cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Friday, 19-25 August 2022 Cayman's pay gap Census highlights disparity in wages between nationalities and genders. Pages 18-20FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022 Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $9.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any lm starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. 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Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com NEWS EDITOR CAROLINE JAMES BUSINESS EDITOR MICHAEL KLEIN ISSUES EDITOR JAMES WHITTAKER LIVING EDITOR VICKI WHEATON HEAD OF SALES CHERYL BIRCH-GILLIES weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with a 20% chance of showers. SEA STATE Slight to moderate with a wave height of 2 to 4 feet. WINDS East to southeast at 10 to 15 knots. 87°F HIGH 77°F LOW Dead dog found dumped in bag on Barefoot Beach A group of friends taking a stroll along Barefoot Beach in East End on 13 Aug. came across a gruesome discovery – the body of a dead dog inside a black canvas bag. One of the women who found the animal, who asked not to be named, told the Compass she was horrified when they opened the bag and immediately saw a paw. “I have three of my own dogs and I foster three others, so I knew with just a glimpse at it, that it was a dog,” she said. She contacted animal charity One Dog At A Time to ask advice on what she should do and was told to call police and the Department of Agriculture. She could not get hold of anyone at the DoA, so called Bodden Town Police Station. An RCIPS spokesperson told the Compass that officers went to the beach and “found what appeared to be a deceased dog in a bag which had apparently washed up on the beach. There is no indication that the dog or bag originated in Cayman, and there is no ongoing investigation into the matter.” The spokesperson added that, as the remains presented a potential health hazard, the Department of Environmental Health was notified and later collected the animal for “proper disposal”. The DoA noted that, in the absence of a report indicating potential animal cruelty or a request from police to conduct testing or a necropsy to determine how the dog died, none would be conducted. The woman who found the bag, said the animal appeared to be fully grown, about the size of a black Labrador, and had a collar but no identifying tags. She queried whether the bag had washed ashore, saying the dog’s body did not seem to be decomposed, and that she believes it was dumped on the beach very recently. “I cannot imagine it was someone’s pet,” she said. “I don’t see how you could love an animal and just throw it out in a canvas bag on the beach.” Man wounded in machete attack Police are investigating a machete attack in George Town in which a man suffered wounds to his arm. According to an RCIPS statement, police on 12 Aug. received a report that a serious assault had occurred around 9am the day before, 11 Aug., during which a man at a business premises on Shedden Road, near Eastern Avenue, was approached by another man known to him who struck him with a machete. He was taken by private vehicle to the Cayman Islands Hospital, where he was treated for serious but non- life-threatening injuries, and subsequently discharged, police said. “The suspect responsible fled the scene whilst officers were making follow-up enquiries and is still being sought,” the RCIPS said. A police spokesperson said the suspect had fled from a nearby residence when officers arrived. Man jailed for sexually assaulting sleeping woman A man who broke into a sleeping woman’s room and fondled her has been sentenced to five years in prison on a single count of indecent assault. Appearing via video-link from Northward Prison on Thursday, 10 Aug., Willard Guidelitti Hurlston listened as Justice Philip St. John-Stevens handed down the sentence in Grand Court. The incident occurred shortly after 4am on 23 Dec. 2021, when Hurlston left the couch in the living room of the woman's Bodden Town home, where he'd been sleeping, and picked the lock of her bedroom door, which had been secured by the victim before going to sleep. Hurlston, who was 48 years old at the time, was known to the victim and was a frequent visitor to her home. Hurlston denied the charge. When giving evidence in his defence, during a judge-alone trial in February, he claimed that the victim had made up the allegations against him because he refused to transfer a car into her name, adding that he never indecently assaulted her at any time. However, incriminating text messages from Hurlston to the victim asking her not to tell, were eventually used to convict him. After sentencing Hurlston to five years in prison, Justice St. John-Stevens issued a provisional sexual harm prevention order against him, which prohibits him from contacting the victim, either directly or indirectly, for 12 years. Suspected burglar in court A 33-year-old from North Side appeared in Summary Court on Thursday, 18 Aug., charged with burglary. He is accused of stealing a quantity of cash, an electronic device, jewellery and other personal items, according to a press release issued by police. The man was arrested on Monday, 15 Aug., following the incident which took place on 23 July at a residence off Bodden Town Road. The suspect made his initial court appearance on 16 Aug., before he was remanded into custody. Economist: Shared vision needed for Cayman’s future Caribbean economist Marla Dukharan says if Cayman is to develop in a meaningful