these semi-automatic weapons as well as poten- tially requiring licences for individual guns. American advocates for gun control can only look on wistfully at the pace with which Ardern can act. Both the United States and New Zealand “are among the only nations without universal gun registration rules, and both have strong gun lob- bies that have stalled pre- vious attempts to rein in gun owners’ liberties”, noted my colleague Rick Noack. But he added that Ardern has less to fear politically in her country than a liberal American leader, who would have to contend with the outsize influence of the Na- tional Rifle Association and a political system that gives disproportionate weight to rural, conservative parts of the country. With her reputation bur- nished in the aftermath of national tragedy, Ardern finds herself in a situation sim- ilar to that of former Norwe- gian prime minister (and now NATO secretary general) Jens Stoltenberg, who won plau- dits for his compassion and poise after another white- nationalist terrorist, Anders Breivik, murdered 77 people in 2011. In a speech, he fa- mously vowed to combat “hatred with love”. But Stol- tenberg’s aura soon faded, es- pecially after a 2012 enquiry found that his government could have thwarted the at- tack. He was voted out of of- fice in 2013. For now, Arden’s polit- ical prospects are more ro- bust. While Trump goes on a weekly Twitter meltdown and British Prime Minister Theresa May fumbles over Brexit, Ardern’s decisive- ness and conviction have laid down a marker. “Was there any substance to her? That question is asked of all women leaders,” wrote Guardian columnist Suzanne Moore. “What is un- derneath? Where is the steel? Now, in the most horrific of circumstances, we have seen the steel.” Ishaan Tharoor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post. © 2019, The Washington Post Writers Group. All the world is watching New Zealand’s Ardern But not all at Davos were impressed with the charismatic, liberal and young - Ardern is just 38 - world leader.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 SECURE YOUR PROPERTY WITH THE BEST DEALS IN SURVEILLANCE CAMERA SYSTEMS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ON ISLAND . The Security Centre has three exceptional CCTV deals that just can’t be matched. 3 The Gold Standard: a complete digital, four camera IP system – precision viewing at just $1799 The Security Centre guarantees that we will beat any price on a comparable system. Call the Security Centre for your demo today at 949-0004 or visit us online at security.ky 2 The Eagle Eye Special: a high-definition system perfect for the home and small businesses - $1549 All systems offer mobile device access - so you can check on your property remotely. bring an existing security camera system into high-definition – using existing cabling - at just $999 1 The Phoenix HD Upgrade: Series to tackle bullying behaviour MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Clinical psychologist Erica Lam says children who are bullied are at greater risk for attempting suicide. Lam, clinical director for the Alex Panton Foundation, said the foundation, along with the Ministry of Com- munity Affairs, plan to bring that message to the public and will present the first in a series of seminars on the pre- vention of bullying behaviour Thursday evening. Lam said the programme is an effort to focus on be- haviours that are linked to suicide, as revealed in a re- cent survey, and educate the public in dealing with those behaviours. She said the pro- gramme is directed at par- ents, youth leaders, youth coaches and other adults that work with children. A similar series of lec- tures last year focussed on educating the public about children who engage in self- harm, another behaviour that is associated with increased risk of suicide. “The idea is to address each of these risk factors,” Lam said, noting that other such factors include phys - ical and/or sexual abuse, and binge drinking. “We want to bring the commu- nity all to the same level of understanding.” Lam plans to provide those attending with infor- mation on recognising the start of bullying behaviour and tools to intervene. “How do you nip that in the bud, where teasing be- comes verbal bullying?” she said. Once that transition takes place, the behaviour can snowball. Children with mental health issues are particu- larly vulnerable as bullying targets, Lam said, and they often react to such instances in a way that encourages further bullying, creating a downward spiral. Thursday’s event is from 6:30-8 p.m. at Webster Memo- rial Church Hall in Bodden Town. Other presentations will be held: ■■ April 9, John Gray Memo- rial Church, West Bay; ■■ April 30, East End Civic Centre, East End; ■■ May 8, North Side Civic Centre, North Side; ■■ May 21, South Sound Civic Centre, George Town. All times are 6:30-8 p.m. The two agencies also plan to present a series of seminars on recognising at- risk behaviour in young men. Lam said troubled boys typ- ically engage in such things as antisocial behaviour, gang- related activities and car- rying weapons. Those behav- iours can also make boys more susceptible to suicide, she said, adding that there is a disproportionate success rate between genders. “Men are three times more successful at taking their own