iNews Briefs
Cayman Premier responds to Auditor general’s travel report
GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands – Government acknowledges the report from the Office of the Auditor General titled Management of Travel and Hospitality Expenditures made public 9 June, 2013, which contains concerns and recommendations identified by the Auditor General.
A new travel policy was implemented in July 2013, which openly sets out rules and criteria for all civil servants. The Progressives-led Government readily adopted the policy and Members have been traveling under its guidelines since taking office a little more than a year ago.
“My Government is committed to good governance practices, transparency and accountability as well as prudent financial practices in seeing that the public’s money is spent only when it is absolutely necessary,” said Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin. “In addition to the travel policy, we have made it a habit to report to the public on the achievements, outcomes and costs of all overseas travel incurred by this Administration.
“We will continue to work with the Deputy Governor to implement the recommendations made by the Auditor General,” Mr. McLaughlin said.
Cayman NHDT ex director on trial on nine counts of deception
Edlin Myles, who has been in the insurance business for over 30 years, appeared before Justice Alex Henderson and a jury of 5 women and 1 man on Monday (9) to start his trial on nine counts of deception.
Myles is accused of using his position as chairman of the Cayman Islands National Housing and Development Trust (NHDT) board to sell insurance policies potential affordable home owners by deception in 2011.
Myles had obtained the list of the applicants and telephoned them implying they were being approved for homes as he was the board chairman. He told them they would need life insurance policies for the new homes and proceeded to sell them the policies at the office where he worked, Derek Bogle insurance.
The applicants believed him and signed up for the policies. Myles then collected the commission.
Only one of these potential homeowners actually got approved.
The NHDT had no such policy that persons had to have life insurance to be approved and had to come to him to obtain them.
Myles has denied all the charges against him.
Bodies of missing father and son found off St Vincent coast
From Caribbean360
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, Tuesday June 10, 2014, CMC – Police have confirmed that the bodies of 39-yer-old football coach, Othneil Delplesche, 39, and his six-year-old son, have been found after they went missing while swimming at the San Souci Beach on the east coast on Saturday.
Police Commissioner Michal Charles confirmed that the bodies were recovered on Monday. The two had gone bathing at the San Souci beach when Delplesche’s son and two others got into difficulties.
The football coach and another person went to their rescue but while the youngsters were saved, Delplesche and his son were not.
The Coast Guard had assisted in the search of the sea that is notoriously rough, with dangerous undercurrents that side of island.
RCIPS failure to inform an accused woman of free legal representation wins acquittal in Cayman court
Justice Alex Henderson last Friday in Cayman’s Grand Court ordered a jury to acquit Itzel Anderson in a drug related case because before she was interviewed by officers of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) she was not informed of her right of free legal representation.
As it was the interview alone that was the police’s only evidence against Anderson, who was accused of perverting the course of justice in November 2013 the crown could not proceed with their case.
Anderson was accused of throwing packets of cocaine into a bin to hide them from police when they arrived at her boyfriend’s house with a search warrant.
UWI confers honorary doctorates on 20 Caribbean nationals
From Jamaica Observer
KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) – The University of the West Indies (UWI) says it will this year confer honorary doctorates on 20 people, including the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Anthony Carmona and Grenada’s Governor General Dame Cécile Ellen La Grenade.
The region’s premier tertiary institution said that the degrees will be awarded to the 20 for their “stellar contributions to Caribbean development” and the conferral will take place during the 2014 graduation ceremonies at its three campuses.
UWI Chancellor Sir George Alleyne will confer the degrees at the graduation exercises during the months of October and November.
Former acting chief justice of the OECS Supreme Court, Sir Brian Alleyne, and St Lucian Dr Earl Long, a parasitologist will be honoured by UWI’s Open Campus.
Others to be honoured include the Barbados-based women’s rights activist, Dame Maizie Barker-Welch and former Barbados foreign affairs and foreign trade minister Dame Billie Miller.
Guyanese-born writer, journalist, public servant and politician, Dr Robert Moore; former diplomat, writer, journalist and international consultant, Sir Ronald Sanders and singer McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis, better known as “Calypso Rose” will also be awarded honorary doctorates.