way that addresses the inequalities in the community, it must have a clear, collaborative vision. Dukharan, speaking on Wednesday’s Cayman Compass Facebook show 'The Resh Hour', said Cayman’s growth requires an multi-party, community driven discussion to determine a path for the islands’ development and population that everyone can buy into. Cayman, she said, is on a sound footing economically and is projected to continue to experience GDP growth. What the islands now need to focus on is charting a course that ensures Caymanians and residents benefit from that wealth generation. news in brief No investigation will be launched after a bag containing a dead dog’s body was found on Barefoot Beach. – Photo: File cayman compass 2 N newsNORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky Cayman’s drink-drive limit, currently one of the most lenient in the world, could be cut by one- third. Next month, legislators are expected to consider an amendment to the Traffic Act which proposes to reduce the legal blood-alcohol content for drivers from 0.1% to 0.07%. This means that, if the amendment is passed, the legal blood-alcohol limit will be reduced from 100 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood to 70 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. No other country in the world that has drink-driving laws has a limit higher than Cayman’s current 0.1% limit. Premier Wayne Panton, in his budget address in November last year, announced the government’s intention to reduce the drink-drive limit, saying, “We are too tolerant of drunk driving.” At the time, he said it was a priority to address Cayman’s “alarming” road-safety record, which he described as “quite frankly, unacceptable”. In a statement issued on 16 June, the premier said it was likely that further amendments to the drink-drive law would be made in the future, and that a Traffic Act Review Committee was looking into this. He said his government was “committed to tackling the alarmingly high level of road safety issues throughout our Islands” as “too many lives have been lost”. So far this year, there had been 12 fatalities on Cayman's road. In 2020 and 2021, nine people died in collision each year. Scepticism over law change Critics of the proposed change to the drink-drive limit questioned whether lowering the drink-drive limit will have an impact on DUI cases, saying they are likely to continue unless reasonably priced taxi services or a more reliable public transport system is put in place. Several readers who commented on a Compass story online about the planned reduction in the blood-alcohol content level were sceptical that anything would change. One reader wrote, “The limits are not the issue. It’s the lack of proper public transit and the highway robbery of the taxi industry. This is laughable and will solve nothing. They can’t even ‘police’ the roads now with the current limits.” Others argued that unless there is more enforcement of the drink-drive laws, those willing to get behind the wheel while intoxicated will continue to do so, regardless of the limits. “Drunk drivers don’t know and don’t care what their alcohol levels are,” one reader wrote. These concerns appear to be backed up by a 2021 report that examined the impact of a stricter drink-drive limit in Scotland which was introduced in 2014, when the country changed its limit from 0.08% to 0.05%. Researchers found that the reduction “had no effect on drink driving and road collisions”, noting that: “The unavailability of cheaper alternative means of transportation and weak law enforcement seem to have been the main channels behind the lack of an impact.” Serious road accidents According to the RCIPS’s annual crime statistics, in 2021, more than a third of all the DUI cases recorded last year involved a motor vehicle accident. Last year, police said, 312 people were arrested for DUI offences – an increase of 37% compared to the previous year. In more than a quarter of those cases, the driver was found to be at least double the drink-drive limit, while in 2% of those cases, the driver was three times over the limit. The proposed reduction in the amount of alcohol a person can drink and still drive a vehicle will mean Cayman will have a more restrictive limit than those in place in the UK, US, Jamaica and Canada, where the legal limit is 0.08%. No change to DUI penalties The proposed amendments do not include any changes to the penalties for DUI offences. Currently, anyone convicted of DUI is liable, on a first offence, to a $1,000 fine or imprisonment for six months, or both. On a second, or subsequent, offence, they face a $2,000 fine and imprisonment for 12 months, or both. Also, drivers convicted of DUI can be banned from driving for 12 months. If the bill passes, it will not impact cases that occurred prior to the enactment of the revised law, so anyone whose blood-alcohol content was higher than 0.07% before the law comes into force will have been within the legal drink- drive limit. How Cayman compares At 0.1%, Caymans’ current drink- drive limit is the highest in the world. A few other countries have the same limit. Some, like Anguilla, Somalia and Guatemala, have no legal restrictions on drink-driving, but the vast majority of countries have lower limits. If the 0.07% limit is introduced, it will mean Cayman will have a stricter limit than the UK, US, Canada or Jamaica, which have a limit of 0.08%. Several European countries have lower limits. For example, Ireland, Germany and France have a limit of 0.05%, while