lives [than women],” she said. The young men at risk seminars are scheduled for the following days, all times are 6:30-8 p.m.: ■■ June 5, Bodden Town Civic Centre, Bodden Town; ■■ June 19, John Gray Memorial Church Hall, West Bay; ■■ July 3, East End Civic Centre, East End; ■■ Aug. 7, South Sound Civic Centre, George Town; ■■ Aug. 28, North Side Civic Centre, North Side. Erica Lam is clinical director for the Alex Panton Foundation. NORTH SIDER WINS AGRICULTURE SHOW $20K RAFFLE DRAW JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Mariza Dixon, a resident of North Side, is the winner of the Cayman Islands Ag- riculture Show $20,000 raffle draw. “I don’t know what I will do with it. Maybe I will put it in the bank, I am happy and excited … this is awesome,” said Dixon as she collected her prize money on Monday. Her three daughters were just as excited and had some suggestions for how mum should spend the money. “I want to go shopping,” Al- anis said, while Samara said she wanted to go away on a trip and Selena said she also needed a vacation. Dixon said she bought the ticket at the gate on the day of the Agriculture Show, March 13. In a brief ceremony, George Smith, Agricultural Society president, presented Dixon and other raffle win- ners with their prizes at the society’s office at the Agricul- ture Pavilion. Heather Jackson won a Stihl Garden package from A.L. Thompson’s; Timmy Ebanks won an iPhone from Flow; Riley Corbin won a staycation at the Reef Re- sort; Leanora Smikkle re- ceived a “potted plant sur- prise” from Growing Beauty Nursery; Gina Connolly won dinner for two at the Wharf Restaurant; Marvell McCann won a gift of fruit trees from Vigoro; Hallie Givzio won a sailing trip for two to the Stingray Sandbar and Rum Point from Red Sail Sports. Mariza Dixon, winner of the 2019 Agricultural Show’s $20,000 grand prize, with her daughters, from left, Selena, Samara and Alanis.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Based on a visit to the Cayman Islands in December 2017, the report analyses the level of Cayman’s compliance with 40 Financial Action Task Force standards to combat money laundering and ter- rorism financing. Unlike previous anti- money laundering assess- ments of Cayman, the fourth round of mutual evaluations focusses on how effective Cayman’s anti-money laun- dering regime is in practice. On a positive note, the CFATF assessors detected “a solid and highly professional institutional framework” and found that almost all finan- cial and non-financial repre- sentatives they interviewed “displayed a solid under- standing of risks and are skilled in applying relevant control measures”. The CFATF further cred- ited Cayman with “a high level of commitment” to en- suring the anti-money laun- dering framework is robust and capable of safeguarding the integrity of the jurisdic- tion’s financial sector. The cooperation and co- ordination in the Cayman Islands through the Inter Agency Coordination Com- mittee and the Anti-Money Laundering Steering Group works well, the CFATF said, but it requires further in- tegration and cooperation among law enforcement or- ganisations and the Financial Reporting Authority at the operational level. Although money laun- dering offences are investi- gated and prosecuted, this involved almost exclusively minor domestic predicate offences. Given the short- comings of national risk as- sessment, the report noted, this “may not be fully com- mensurate with [Cayman’s] risk profile”. While money laundering investigations and prosecu- tions focus on the identifi- cation of assets that could be seized, the results are “modest” and there could be greater use of civil forfeiture. Despite the resources available to the Royal Cayman Islands Police Ser- vice and the Office of the Di- rector of Public Prosecutions, “large and complex financial investigations and prosecu- tions have not been identi- fied, or pursued, and there is limited focus on stand-alone [money laundering] cases and foreign generated predicate offences”, the report said, adding that there remain fun- damental challenges in how the jurisdiction identifies in- stances of money laundering and terrorism financing for investigation. The Financial Reporting Authority, which deals with all suspicious activity reports in Cayman, does not have the tools to assist investigative authorities in the identifica- tion of cases, the CFATF said. Assessors found that the Financial Reporting Au- thority has not been able to sufficiently analyse and dis- close the reports in time, nor does it have access to wider relevant information. “The result is that there is a low level of usage of FRA’s disclosures to supplement in- vestigations, and they have been used to a negligible ex- tent to initiate investiga- tions,” the report said. Some of the legislative changes had not come in time for the assessors to evaluate their effectiveness. For in- stance, a risk-based super- visory regime for dealers in precious metals and stones, real estate agents and ac- countants had not been fully implemented. In addition, the re- port said, more information should be collected on ex- cluded persons under the Se- curities Investment Business Law, who must also imple- ment appropriate anti-money laundering policies, proce- dures and controls. In terms of transparency, basic