iNews Briefs
Father and son sentenced on bank fraud, money laundering [Cayman] charges
By Tom McLaughlin, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach
Jan. 24 –Former Destin residents Gary Wayne Thomas and his son Brian Keith Thomas will serve federal prison sentences for bank fraud and money laundering, a U.S. Attorney’s Office has announced.
Gary Thomas and Brian Thomas were convicted last October and July, respectively, of taking about $56 million in loans from New South Federal Savings Bank, now known as Beal Bank , and diverting $4.55 million of that to bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Belize , according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office .
Gary Thomas wired a little more than $2 million from the overseas account back to his son in Destin. “Gary Thomas used some of these funds to purchase five airplanes, numerous vehicles and homes in Destin, Fla., and Fairhope, Ala. ,” a news release said.
Gary Thomas, 64, of Daphne, Ala., was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison. Brian Thomas, of Birmingham, Ala., was sentenced to 24 months in prison. They were charged with avoiding the Currency Transaction Reporting (CTR) requirement, conspiring to commit bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gary Thomas also was charged with money laundering, failure to appear and various firearms offenses.
The scheme unfolded between 2008 and 2013, the release said. Authorities have obtained “monetary judgments of forfeiture against Gary and Brian Thomas in the amounts of $4,970,000 and $1,197,148,” according to the news release.
For more: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2014/1/24/father_and_son_sentenced_on_bank.htm
Aunt Julia at 105 enjoys life through music
As part of the weekend’s Muzaic Festival there was a celebration in honour of Julia Hydes who is known affectionately as Aunt Julia.
A public birthday party was celebrated on Saturday 25th January 2014 when Miss Julia was 105 years old, at The Harquail Theatre.
Invited guests included persons in Cayman’s music industry, family and friends.
The wonderful lady says she enjoys life through her music and she still performs. She is the only living member of the traditional Cayman music performers that included Radley Gourzong.
Bomb hoaxer pleads ‘guilty’
Bernie Williams (53) appeared in Grand Court last Friday (24) and pleaded ‘guilty’ to a bomb hoax at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and at the Caribbean Club in December last year.
Williams admitted he was drunk at the time of the hoax call after having lost his job at the Caribbean Club and is receiving treatment for alcohol abuse.
He will be sentenced on March 19th.
Ex policeman supports Commissioner
Former Detective Chief Superintendent Derek Haines and currently Senior Manager Security at DART Cayman has come out in support of Police Commissioner Baines for his actions following the alleged robbery on New Years Day.
In a letter to the media Haines said, “There are times when split second decisions have to be made in order to comply with the oath of office, made to Her Majesty the Queen, that includes a promise to preserve life and protect property.
“The incident on the 1st January certainly falls under having to make a split second decision. As this particular case is ‘subjudice’ I will not repeat the well reported details but here we have an unarmed and off duty police officer about to embark on a social day with family and friends. Suddenly confronted with a situation where allegedly armed criminals are bursting out of a store, and staff and customers have been subjected to a terrifying ordeal. He has to act. There is no time to call for assistance or to hold a briefing.
“Commissioner Baines has to resort to urgent and immediate action that will prevent harm to the public, both local and the thousands pouring off a cruise ship. It is highly unlikely that desperados of this nature will respond to a kindly “give it up son, you are under arrest” and if shots were to be fired how many innocents would be injured or killed.
“In my opinion he takes the only action appropriate for this very difficult situation and, whilst it is unfortunate that one person is injured, the prevention of further injury or harm to the public fully justifies his courageous actions.
“I am in full support of Commissioner Baines, who took charge of an ailing RCIPS after we had experienced five other commissioners in the previous two years. I am confident that any investigation into his actions on the 1st January will show that his actions were lawful and in the best traditions of the police service.”
Scientists prove dwarf planet Ceres contains water
By Jon Fingas From engadget
Scientists have long thought that the dwarf planet Ceres might hold some form of water, but they’ve only had indirect evidence at best — until today, that is. An ESA-led team has used signal fluctuations to confirm that the asteroid belt planetoid is spewing water vapor from two points on its surface, creating both ice and a rudimentary atmosphere. It isn’t clear what’s producing the vapor, although researchers believe that geysers, thawing or icy volcanoes may be responsible. Whatever is behind Ceres’ behavior, the discovery could improve our understanding of how water reached Earth. We’ll get a much clearer picture of what’s happening in early 2015, when NASA’s Dawn probe swings by to map the mini-planet’s water activity in greater detail.
12 persons hired in CITA drive
According to a release from the Cayman Islands Tourism Association (CITA) they said they have faced various challenges during the Tourism Employment Drive (TED that took place in October and November.
As a result of the drive 12 persons have obtained jobs although before the programme commenced government said it was looking to place 200 people.
However, only 120 people met with industry professionals and of those 40 obtained interviews.
CITA said interview referrals and follow-ups to both prospective employers and employees are ongoing, and as a result more candidates are expected to be starting jobs before the end of this month.
CITA President Ken Hydes admitted there had been some difficulties.
“Decision makers in the tourism industry dedicated hundreds of hours to the TED programme, literally going district to district to meet with people. As with any new programme, this one had a few challenges. We are refining the processes and are encouraged by our results so far. With strong support from government and a commitment to an annual drive and ongoing follow ups, the tourism industry has a systematic plan to draw more Caymanians into our business.”
DOE receive funds from UK
Cayman Islands Department of Environment has received funding from the UK’s Darwin Project to conduct research on how much turtle meat is being consumed in Cayman. The impact of the farm’s release programme on the wild population will also be part of the research.
