Now that Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) Commissioner, David Baines, has agreed with Governor Duncan Taylor that he should be the one to handle any complaints relating to Operation Tempura, Martin Bridger has issued a statement complaining there could be a conflict of interest.

Bridger was the former senior investigating officer in Operation Tempura who made the complaint to the UK’s Metropolitan Police Office (Met) implicating former Cayman Governor Stuart Jack, Cayman Attorney General Samuel Bulgin, and Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) Caribbean Policy Adviser, Larry Covington, in misconduct.

Baines, speaking last Tuesday (25) said he could not comment on Bridger’s complaint as he was waiting to hear from Bridger whether he was going to continue the formal complaint. The Commissioner did acknowledge that he and the RCIPS are conflicted as a result of other court actions relating to the controversial police corruption probe.

Bridger, however, issued his statement in response to Duncan Taylor’s letter to the Met and his decision to hand the issue over to Baines.

Bridger agreed the Met should not have handed his complaint over to Cayman’s governor as he didn’t have the power to initiate a criminal investigation and he had concerns over Baines’ conflict in the case. Bridger said he could not see how the Commissioner could fairly investigate the allegations of crime he had made in his complaint.

“I was disappointed that that the Metropolitan Police involved the governor and surprised that it has taken the governor so long to come to this obvious conclusion,” Bridger said. “I remain committed to doing whatever I can to ensure that the truth about Operation Tempura and what happened as a result of it is made public. My efforts have been hindered by the various court actions taken against me by the attorney general and the Commissioner of Police, David Baines, the reason being to prevent me from using certain documents I hold which would assist in my defence of the Kernohan action.

“If and when all the issues are fully available and understood, the people of the Cayman Islands will then be able to make judgments on the actual ‘facts’. If at that stage the judgment of the people of the Cayman Islands is that we failed you, then of course I would respect that viewpoint.

“In fairness to those who have been named in the allegation of crime, I do not intend to say anymore on the matter at this stage.”

Baines said the RCIPS held all of the relevant documents and evidence relating to the entire internal police probe from start to finish. Therefore, the RCIPS “would have to be involved”, even if it worked with another external police service to investigate the matter.

“One way or another, the jurisdiction sits with me.” Baines added that he was now waiting to hear from Bridger whether he intended to pursue the complaint or not.

Noting that it was too early for him to comment much more on the issue, Baines nevertheless said that once he had Bridger’s formal complaint, he would make a decision on how best to proceed.