the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden have a 0.02% limit. There are also countries, such as Afghanistan and Vietnam, which have a zero-alcohol policy when it comes to driving. The World Health Organization recommends that countries should adopt legislation stipulating upper blood-alcohol limits of 0.05% for the majority of drivers, and a lower limit of 0.02% for novice and commercial drivers. Drink-drive limit may be cut by one-third BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION PREDICTABLE EFFECTS ON DRIVING .02 Decline in visual functions, decline in ability to perform 2 tasks at the same time .05 Reduced coordination, reduced ability to track moving objects, difficulty steering, reduced response to emergency driving situations .08 Concentration, short-term memory loss, speed control, reduced information processing capability, impaired perception .10 Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately .15 Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processing - Source: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 312 The number of people in Cayman arrested in 2021 for DUI offences cayman compass news N news FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022 3 Cayman is considering lowering its drink-drive limit.1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Rowing race crew (5) 4 Temporary expedient (7) 8 A flying mammal (3) 9 Brand (9) 10 Endeavour (7) 11 Deduce (5) 13 Go on board a ship (6) 15 Raise one’s spirits (4,2) 18 Inexorable (5) 19 Set one’s course toward (4,3) 21 Deceitful (3-6) 23 Australian running bird (3) 24 Artist’s range of colours (7) 25 List of competitors (5) DOWN 1 Include (7) 2 Within reach (3-2-4) 3 Emblem of a clan (5) 4 Crudely built shack (6) 5 Former (3-4) 6 State of west India (3) 7 A card game (5) 12 To create an impression (3,6) 14 Throw off all restraint (3,4) 16 Breaking of an oath (7) 17 Tomb of a saint (6) 18 Establish (3,2) 20 Contend with reasoning (5) 22 A lubricant (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 17087 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 17087 ACROSS: 1 Eight, 4 Stopgap, 8 Bat, 9 Trademark, 10 Attempt, 11 Infer, 13 Embark, 15 Bear up, 18 Stern, 19 Head for, 21 Two-timing, 23 Emu, 24 Palette, 25 Entry. DOWN: 1 Embrace, 2 Get-at-able, 3 Totem, 4 Shanty, 5 One-time, 6 Goa, 7 Poker, 12 For effect, 14 Run riot, 16 Perjury, 17 Shrine, 18 Set up, 20 Argue, 22 Oil. I didn’t actually believe this had happened! Had to drive through George Town to see it for myself. As someone who’s been coming to these islands for 22 years and living here for more than 14, seeing this breaks my heart. Something needs to be done to preserve these beautiful houses/buildings and the culture. – Annette Keown Why is this being allowed to happen? – Nancy Whitefield No historical buildings protection enforced here. – Tim Howard How is this possible? – Sharon Davies Seriously? Why didn’t they notify the public to see if anyone had interest in moving it? It’s not impossible to do. – Darcia Branch Guessing it’s Caymanians selling them and now Caymanians destroying them. So let’s at least not blame others. – James Whittaker Greentech Group It’s just so sad to see them disappear when they survived for so long and through so many storms. I love the old Caymanian homes and makes me sad when I see them torn down. – Vangie Hunter Cayman aims to cut legal drink-drive limit by a third The people getting the DUIs don’t care what the limit is anyway. The real solution is an Uber-like system that doesn’t cost $75 to get you the two miles to your house so you are not driving in the first place. – Lisa Jarvis Why not look at how folks get their drivers’ licences in the first place? What’s the passing score for written theory? Why are so many folks able to simply exchange their licence for a local one? Drunk drivers don’t know and don’t care what their alcohol levels are. This may support increasing prosecutions, but look at the repeat offenders that continue getting DUIs, how does this improve road safety? – Taura Ebanks Sure. Just regulate the taxi industry and this isn’t an issue. – Colin Doyle So what is this solving exactly? – Rob Tyler And up the age of legal drinking to 21. – William Levy Should be zero tolerance. Alcohol and vehicles don’t mix well and in too many instances it ends in disaster. – Jerry Young Oh yeah. This is for sure going to make a difference. Maybe work on getting half-decent reliable public transport that isn’t midnight scam buses. – Joseph Powell Letter from a struggling mum: ‘It feels like you are drowning’ Hold your head up, mum. Many of us in your generation have been through or still going through this. But keep on pushing through, as this stage in your life will pass. It may not be today or tomorrow but one day you will look back at these trials and tribulations and be proud of how far you have reached and will continue to climb in your life. – Moya D Elena I am a working fulltime single mom of two and I find it hard to make ends meet. The cost of living is sky high and salaries aren’t going anywhere. God help us all. Praying for better days for Cayman. – Vanessa McCoy It’s really hard. I’m married and both me and my husband have a full-time job, and we’re struggling sometimes to make ends meet, so I can imagine... rent going up every year, gas, groceries, it’s crazy. – Yareli Smith Sad! This should not be happening to our people! – Michelle Bodden-Moxam No jail for insurance fraudster Should be mandatory loss of trade and business licence and no other issued in