“These concerns will be investigated further through research conducted by the Department of Environment and their project partners via Darwin Plus funding made available by the UK Government,” government said in a joint release with the WSPA.”
See iNews Cayman story “Cayman Government and WSPA have positive talks” at:
http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/cayman-government-and-wspa-have-positive-talks/
Heathrow Airport licenses ‘first’ e-cigarette zone
Heathrow Airport has opened the world’s first e-cigarette zone.
So-called “vaping” is banned in the rest of the airport but e-cigarette maker Gamucci has been licensed to set up the zone for its customers in Terminal 4.
Although e-cigarettes are not subject to the UK’s smoking ban, many transport groups and restaurants have banned them along with tobacco ones.
Tourist boat capsizes in Andaman Sea, ‘killing 21’
From BBC
The boat, Aqua Marine, capsized on Sunday afternoon off Port Blair, the capital of the islands.
The Indian air force is helping the coast guard and 13 people have been rescued, authorities say – but up to 11 people are unaccounted for.
Most of those on board are believed to be Indians from Tamil Nadu and Mumbai.
An investigation is looking at the cause of the sinking amid reports the Aqua Marine was carrying too many people when it capsized.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “expressed shock over the boat tragedy”, said his office in a statement.
‘Serious injuries’
Mr Singh said he had asked India’s national agencies to help in the rescue and relief operation.
Those rescued have been taken to hospital in Port Blair, with “several of them seriously injured”, an official told AFP news agency.
“There were three children on board. One child is dead,” local deputy commissioner P Jawahar told BBC Radio Hindi.
Every year thousands of tourists visit the coral-reef fringed Andaman islands, which form the most easterly part of Indian territory.
The archipelago of hundreds of islands sits at least 1,000 km (600 miles) from the mainland, and is closer to the coast of Burma (Myanmar).
For more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25904592
North Korea again named worst place to Be Christian
From Newsmax.com
North Korea for the 12th straight year ranks at the top of the list of countries where persecution of Christians is most severe.
The 2014 World Watch List, released on Jan. 8, is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians strictly for religious reasons is worst. It was compiled by Open Doors, an organization that works in oppressive nations encouraging Christians to “stand strong in the face of persecution and equipping them to shine Christ’s light in these dark places,” according to its website.
“In no other country in the world are Christians so fiercely persecuted because of their faith than in North Korea,” Open Doors declared. “For the 12th consecutive year, this is the place where Christian persecution is most extreme.
“The God-like worship of the leader Kim Jong-Un and his predecessors leaves no room for any other religion, and Christians face unimaginable pressure in every sphere of life.
“Forced to meet only in secret, they dare not share their faith even with their families, for fear of imprisonment in a labor camp. Anyone discovered engaging in secret religious activity may be subject to arrest, disappearance, torture, even public execution.”
According to Open Doors, 50,000 to 70,000 Christians are currently imprisoned in North Korea.
In compiling its annual list, Open Doors assesses the degree of persecution in a nation with a set of 96 questions covering five spheres of life: private, family, community, national, and church life, measuring the intensity of persecution and the frequency of persecution, and violence against Christians.
All nine of the other nations in the list’s top 10 perpetrators of “extreme persecution” of Christians are Islamic countries. They are in descending order Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran, and Yemen.
Other countries guilty of “extreme persecution” are Eritrea, Libya, and Nigeria.
Open Doors also cited 13 other nations guilty of “severe persecution” of Christians, including Colombia, the only nation on the list that is not in Asia or Africa.
The other countries on the list of 50 are charged with “moderate persecution.”
Conyers Dill & Pearman gives Cayman Islands and BVI advice to China Water
Conyers Dill & Pearman has provided Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands (BVI) legal advice to China Water Property Group and its subsidiaries in connection with the issuance by the company of 12.5 per cent senior notes due 2016.
The senior notes have an aggregate principal amount of up to HKD350m (£27m) with inter alia security given by the company’s BVI subsidiaries.
The subsidiaries included Angelink Development, Create Capital Development, Northern Sea Development, China Water Property Investment, Hong Kong Wah Yuen Foods Company, Wah Yuen Foods (China), Wah Yuen Foods International and China Water Property (Hong Kong) Group.
Anna Chong of Conyers’ Hong Kong office advised on the matter, working alongside Baker & McKenzie, King & Wood Mallesons and Herbert Smith Freehills.
Conyers’ Anna Chong provides Cayman Islands legal advice to Bitauto Holdings
Conyers Dill & Pearman has provided Cayman Islands legal advice to Bitauto Holdings in connection with a secondary offering in the US of 2,749,200 ordinary shares (par value of $0.00004 per share of the company) in the form of American depositary shares as described in the prospectus.
Anna Chong of Conyers’ Hong Kong office advised on the matter, working alongside Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Shearman & Sterling.
Appleby acts as Cayman counsel for Magnum in relation to its listing on SEHK
Appleby has acted as Cayman counsel for Magnum Entertainment Group Holdings in relation to its listing on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (SEHK) on 23 January 2014, with gross proceeds of approximately HKD126m (£10m).
Magnum, which has three clubbing venues located in the Lan Kwai Fong area, will use the majority of the net proceeds from the offering as the opening costs for Zentral (a club expected to be opened in 2014) and for marketing purposes.
The remaining net proceeds will be used for research for expansion plans outside Hong Kong, additional working capital and other general corporate purposes.
The Appleby team was led by Judy Lee, a corporate partner in Appleby’s Hong Kong office, who was assisted by senior associate Chris Cheng. Li & Partners advised the company as to Hong Kong law and DLA Piper Hong Kong advised the underwriters as to Hong Kong law.
