Operation Tempura is well and truly back on the front page of our news with first Martin Bridger, as we reported last week, making an allegation of crime against previous Cayman Islands Governor, Stuart Jack.

Ex-UK Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Martin Bridger was the lead investigator into alleged corruption in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) back in 2007 that led to the Operation Tempura fiasco with prominent Cayman persons being arrested including a high court judge, Alexander Henderson, and the dismissal of the police Commissioner, Stuart Kernohan.

Bridger in his Allegation of Crime (see attachment “Allegation of Crime”) states that:

“On the 3rd September 2007 an entry was made into one of the two national newspapers in the Cayman Islands (Cayman Net News) by an employee* who bypassed the alarm, entered the building and searched the Editor in Chiefs office looking for material which allegedly would support other corruption allegations.  He claimed that the entry had been authorised by the then Commissioner of Police, Stuart Kernohan.  Prior to, at the time of and after the entry he was in contact with Detective Chief Superintendent John Jones.

“As a consequence of these circumstances coming to my attention I took independent legal advice as to whether any individual involved had committed an offence.  That advice clearly stated that Kernohan and Jones had behaved criminally.  This advice was shared with the Governor and the Metropolitan Police. Myself and other Metropolitan police officers, with the agreement of Assistant Commissioner John Yates, commenced a criminal investigation against these two senior officers.  They were put on required leave by the Governor whilst the investigation took place. No consultation took place with the RCIPS.”

* The employee was John Evans.

Bridger says that then Governor, Stuart Jacks, “denied that he had authorised such an entry and that Kernohan and Jones were directly responsible for their behavior” and Jacks had “equally denied providing any advice or guidance about the entry.”

“With this documented evidence the investigation proceeded on the basis that Kernohan and Jones had gone on a ‘frolic of their own’ and had behaved unlawfully.

“Since my return from the Cayman Islands in 2009 I have come into possession of direct evidence (in the form of witness statements and other material) which states that …………………….. and in all probability FCO officials in London, misled me and the Metropolitan police.  The evidence now available shows that the ……………….. did authorise the entry and that ………………………. was also aware of the circumstances of the entry.

“Had I had known this at the time the investigation would never have proceeded in the way which it did and all of the unfortunate events which have occurred since would not have taken place.”

You can fill in the blanks yourself.

Bridger has submitted his allegation to the UK Metropolitan Police DPS (Directorate of Professional Standards).

Now former RCIPS Commissioner Stuart Kernohan has written a statement, also forwarded to the UK Metropolitan Police DPS, supporting accusations that British investigators looking into corruption allegations in Cayman between 2007 and 2009 were misled by Jack.

Kernohan’s statement says Jack knew of, and authorised, the covert entry into the offices of Cayman Net News newspaper looking for evidence of a “corrupt relationship” between the newspaper’s publisher, Desmond Seales, and a deputy police commissioner.  It also reveals that Jack had a level of involvement including authorisation of the use of Net News employees to perform a covert search as part of the investigation.

And just today, (Tue 23) iNews Cayman has learnt that the former Cayman Net News employee, John Evans, has sent an email dated 22^nd April to DAC Patricia Gallan, Head of the UK Metropolitan Police’s Professional Standards unit, where he refutes a number of statements Bridger made in his Allegation.

In Evans’ email (see attachment “Evans email to DAC Gallan”) he states:

“In Mr Bridger’s statement he refers to the 3 September 2007 search I conducted under the accepted terms of RIPA. He states that I ‘bypassed the alarm’ then ‘entered the building’. That version of events is completely untrue and Mr Bridger, who has copies of all my witness statements that were apparently unlawfully removed from the Cayman Islands, knows this. In a statement I made to Simon Ashwin and Steve Ahmed, who I understand are still serving MPS officers, it was made clear that I entered the building through the front entrance using a key then simply punched the three-digit security code into the alarm system to shut it down. Although I am not named in the document it is so easy to attach me to these actions that I regard Mr Bridger’s statement as grossly defamatory and a very crude attempt to create an impression of criminal conduct where none actually existed. Mr Bridger has in the past referred to the search using terms like ‘break in’, which he also knew to be untrue.”

Evans also attached a copy of the “Cresswell Report” that is the report on the unlawful arrest of Justice Henderson, He makes reference to it by saying, “Justice Creswell identified Mr Bridger as a person whose credibility was open to question and whose willingness to bend the rules was clear.”

Whilst the powers that be here are keeping tight lipped, the three persons at the centre of all this who are not here are very ready to talk.

Watch this space.