her name. – Chris Morash Think the law needs to be amended. – Renee Bernardo Community service... really? I’m not sure what to make of this law any more. – Lidia Mckenzie Her business licence needs to be cancelled. – Karen McGill Armstrong What they’re saying Online Bulldozing of 2 old Caymanian houses highlights lack of protection If you say something is valuable but keep giving permission to destroy them or move them out of the communities that value them, it tells me you don’t think they’re as valuable as you [say] they are. – Mike Hoffman What’s wrong with these people? The Earth’s ecosystem is changing drastically, the signs of climate change are everywhere, and we happily continue to build and build and build! Greed and more greed. – Leasa Morrison Two houses on North Church Street dating from the 1930s were demolished earlier this month. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky A proposed new law seeks to provide broader support for families in need in the Cayman Islands. The Financial Assistance Bill aims to replace outdated and inadequate legislation underpinning the islands’ welfare system. The bill is, in part, a response to a damning report from 2015 which found little organisation or accountability for the $50 million government was spending annually to support the most vulnerable in society. It is a comprehensive 30- page document that aims to replace the two-page Poor Relief Law, first published in 1964. It does not include any increase in the cash amounts offered, but creates the flexibility for Cabinet to agree to increases; for example, to counter the impact of the cost-of-living. Currently, 1,419 families receive some form of support from the Needs Assessment Unit. This includes temporary rental payments – ranging from $1,200- $1,800 per month, depending on family size – food vouchers and a $950 stipend for qualifying elderly people. The unit has been beset with complaints about inefficiency and lack of flexibility in responding to the needs of people in crisis over the years. Anyone with household earnings of over $3,000-a-month is currently disqualified from receiving aid, regardless of the size of their family. The legislation creates the potential for a tiered system that includes a higher threshold for larger families, with officials warning the current system incentivises people not to work. Minister of Social Development André Ebanks, who took office last year, hailed the publication of the bill – which follows months of consultation with non-profits and other interested parties – as a “landmark” moment. He said it also aimed to provide a “bridge” for able-bodied people to get back to self-sufficiency. The bill was published Friday, 12 Aug., and is open for consultation until 9 Sept. It is expected to go before Parliament next month. According to ministry officials, it is just one aspect of sweeping welfare reform plans that also involve a major boost in staff numbers to help meet rising demand. New and expanded offices for the Needs Assessment Unit in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac are planned, and the unit will also be rebranded and renamed as the Department of Financial Assistance. Closing loopholes The legislation itself seeks to close a number of loopholes that have prevented people in need from getting support, provide a legislative framework for current Needs Assessment Unit policies, and seeks to provide better access to volunteering, internship and training opportunities for those receiving government money. While the law creates the framework for a more structured welfare system, much of the detail will be found in the accompanying regulations, which are still in draft form. Ebanks said the law was just one step in a reform process. “We need sweeping, wholesale changes to modernise Government’s involvement with social development in the Cayman Islands, and the ministry will continue to pursue reforms to deliver those changes for the benefit of our people,” he stated in a press release announcing the bill’s publication. Bill to be debated in September The bill is open for public feedback and will be debated at the next session of Parliament, likely in September, before being passed into law, if a majority of MPs approve. Tamara Ebanks, acting chief officer of the Ministry of Social Development, said, “If passed by Parliament, the Financial Assistance Bill will repeal an essentially two-page Act, originally enacted in 1964, that was last updated 25 years ago. It is a concrete demonstration of the profound commitment of the ministry to re-imagining social development in the Cayman Islands.” Roberts said the bill had emerged from significant and extensive consultations undertaken by the ministry with a wide array of community partners, including health practitioners, other professionals, non-government organisations, philanthropic and civic organisations. ‘Landmark’ law a first step in sweeping welfare reform What the Financial Assistance Bill and its reforms seek to do: Welfare to work The bill includes scope for financial assistance officers to require recipients of financial aid sign up with WORC’s job finder services, compel them to take volunteering opportunities or internships that could enhance their skill-sets, or attend training courses. They could also be required to seek mental health support or take parenting classes, where appropriate, with criteria imposed on a case-by-case basis. Transitional payments Anyone coming off government support and going back to work may be eligible for payment as a “bridge” to their first paycheque. Swifter response times The bill incorporates scope for Cabinet to set a specific maximum timeframe for applications to be processed. A common complaint over the past few years has been that it often takes too long to find out if an application for aid has been granted. New appeals process Anyone denied services will be able to apply for reconsideration about any aspect of a decision made by financial services officers. The bill sets up a new Financial Assistance Appeals Tribunal, to be chaired by a lawyer and co-chaired by a health and human services professional. The panel is empowered to reconsider the decision. Penalties for misinformation The law, for the first time, creates a specific criminal offence of providing false information to the NAU. Anyone who gives inaccurate information to get benefits could face a $3,000 fine or six months in prison. Fewer people fall through cracks Currently, anyone with a household income above a certain threshold is denied aid. The Compass covered a case last year of an elderly woman, suffering from cancer, who could not access financial support, because her granddaughter, who also lived in the family home, had an income. Cabinet will also consider tweaks for the purposes of calculating eligibility for aid, such as excluding the incomes of adult relatives residing in the same household as elderly or disabled people. Mehr Petkovsek, a policy advisor in the Ministry of Social Development, said seemingly minor changes like this could result in fewer people “falling through the cracks”. Flexibility for larger families The Compass recently featured the case of a family of five, with two working parents, who had to go to charity for food support because they did not qualify for government aid. At the moment, anyone with household earnings of more than $3,000 is disqualified from aid. That’s the same for a single person living alone or a family with eight children. The regulations will build in new flexibility to consider the size of the household, according to ministry officials. Rayle Roberts, deputy chief officer in the ministry, said the current thresholds were causing unintended consequences. “Sometimes a family makes a decision not to work (so they can qualify for aid) if they are better off not working.” He said the aim was to change that. Structure of the system won’t change Changing the entire system, for example, to offer monthly cash payments – similar to the tourism stipend or UK-style unemployment benefits – was not considered necessary, according to ministry officials. The basic structure of the NAU payments will remain. These include rental support – paid direct to landlords – and food relief, paid through food vouchers and stipends to the elderly and disabled. Petkovsek said the feedback from clients and non-profits in a series of focus groups was that “the system is not broken”. She said the issues were more around efficiency and the processing of applications. The NAU staffing up To help implement the new system and deal with escalating demand, 13 new positions have been created at the Needs Assessment Unit, which will bring the total number of staff to 49. That includes a mix of financial services assessment officers and call-centre staff. Petkovsek said that would help the unit process requests quicker and expedite payments, once services have been approved. A common complaint is that the NAU is too slow to pay rent, for example, meaning landlords are reluctant to take tenants from the unit. Consideration is also being given to paying deposits – another common barrier for people on government support – to gain accommodation. This is not in the legislation, however. Payments could increase Amid a cost-of-living crisis, questions have again been raised about whether the rental assistance and other payments provided by government through the NAU go far enough. The law itself doesn’t set these amounts but Cabinet has capacity to alter them through the regulations. cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022 Minister of Social Development André Ebanks, centre, during a consultation session earlier this year. – Photo: Supplied ULTRA LIFE Sagicor Ultra Life is an equity-linked insurance plan that gives you and your family the protection you need and attractive investment benefits. Take this flexible approach to your personal financial planning. Floriza MillerMarcia Robinson (345) 326-9343 (345) 917-2072 July 2022 OUTSTANDING ADVISORS JAMES WHITTAKER AND MICHAEL KLEIN A German-based soccer kit salesman has testified about his complex business partnership with Canover Watson in the Cayman football executive’s ongoing fraud trial. During six days on the witness stand over the past week, Shakeel Khawaja – a representative for Pakistani equipment supplier Forward Sports – told how he met Watson and his co-accused Bruce Blake at the London Olympics in 2012 and they agreed to a partnership. Over the next year, Watson helped broker deals for Forward Sports to supply equipment, including footballs, shirts and socks, to national youth squads across the Caribbean. Khawaja testified that Forward Sports had supplied equipment, totalling $625,000 in value, to regional soccer programmes on the basis of agreements he and Watson had arranged. But he claimed to have no knowledge of a further $1.54 million in invoices, which prosecutors allege were cooked up by Watson to scam cash from the sport’s regional governing body CONCACAF. Shown the three separate invoices for $750,000, $148,000 and $642,000 that form the