information on legal persons is available through the General Registry’s web- site, but not for legal ar- rangements and exempted companies, the CFATF said. Challenges also exist in the verification and ongoing maintenance of the ultimate beneficial ownership infor- mation in the case of partner- ships where the information required does not include the beneficial owner. The Cayman Islands government responded to the report’s finding by ap- pointing a dedicated task force, made up of the pre- mier, the attorney general, the deputy governor, and the ministers for financial ser- vices, commerce and finance, to oversee the implemen- tation of a “comprehensive action plan”. The task force will coor- dinate the implementation of the plan and lead the sev- eral initiatives with the aim of remedying the identified shortcomings within a year. “The Cayman Islands re- main fully committed to up- holding the highest global standards on money laun- dering and terrorist fi- nancing,” Premier Alden McLaughlin said. “Our anti- money laundering and counter-financial terrorism action plan will send a clear signal that we intend to maintain those standards.” “Work is already un- derway to improve infor- mation gathering, more rig- orously monitor financial activity and enhance enforce- ment including the confisca- tion of assets,” he added. After a 12-month observa- tion period, the FATF’s Inter- national Cooperation Review Group is set to issue a report on Cayman’s progress. The evaluation of Cayman’s anti-money laundering rules and practices was adopted by the CFATF Plenary held in Barbados in November 2018, but only published on Tuesday. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 on Thursday, Grenada on Sat- urday and Cuba on Sunday before reaching Cayman next Wednesday. Immediately upon his ar- rival, the Prince of Wales will participate in the opening ceremony for the renovated Owen Roberts International Airport. After that, he will go to Government House for a meeting with Governor Martyn Roper and Premier Alden McLaughlin. The next day, Prince Charles will travel to the Sister Islands, where he will open the new swimming pool on Cayman Brac and participate in a marine-focussed event at the Central Caribbean Marine Institute on Little Cayman. When he returns to Grand Cayman later that day, he will visit the blue iguanas at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, which was opened by his mother in 1994, and par- ticipate in the opening of the Children’s Garden there. After that, the prince will meet Governor Roper and mem- bers of the RCIPS Air Opera- tions Unit who were deployed to help out in Caribbean is- lands in the aftermath of the 2017 hurricanes. The Duchess of Cornwall will also have a busy day, vis- iting George Town Primary School for a cultural event, as well as attending the opening of the new Jasmine hos- pice centre. The visit will be capped off with a reception hosted by Premier McLaughlin at Pedro St. James, where Prince Charles will award Deputy Governor Franz Man- derson with the MBE honour. The Royals will depart after the reception. conveyed to Grand Cayman. Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne said, “Interdic- tions of this scale demon- strate both the continued need for strong border secu- rity enforcement efforts and also the dangers that offi- cers can encounter while pro- tecting our borders out on the open water. The presence of firearms on the drug vessel underscores the nexus be- tween the drug trade and im- portation of illegal firearms to the island, and makes our vigilance, as well as that of our partner agencies, all the more necessary.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Prince Charles and Camilla begin Caribbean tour Shots fired in ocean drug bust Around 900 pounds of ganja, worth an estimated $800,000 in Cayman, was seized in the drug bust. - PHOTO: RCIPS EMPLOYER FACES ‘HISTORICAL’ PENSION CHARGES CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com An employer ap- peared in Summary Court on Tuesday facing eight charges of failing without reasonable cause to provide a pension plan or make contributions to a pension plan for employees, with one of the charges dating from Jan. 1, 1999. The National Pensions Law came into effect on June 1, 1998. Magistrate Valdis Fol- dats called the case of Kingsley Donalds and Sons “historical” in terms of the number of employees in- volved and the length of time over which the of- fenses allegedly occurred. For six employees, the charges referred to periods of employment starting in 2006 and ending on Oct. 24, 2018, roughly 12 years. The shortest period of alleged non-payment was from April 1, 2009. Defense attorney Richard Barton, who ap- peared for the company and for Kingsley Donalds personally, suggested that pleas could be entered at the defendants’ next appearance. The magistrate set April 23 as the next mention date. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are scheduled to reach Cayman on March 27. - PHOTO: CLARENCE HOUSE Money laundering report finds ‘major deficiencies’ in Cayman SALMONELLA SCARE PROMPTS PILLSBURY FLOUR RECALL Cayman’s Department of Environmental Health is advising the public that the U.S. Food and Drug Ad- ministration has issued a recall of some Pillsbury flour products due to the likelihood of salmonella contamination. Bags of Pillsbury Un- bleached All-Purpose 5lb Flour bearing best-by dates of April 19, 2020, and April 20, 2020, are being recalled. The DEH said its envi- ronmental health officers had contacted all whole- salers and supermarkets in the Cayman Islands to en- sure that they do not offer the affected product for sale to the public. Pillsbury manafacturer Hometown Food Company says there have been no re- ported illnesses associated with the flour, and it volun- tarily recalled the product out of an abundance of caution. The DEH urges members of the public not to use the affected items and return previously bought packages to the point of purchase. The department also encourages those who feel that they have become ill from food containing flour as an ingre- dient, to contact their med- ical provider immediately. The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 Pope nixes cardinal resignation after cover-up Pope Francis has declined to accept the resignation of French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, who was convicted of failing to report a known predator priest to police. A Vatican spokesman says Francis instead asked Barbarin during their audience on Monday to do what he thinks is best for the Lyon archdiocese. T he Headmaster, Mr Chris Lumb, invites you and your family to join him for a lunchtime event to discover Clongowes Wood College SJ. Clongowes is Ireland’s leading seven day boarding school for boys set in beautiful surroundings in Co. Kildare, just 40 minutes from Dublin airport. Join us to discover what makes Clongowes such a special place. DISCOVER CLONGOWES MARCH 31ST AT 12 NOON - THE WESTIN RESORT, GRAND CAYMAN RSVP by March 25th to Áine Corcoran. Email: admissions@clongowes.net or call +353 (0)45 838 258 Cyclone’s huge floods endanger thousands in southern Africa CHIMANIMANI, Zimbabwe (AP) – Rapidly rising floodwa- ters have created “an inland ocean” in Mozambique en- dangering scores of thou- sands of families, aid workers said Tuesday as they scram- bled to rescue survivors of Cyclone Idai who clung to rooftops and trees. Hundreds were dead, many more were missing and thousands were at risk in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Mozambique’s Presi- dent Filipe Nyusi has said the death toll could reach 1,000. Emergency workers called it the region’s most destruc- tive flooding in 20 years. Heavy rains are expected to continue through Thursday. “This is a major human- itarian emergency that is getting bigger by the hour,” said Herve Verhoosel with the World Food Programme. Many people were “crammed on rooftops and elevated patches of land outside the port city of Beira” and WFP was rescuing as many as pos- sible and airdropping food, water and blankets, he said. Mozambique’s Pungue and Buzi rivers had over- flowed, creating “inland oceans extending for miles and miles in all directions”, Verhoosel said. Dams have reached 95 percent to 100 percent capacity. “People visible from the air may be the lucky ones and the top priority now is to rescue as many as pos- sible,” he said. The extent of the damage was not yet known as many areas remained impassible. With key roads washed away, aid groups were trying to get badly needed food, medicine and fuel into hard-hit Beira, a city of some 500,000 people, by air and sea. Cyclone Idai swept across central Mozam- bique before dropping huge amounts of rain in neigh- bouring Zimbabwe’s eastern mountains. That rainfall is now rushing back through Mozambique, further inun- dating the already flooded countryside. “It’s dire,” Caroline Haga of the Red Cross told The As- sociated Press from Beira. “We did an aerial surveil- lance yesterday and saw people on rooftops and in tree branches. The waters are still rising and we are des- perately trying to save as many as possible.” Satellite images were helping the rescue teams to target the most critical areas, Haga said. Rescue op- erations were based at Beira airport, one of the few places in the city with working communications. The waters flooded a swath of land more than 30 miles wide in central Mo- zambique, said the aid group Save the Children, and more than 100,000 people were at risk. “The assessment emerging from Mozambique today is chilling,” said Machiel Pouw, Save the Children’s response leader in Mozambique. “Thousands of children lived in areas completely engulfed by water. In many places, no roofs or tree tops are even visible above the floods.” Torrential rain was still lashing the region, and Buzi town could be entirely sub- merged within 24 hours, the aid group said. Hardest hit is Beira, where thousands of homes have been destroyed. The city and surrounding areas have no power and nearly all communication lines have been destroyed. Beira’s main hospital has been badly damaged. The cities of Dondo and Chimoio are also badly affected. Beira could face a “se- rious fuel shortage” in the coming days, WFP said, and its power grid is expected to be non-functional through the end of the month. In Zimbabwe the death toll rose to 98, the gov- ernment said. The moun- tain town of Chimanimani was badly hit. Several roads leading into the town were cut off, with the only access by helicopter. Residents ex- pected the death toll to rise. “We did over 38 burials this morning,” Absolom Makanga, a