The decision I criticised H.E. Governor Duncan Taylor for in seeking judicial review of an order his office received to release a complaint by former “Operation Tempura” chief investigator Martin Bridger has resulted in Bridger announcing to another local media house he intends to join the judicial review.

The Cayman Islands Information Commissioner Jennifer Dilbert, ordered the release of the complaint back in November, 2012, (Decision 24) and also said the Governor’s office should release a response that evaluated the claims put forth in that complaint.

Former Cayman Net News Reporter, John Evans, has also filed open office requests with Duncan Taylor’s office seeking to obtain a copy of Mr. Bridger’s complaint that was originally filed by Martin Polaine, the now disgraced former legal advisor to Operation Tempura. He also filed a similar request along with the Caymanian Compass to have the 185 page review executed by United Kingdom-based Queen’s Counsel, Benjamin Aina, to be made public.

The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had declined to release them on the grounds that they could prejudice relations between Britain and the Cayman Islands.

The Governor’s Office responded to the applicant on 14 February 2012, withholding the records, claiming that they contain defamatory material to which section 54(1)(a) of the FOI Law applies. The Governor said a gag order was required as if the information was released it could be potentially embarrassing if it became public.

Embarrassing to whom? The judiciary? Members of the Legal Profession? The Governor’s Office? Senior Civil Servants? Politicians? The FCO? The list goes on.

It will be interesting to see which local judge is assigned to hear the judicial review. If one listens to the “blogs” and “marl road” it is going to be difficult to find one who may not be prejudiced.

In the email announcing his intention to join the judicial review, Bridger said he was joining it “as an interested party” and said it would “assist the process of the Cayman Islands and the international community being able to fully understand what happened in respect of Operation Tempura and Cealt and why I developed the investigation strategy in the way that I did.”

Mr. Bridger, as iNews Cayman’s various articles on his colourful career have highlighted, is a very tough “cookie”, and he is tenacious. Bridger will fight with every “trick” in and out of the book. Even though he has been continually thwarted in his various attempts to get his side of the story told, he has not given up.

Maybe another “settlement” at the Cayman Islands expense might be in order………