basis of the charges, Khawaja said he had never seen them. “I would have liked to have that money but I know nothing about it,” said Khawaja, testifying through an interpreter via video- link from Germany. He also claimed to be unaware that Watson had set up and wholly owned another company, under the Forward Sports brand name. At times he appeared confused about the businesses he was said to have owned with Watson and about the details of their partnership and the corporate structure of the business. The charges The prosecution alleges that Watson set up a similarly named company, Forward Sports International Management, in Panama, and issued three fake invoices amounting to US$1.54 million to CONCACAF for sports equipment that was never delivered. Blake, his fellow former football executive at the Cayman Islands Football Association and CONCACAF, is charged with money laundering and false accounting for helping Watson move the stolen money. Both have pleaded not guilty. The trial is expected to last 12 weeks. Khawaja gave his principal evidence on Thursday and Friday last week, indicating he was totally unaware that Watson had set up another company using the same Forward Sports name. He said he knew nothing about the invoices for equipment filed to CONCACAF and insisted they were not negotiated through him and that the goods had never been produced or supplied by Forward Sports in Pakistan. Khawaja testified that the business was not very successful and costs had exceeded turnover. A general ledger for Forward Sports in Panama, later renamed GOL Sports, given by Watson to Khawaja, and presented in court, did not show $1.54 million in sales to CONCACAF. It only contained $482,000 in CONCACAF sales and $584,348 in total revenue. After the deduction of money owed to Khawaja as a shareholder, the cost of sales and expenses, the company’s balance sheet showed a net deficit of -$287,340 for the period from July 2013 to October 2014. Cross-examination Under cross-examination, Watson’s defence team suggested Khawaja had not passed on payments sent by Watson for orders to Forward Sports in Pakistan and that this was the reason the sports equipment had never been delivered. The jury was shown documents related to three money transfers to Khawaja’s business bank account in Germany for a total of $182,000. The defence read into evidence a section of a transcript of Khawaja’s 2017 telephone call with Cayman’s Anti-Corruption Commission. Investigators asked him if he ever received any commission or profits in his German account from the Panamanian bank account of Forward Sports. Khawaja said he did not receive commissions, but Watson had sent payments for two bills from Forward Sports in Pakistan to Germany so they could be forwarded, because he had problems paying them from Panama. Asked whether he had passed on those funds to Pakistan, Khawaja said, “Yes, part of it,” and the other part he had kept because it was partially his commission, as well as funds he needed because he’d had big financial problems since 2015. “But that was settled with Forwards Sports Pakistan, that I will pay them this money [later],” he said. Defence QC Dapinder Singh seized on this statement, saying that Khawaja had kept the money, adding, “So that was the reason why goods were destroyed and not delivered to CONCACAF?” Khawaja denied this with a simple: “No,” stating that every new order began with a new limit. “It was agreed that I could use some money,” he said. “I was having my commission and something more, and Forward Sports was OK with it.” It had nothing to with the destruction of goods, he added. Soccer kit salesman testifies against former football chiefs The number of weeks the trial is expected to continue Canover Watson, left, is charged with receiving secret commissions, transferring criminal property and false accounting, while Bruce Blake is facing money laundering-related and false accounting charges. cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022cayman compass 7 FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022 R E C O V E R, R E C O N N E C T, R E V I V E. · Caribbean Aviation Day brings together government ministers, industry experts, and senior aviation executives to discuss key challenges and opportunities impacting the region. Join us to hear panel discussions featuring: Hon. Kenneth Bryan, MP Minister for Tourism and Transport, Cayman Islands Government Hon. Christopher “Chris” Saunders, MP Deputy Premier and Minister for Finance & Economic Development and Minister for Border Control & Labour, Cayman Islands Government Hon. Edmund Bartlett Minister Ministry of Tourism, Jamaica Hon. Lisa R. Cummins Minister, Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Barbados Hon. I. Chester Cooper Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Investments & Aviation, The Bahamas Marla Dukharan Economist and Leading Advisor on The Caribbean Peter Cerdá Regional Vice President, The Americas IATA Dr. John-Paul Clarke Deputy Chair, Cayman Airways Board of Directors Donna Bush Moderator, News Director Cayman Islands Government Television CARIBBEAN Aviation Day September 14, 2022 The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman Specially reduced resident rate includes coffee breaks & lunch. https://bit.ly/CaribbeanAD US Scan to register Visit: Register Now: This is an opportunity to hear from and network with industry leaders and decision makers in aviation, a critical part of the tourism industry. $50ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Miss Cayman