Salvation Army divisional commander, told the AP. “It is difficult. We have to walk long distances because the roads are cut off but also because some- times the graves are then washed away.” A woman trudges through a muddied path to safer ground in Chimanimani, southeast of Harare, Zimbabwe, Monday. - PHOTO: AP8 WORLD®IONAL WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Churchill’s Funeral Home We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. William Ivan Wood AKA “Buddy”, who passed away on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. A Thanksgiving Service will be held at Webster Memorial United Church, Bodden Town on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. Viewing: Closed Casket In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Alzheimer's & Dementia Association of the Cayman Islands. Interment at: Family Cemetery (Pease Bay) Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com of 019. own the hillsfuneralhome.com UK aims to salvage Brexit deal as EU says make up your mind LONDON (AP) – Prime Min- ister Theresa May’s Brexit plan has been derailed in Parliament. Now she is at the mercy of an exasperated Eu- ropean Union. May was preparing Tuesday to ask the EU for a delay of at least several months to Brexit after the speaker of the House of Commons ruled that she cannot keep asking lawmakers to vote on the same divorce deal that they have already re- jected twice. Chief EU Brexit negoti- ator Michel Barnier said the bloc would not automati- cally grant the request. He said a long extension “must be linked to something new, a new event, or a new polit- ical process”. “The real question is, what is the purpose of it. What is it for?” Barnier said in Brussels. “To get out of this un- certainty, we need choices and decision from the United Kingdom.” May had hoped to win over her domestic opponents and bring her deal back to Parliament before a summit of the 28-nation bloc in Brus- sels on Thursday and Friday. That plan was scuttled Monday by House of Com- mons Speaker John Bercow, who declared that Parliament can only vote again if the deal is “fundamentally dif- ferent” to the version rejected by 230 votes in January and 149 votes last week. The deadlock leaves Brit- ain’s plan to exit the Euro- pean Union – still scheduled to take place on March 29 – in limbo. The prime minister’s Downing St. office said May will send a letter formally requesting an extension to European Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday or Wednesday. Downing St. would not say how long a delay she plans to ask for. If the Brexit deal was ap- proved, May had planned to ask the bloc for an extension until June 30 in order for Parliament to pass the nec- essary legislation for Brit- ain’s departure. Now a much longer delay looks likely. May has warned opponents that a failure to approve her agreement would mean a long, and possibly in- definite, delay to Britain’s de- parture from the EU. It could also mean Britain crashing out of the bloc next week without a deal, even though Parliament has voted to rule out that option. By law, the U.K. will leave the EU on March 29, deal or no deal, unless it secures a delay from the bloc. With- drawing without a deal could mean huge disruption for businesses and people in the U.K. and the 27 remaining EU countries. The EU is intensely frus- trated with Britain’s polit- ical paralysis, and says it will only grant an extension if U.K. politicians break their deadlock and come up with new proposals. “If there is no decision, the date of March 29 comes and then it’s a ‘no-deal,’” French European affairs minister Nathalie Loiseau said. “For the British to decide nothing is to decide on a ‘no-deal.’” Loiseau said U.K. law- makers “have said no to a ‘no- deal’ and they have said no to a realistic deal. They have to change their mind on one of the two options”. A top official at the French presidency said a British re- quest would be assessed on “two criteria: Is there a new plan likely to win a majority, and what will be the impact on the European Union?” “The EU’s interests will be put before anything else,” said the official, who isn’t authorized to speak publicly in line with the presidency’s customary practices. Germany’s European af- fairs minister, Michael Roth, said he expected “clear and precise proposals” from Britain. “We are really exhausted by these negotiations,” Roth said at an EU foreign minis- ters meeting in Brussels be- fore the leaders’ summit. EU leaders have been left bemused by Bercow’s ruling, in which he cited a 400-year- old parliamentary precedent against voting repeatedly on the same issue. “I’ll concede that I wasn’t actively aware of the British Parliament’s rules of proce- dure from the 17th century, so I took note of this with interest yesterday,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. The British government is enraged at Bercow, believing he has overstepped the bounds of his role as speaker. As interpreter and enforcer of Parliament’s rules, the speaker has broad powers. But some ministers have accused him of plunging Britain into a constitutional crisis by upsetting the bal- ance of power between the government and Parliament. “It’s a political crisis,” said Catherine Haddon, a se- nior fellow at the Institute for Government think-tank. “It is shambolic and I think it’s showing up many of the con- fusing aspects of our consti- tution – particularly the con- voluted parliamentary rules that have been a difficulty for MPs (members of Parliament) throughout this process.” May, meanwhile, has not given up on getting her deal approved. She could try to bring it back to Parliament next week if it can win over enough opponents. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said that despite Ber- cow’s ruling, the deal could be voted on again if “the cir- cumstances have changed”. “The fact that a number of members of Parliament have said that they will change their votes points to the fact that there are things that are different,” he told Sky News. An anti-Brexit, remain in the European Union supporter stands by European and British Union flags placed opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday. – PHOTO: AP May had hoped to win over her domestic opponents and bring her deal back to Parliament before a summit of the 28-nation bloc in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Dutch prosecutors consider terror motive in shooting UTRECHT, Netherlands (AP) – Investigators probing the deadly tram shooting in the Dutch city of Utrecht sharp- ened their focus Tuesday on a possible extremist motive, as judicial authorities revealed that the main suspect was re- leased from jail this month and faces a rape trial in July. The nature of the Mon- day’s attack and a note found in a suspected getaway car suggest a possible terror mo- tive, prosecutors said in a statement, but they add that other possible reasons also are being investigated. “Based on the letter, we think he had a terroristic motive,” police spokesman Joost Lanshage told The As- sociated Press. He declined to elaborate. Speaking in parliament, anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders said the note ex- pressed support for the sus- pect’s “Muslim brothers”. Prosecutors also said that investigations so far have not established any relationship at all between the main sus- pect, Gokmen Tanis, and the shooting victims. Three people died: a 19-year-old woman from the neighbouring town of Vianen, and two men aged 28 and 49 from Utrecht. Three others were se- riously wounded and four more suffered minor injuries, according to prosecutors. Tanis, a 37-year-old man of Turkish descent, was being held on suspicion of “manslaughter with ter- rorist intent”. He was arrested Monday evening after an hours-long manhunt that nearly para- lyzed the Netherlands’ fourth- largest city and sent shock- waves through the nation. Police recovered a weapon when they arrested him. In an unusual step, ju- dicial authorities released details of Tanis’ criminal past, and said he was re- cently released from jail and faces trial in July on a rape charge. In the past, he was ac- quitted of manslaughter but convicted of illegal posses- sion of a weapon and theft. Wilders called on Jus- tice Minister Ferd Grapper- haus to resign, saying that Tanis should not have been released from jail. “You are politically re- sponsible for this,” Wilders said during a parliamentary debate. “You have to resign, get out of here.” Police spokesman Martin de Wit said that three people – the alleged shooter and two others whose involve- ment was being investigated – were in custody following Monday’s attack. The tram shootings came just days after 50 people were killed when an immigrant- hating Australian white su- premacist opened fire in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during Friday prayers. There was no indica- tion of any link between the two events. In a ceremonial session in parliament, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that because of the attack in Utrecht, “we feel an even stronger bond with the people of Christchurch”. He said the shooting “was not a bad dream but the hard reality with which we woke up”. Prosecutors were ques- tioning all three suspects and it was not clear when Tanis would be brought before an investigating judge. Such hearings are gen- erally held to request sus- pects are detained for longer pending further investigations. Members of the public and Utrecht’s mayor on Tuesday placed flowers near the busy traffic intersection where the gunfire erupted Monday on a tram. One bouquet carried a message in Dutch saying: “We are sad and deeply shaken. Utrecht has been hit hard; straight through the heart. Strength!! Peace and Love.” Dutch and Turkish media citing his neighbours in Utrecht have speculated that the shooting may have been linked to a relationship, but that appears increasingly un- likely after prosecutors said none of the victims were known to the main suspect. Dutch media published details of two of the vic- tims killed Monday – the 19-year-old woman report- edly worked in a cafe in Vi- anen, and a father-of-three who volunteered as a soccer coach in Vleuten, a town west of Utrecht. A phone call from The Associated Press to the cafe Tuesday morning went unanswered. The soccer club posted a message saying it heard “with great dismay and as- tonishment” that the trainer of an under-19 boys’ team and under-11 girls’ team died in the shooting. Dutch railroad infrastruc- ture company ProRail con- firmed that one of its em- ployees was among the dead. “The terrible events of yesterday and the loss of our colleague have hit us hard,” CEO Pier Eringa said in a statement.9 WORLD®IONAL CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2019 Brazil’s Trump-friendly president heading to the White House Former Peru president arrested in California for drunkenness SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Former Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, wanted in his home country in connec- tion with Latin America’s biggest graft scandal, was arrested in California on sus- picion of public intoxication and spent the night in jail be- fore being released Monday, authorities said. Toledo is accused of taking $20 million in bribes while leading Peru. He has been living in the San Fran- cisco Bay Area, and Peruvian authorities have been seeking his extradition since 2017. However, the arrest ap- pears unlikely to hasten that process. The 72-year-old Toledo was arrested after officers were called to a restaurant in Menlo Park just south of San Francisco, said San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office spokes- woman Rosemerry Blank- swade. Toledo was drunk and had refused requests to leave the establishment, she said. He was released without charges, which Blankswade said is routine for most public drunkenness arrests. Toledo was Peru’s presi- dent from 2001 to 2006 and developed a reputation for partying. His presidential air- craft became known as the “party plane” after a govern- ment official was caught on camera drunkenly singing a popular tune called “Pass Me the Bottle” while aboard a flight to Europe. Toledo has denied reports about drinking. After Toledo left power, in- coming President Alan Garcia published a tally of Tole- do’s liquor purchases during his time in the presidential palace: $164,000 in spirits, whisky, wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages. Peruvian prosecutors ac- cuse Toledo of taking $20 mil- lion in bribes from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht while president. He has de- nied wrongdoing. In February 2017, then-President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski asked Presi- dent Donald Trump to deport the ex-Peruvian president. Blankswade said the in- ternational police organ- isation Interpol issued a “warning” to law enforcement agencies around the world to notify it when Toledo was ar- rested. Interpol officials told the San Mateo County sher- iff’s office they had no im- mediate plans to take Toledo into custody. “After reaching out to Pe- ruvian officials and Interpol, we learned that the existence of charges in Peru alone does not authorise the subject’s arrest in the United States,” Blankswade said. Toledo brushed off ques- tions about his arrest on suspicion of public drunk- enness during a brief radio interview Monday with Pe- ru’s RPP radio. “I’m at my home, writing my book,” he said when a re- porter reached him on the phone. Asked if he could clarify whether he had been detained, he said, “I’m not falling into that trap.” Interpol officials did not immediately return phone messages left with the or- ganisation’s U.S. office in Washington. In a statement, Peru’s for- eign ministry said Toledo’s detention “has no relation with the extradition process under way, which is being handled with the utmost zeal and in coordination with var- ious institutions”. Odebrecht in 2016 ac- knowledged in a plea agree- ment with the U.S. Justice Department to paying some $800 million in bribes to politicians throughout Latin America. The scandal has hit a particularly rough note in Peru, where nearly every living president is suspected or under investigation for ties to Odebrecht. All of Peru’s former presidents have denied wrongdoing. Toledo moved to Northern California shortly after leaving office to work and study at Stanford University in Palo Alto, according to a 2007 San Francisco Chron- icle report. Toledo earned a doctoral degree in education and two master’s degrees from Stan- ford, where he delivered the commencement speech to the school’s graduating class of 2003 while still in office. The public drunken- ness arrest marks the latest chapter in what has been a stunning fall from grace for the man who rose out of poverty to become Peru’s first president with indig- enous roots. WASHINGTON (AP) – The Bra- zilian leader who has been dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics” is ready for his first White House visit. President Donald Trump will meet Tuesday with Bra- zil’s new president, the hard- right Jair Bolsonaro. The two leaders are expected to dis- cuss a range of issues, in- cluding ways to increase U.S. private sector investment in Brazil and resolve the polit- ical crisis in Venezuela. Both leaders are fierce critics of Venezuela’s socialist Presi- dent Nicolas Maduro. Bolsonaro pledged during his campaign to build closer ties with the U.S. and has often expressed admiration for Trump. He sought to un- derscore his pro-America stance with a tweet upon his arrival Sunday. “For the first time in a while, a pro-America Bra- zilian president arrives in DC,” he wrote. “It’s the begin- ning of a partnership focused on liberty and prosperity, something that all of us Bra- zilians have long wished for.” Bolsonaro continued that message in remarks to the U.S. Chamber of Com- merce Monday. “Nowadays, you have a president who is a friend of the United States who admires this beautiful country,” he said. The Brazilian president, who arrived in the country with a half-dozen minis- ters and a goal of expanding trade and diplomatic cooper- ation between the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, also made an unusual visit to CIA head- quarters in Langley, Vir- ginia, on Monday. Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, a Brazilian lawmaker ac- companying him on his first bilateral overseas trip, de- scribed the CIA as “one of the most respected intelli- gence agencies in the world” in a tweet that was likely to raise eyebrows back home in Brazil, where the U.S. and its spy services have been regarded with suspicion in recent years. Bolsonaro succeeded a leftist who at times had a frosty relationship with the United States. In 2013, leaks from Edward Snowden re- vealed that the National Se- curity Agency had wire- tapped conversations of former President Dilma Rousseff, leading to several years of tense relations be- tween the U.S. and Brazil. His insurgent, social media-powered campaign has been likened to Trump’s 2016 effort. Like Trump, he painted himself as repre- senting “the people” standing up against “the elite”, blasted unflattering stories as “fake news”, and mimicked Trump’s “America First” catch phrase, pledging to put “Brazil First”. In his speech to the Chamber of Commerce, Bol- sonaro made that compar- ison himself, describing how he has had to contend with “fake news” and tough cov- erage from established news organizations. “We want to have a great Brazil just like Trump wants to have a great America,” he said. The speech came after the two countries signed sev- eral bilateral agreements, in- cluding one that allows the United States to use Bra- zil’s Alcantara Aerospace Launch Base for its satel- lites, and Brazil announced an end to visa requirements for U.S. tourists who visit the country. Brazil is seeking U.S. help with its efforts to join the Or- ganisation for Economic Co- operation and Development and to expand trade. The Bolsonaro administration is seeking to reduce public sector spending and privatize state enterprises to reduce debt and grow its economy. Venezuela is also expected to be a subject of discussion. A senior U.S. administration official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, noted that Brazil has a close relationship with Venezuela’s military and may be able to serve as a go-between with the security forces that con- tinue to support Maduro. Brazil, like the U.S., has recognised the leader of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as Venezuela’s in- terim president under the argument that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate. “We have to sort Vene- zuela out,” Bolsonaro said. “We cannot leave them the way they are. We have to free the nation of Venezuela.” Bolsonaro pledged during his campaign to build closer ties with the U.S. and has often expressed admiration for Trump. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks at the Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Monday. - PHOTO: AP Alejandro Toledo is seen in his booking photo. SUPREME COURT RULES AGAINST IMMIGRANTS IN DETENTION CASE WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday against a group of immigrants in a case about the government’s power to detain them after they have committed crimes but fin- ished their sentences. The issue in the case be- fore the justices had to do with the detention of non- citizens who have com- mitted a broad range of crimes that make them de- portable. Immigration law tells the government to pick those people up when they are released from custody and then hold them while an immigration court de- cides whether they should be deported. But those affected by the law are not always picked up immediately and are sometimes not detained until years later. In the case before the Supreme Court, a group of mostly green card holders argued that unless they are picked up essen- tially within a day of being released, they should be en- titled to a hearing where they can argue that they aren’t a danger to the com- munity and are not likely to flee. If a judge were to agree, they would not have to remain in custody while their deportation case goes forward. That is the same hearing rule that applies to other noncitizens the gov- ernment is trying to deport. But the Supreme Court disagreed with the immi- grants’ interpretation of federal law in a 5-4 ruling that divided the court along ideological lines. Looking at a statutory provision en- acted by Congress in 1996, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that “neither the statute’s text nor its structure” sup- ported the immigrants’ ar- gument. The court’s conser- vative justices sided with the Trump administra- tion, which argued as the Obama administration did, against hearings for those convicted of crimes and af- fected by the law. The case before the jus- tices involved a class-ac- tion lawsuit brought by non-citizens in California and a similar class-action lawsuit brought in the state of Washington. One of the lead plaintiffs, Mony Preap, has been a lawful perma- nent resident of the United States since 1981 and has two convictions for posses- sion of marijuana.Next >