Islands Universe Tiffany Conolly is facing a backlash from some of her fellow pageant contestants, who fear pending criminal charges against her have “overshadowed” the pageant and could tarnish the coveted crown. The new queen faces trial in October on multiple assault charges, to which she has pleaded not guilty. One former contestant told the Compass that a “growing shadow has been cast on the pageant”, in the wake of questions about the long-term future of Conolly’s reign and the pageant’s entry requirements going forward. The 24-year-old embattled beauty queen, of West Bay, was crowned on 6 Aug. in front of a capacity ballroom – much to the apparent “shock” of her fellow contestants and onlookers. Conolly’s victory came two months before her trial and as many months shy of a year since she allegedly beat up her ex-boyfriend and a member of his household, and assaulted a police officer. According to court documents, Conolly faces two counts of common assault, two counts of damage to property, two counts of assaulting a police officer, and one count of disorderly conduct. She was charged with the offences in January and pleaded not guilty in March. Despite these charges, she was able to compete in and win the pageant, which some of her fellow contestants say should not have been allowed – although the competition’s rules did not prevent her entry. The Compass reached out to all the contestants; two agreed to comment while two declined, and the remaining contestants did not respond. The Compass is not naming the two contestants who responded. ‘Shock and disbelief’ “The plan was for us to all gather around and hug the winner, but when her name was announced we all froze in shock and disbelief,” said one contestant. “As I stood and looked around the room, I could see people’s mouths open because they couldn’t believe it either.” That contestant continued, “It has been hard to accept, as a person who has suffered from trauma. And to think that the entire experience has been overshadowed by this is even harder to accept.” She added, “I would like to see more accountability, and, going forward, I hope that they do thorough background checks… Miss Cayman controversy casts shadow on pageant it would be better to have a smaller pageant with the very best girls than to have a larger pageant for the sake of numbers.” Another contestant told the Compass that Conolly’s victory stripped what should have been a “beautiful experience” of its joy, leaving in its place a “horrible and growing shadow”. “It just feels like what should have been an amazing experience of female empowerment, and sisterhood, has been robbed of that beauty, and now a growing shadow has been cast on the pageant experience, the contestants and the wider country,” she said. She added, “Everyone in the pageant was aware of her charges, but no one was speaking about it. We were surprised that the committee allowed her to continue, and even more surprised that the judges allowed her to win. “There is no doubt that she was the best girl on the night, but I do not believe she is the right person to represent the country.” The other contestant agreed with the assessment of Conolly’s performance, but said she should do the “right thing and resign”. Both women believe the Miss Cayman Islands Universe Committee and those at the Ministry of Tourism, who are the franchise holders for the pageant, should provide greater clarity on the future of Conolly’s reign and the pageant’s entry requirements. Simplistic entry requirements, multiple loopholes Since the public uproar about Conolly’s victory, in the face of the criminal charges, the Miss Cayman Island Universe Committee has maintained its stance that she “met the entry requirements” and was, therefore, an eligible candidate. The 2022/2023 Miss Cayman Islands Universe application form sets out the simple qualifications for entry. Apart from the hopefuls providing basic personal information, as well as school and employment history, the applicants are required to, among other stipulations, prove they are Caymanian, of “good character with no criminal record save that convictions for minor traffic offences will not be taken into consideration”, aged over 18 but under 28, high school graduates, and unmarried without ever giving birth. Based on these requirements, Conolly was eligible to enter as she had no criminal convictions recorded against her. The application form does not ask about recent arrests. The Miss Cayman Islands Universe committee has stated that they became aware of the charges after she entered the pageant, and the decision was taken to allow her to continue. Conolly could lose crown According to the Miss Cayman Islands Universe application form, the winner of the contest is obligated to “conduct herself with decorum and not commit any act of an immoral or illegal or other similar nature which in the reasonable opinion of the Committee will bring the National Winner or the Pageant into disrepute or contempt”. The section regarding the “authority of the committee”, states, “In the event of any breach by the Winner of any of her obligations… the Committee may disqualify her from holding the Miss Cayman Islands Universe title.” Lawyers, speaking with the Compass on background, have indicated that the committee may have the discretion to disqualify Conolly from continuing her reign, even though the alleged offending is said to have occurred outside her time in the contest. But, regardless of the outcome, it is not clear if Conolly would qualify for the Miss Universe pageant which is slated for December, some two months after her trial is expected to begin. Depending on the timing and length of the trial, the resulting verdict could be handed down before or during the international pageant. Ultimately, the future of Conolly’s reign depends on the Miss Cayman Islands Universe Committee and the Ministry of Tourism. In a brief statement to the Compass last week, a committee spokesperson said they were reviewing “the facts surrounding this matter, consulting with the relevant stakeholders in order to make the appropriate determination as to how we proceed”. No reply was received from the tourism ministry, the pageant’s patron, in response to queries from the Compass regarding Conolly’s reign or the application process going forward. In September 2021, the ministry, within three days of that year’s Miss Cayman Islands Universe pageant, released a congratulatory statement acknowledging Georgina Kerford as the winner. As of the time of publication, there have been no official government communications identifying or congratulating Conolly as the 2022 Miss Cayman Islands Universe. Editor’s note: Compass Media was a sponsor of the Miss Cayman Islands Universe pageant and of one of the contestants. Tiffany Conolly was crowned Miss Cayman Islands Universe earlier this month. - Photo: File cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has said government will be looking at the viability of installing floating piers to help move the recovery of the cruise tourism industry forward. However, the minister, speaking on Radio Cayman’s ‘For The Record’ programme on 17 Aug., said there is no formal position regarding the installation of ‘SeaWalk’ piers here, like the one in Jamaica’s Port Royal. “I want the public to know, as minister, I will be looking into that, [but there are] no commitments at all,” he said, adding, that government will examine the concept of floating piers “to see if it’s something that is viable”. Bryan ‘blown away’ by piers at Jamaican port He said, while on a trip with Acting Premier Chris Saunders and other officials to Jamaica last week, the Caymanian delegation visited the Port Royal cruise port to see its floating piers in operation, at the invitation of Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. He said the PACT government remains opposed to new fixed cruise piers in Cayman, but added that cruise is a key component to the islands' tourism product “and a pier is definitely something that will help enhance that in many ways”. Bryan said the Jamaican Port director informed the delegation that the floating pier had cost US$8.5 million. By contrast, the cost of a fixed cruise pier in George Town had been estimated to be $200 million. Bryan said Tourism Director Rosa Harris had indicated that the cruise lines, who had been following the delegation's trip to Jamaica, "were quite excited to hear ... that we went to visit [the floating pier] and that we were pleased with what we saw”. He said two of the cruise lines have offered to come to Cayman and do further investigations in respect to the mechanical pier. “I want the public to know that I would like to, on their behalf, continue to improve our cruise tourism product, to examine [the viability of floating piers], because, from what I saw, it’s something that can be an option for Cayman at a very, very good cost,” he said. Technical viability This is not the first time the idea of floating piers has been raised. In 2015, when the Progressives-led administration sought to construct a cruise berthing facility, the idea was put forward. However, Baird, lead consultants on the environmental impact assessment for the now-abandoned cruise-berthing project, questioned the technical viability of the piers as, at that time, they had not been used in hurricane-prone locations. The SeaWalk had been hailed as a development that will revolutionise 'ship to shore'travel for the cruise industry. It was installed in Jamaica by Norwegian company SeaWalk in 2019, the first in the Caribbean region. Bryan said, during the Jamaica trip, they visited the piers out of courtesy to his Jamaican counterpart, “knowing full well that this government’s viewpoint is that we are comfortable with where things are”. However, he said, “Obviously if there’s opportunities to see improvements in respect to our product, we will examine them, so we went down there and we were, at least me as minister, quite blown away”. According to SeaWalk, the piers can accommodate up to 6,000 passengers; can be used in worse weather than tender boats can handle; and cost less than half the price of fixed piers, with no environmental impact. Having seen the pier in operation, Bryan said, it looked “pretty solid and pretty functional”. The SeaWalk developers had said, when Cayman was first considering floating piers, that given the short distance between the ship moorings in George Town Harbour and the Royal Watler dock, the walkways could be a good fit for Cayman. Bryan revisits floating piers idea for cruise ships Jamaica’s Port Royal has used a floating pier, like this one in Norway, since 2019. “I want the public to know that I would like to, on their behalf, continue to improve our cruise tourism product to examine [the viability of floating piers], because, from what I saw, it’s something that can be an option for Cayman at a very, very good cost.” Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan cayman compass news N news FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2022 9 Ent_HNW_NRG_Col_Bleed_OuterMask_CMYKNext >