For more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/UWI-confers-honorary-doctorates-on-20-Caribbean-nationals
Cayman Islands’ Instagram (@visitcaymanislands) feed included by BuzzFeed
The Cayman Islands’ Instagram (@visitcaymanislands) feed was included by BuzzFeed in a roundup of 12 accounts that serve as travel inspiration. The piece, which appeared on the homepage yesterday, calls out the abundant imagery of “clear-blue oceans and bright white beaches.” The Cayman Islands is the only beach destination featured giving our country great exposure and recognition on this hugely influential outlet.
Recognition in digital leadership is a big accomplishment for the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism which manages the @visitcaymanislands. One of our 2014 objectives is to position the Cayman Islands as the leading luxury warm weather destination via digital mediums. This inclusion on BuzzFeed has affirmed Cayman’s Tourism is well on its way.
BuzzFeed receives 11.3 million unique visitors to its site each month.
For the link go to: http://www.buzzfeed.com/norton/instagram-accounts-that-will-make-you-want-to-be-a-better
Met Police corruption probe document shredding extent ‘unknown’
From BBC
The Met Police “may never know” which documents relating to a corruption inquiry may have been shredded, according to the force’s deputy head.
Met Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey said 55 people were interviewed about the shredding, but only one said they knew about the claims.
Destruction of files was raised by Mark Ellison QC in his review of the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation.
Mr Mackey said it was “feasible that we may never now know what was shredded”.
‘Mass shredding’
Mr Ellison’s report, published in March, found evidence of “mass shredding” of files relating to Operation Othona – a broader, top-secret investigation into possible police corruption that began in 1993.
According to a female former member of police staff, four bin bags containing files on the corruption inquiry were destroyed in 2001 after the information had been entered onto a computer, Mr Mackey said.
In the statement, Mr Mackey said: “It is entirely feasible that we may never now know what was shredded in 2001, but to date we have found no evidence to counter the theory that this was done as good practice to destroy paperwork in a unit where secrecy was of the utmost importance and after the information had been computerised.”
He added that the Met Police had 10,000 files relating to Operation Othona on its current system.
A team of up to 40 officers and staff were working through the Met’s anti-corruption documents to respond to claims in the Ellison review and prepare for a public inquiry on undercover policing, the Met said.
Retired judge Peter Jacobs has also been appointed to chair an Independent Review Committee, Mr Mackey said.
For more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27786043
Wet pitches playing havoc with Cayman cricket
The recent heavy rains on Grand Cayman has caused major problems with the local cricket season.
Cricket association technical director Theo Cuffy is disappointed so many matches have been washed out and hopes that the weather holds for the T20 season that starts soon.
Club matches will be played first before the annual challenge games, when Cayman residents form national teams and play each other, providing ideal preparation for the Cayman side going to the ICC regional men’s competition in the Bahamas in November.
Oxbridge Re reports successful placement of reinsurance contracts
GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, Jun 11, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: OXBR ), a provider of reinsurance solutions to property and casualty insurers in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, has reported that its wholly owned subsidiary, Oxbridge Reinsurance Limited, recently reported successful placement of reinsurance contracts for the treaty year June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015. The company also reported that its Board of Directors is set to meet in the beginning of July to discuss, among other items, the payment of dividends going forward.
“We were able to successfully deploy our funds allocated for the treaty year and are pleased with the diversity of our contracts,” said Jay Madhu, Chief Executive Officer of Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited.
About Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited
Oxbridge ( www.oxbridgere.com ) is a Cayman Islands exempted company that was organized in April 2013 to provide reinsurance business solutions primarily to property and casualty insurers in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Through Oxbridge’s licensed reinsurance subsidiary, Oxbridge Reinsurance Limited, it writes fully collateralized policies to cover property losses from specified catastrophes. Oxbridge intends to specialize in underwriting medium frequency, high severity risks, where it believes sufficient data exists to analyze effectively the risk/return profile of reinsurance contracts. The company’s ordinary shares and warrants trade on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbols “ OXBR ” and “ OXBRW ,” respectively.
SOURCE: Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited
Cuban migrants in Cayman detention centre sent back home
23 Cuban migrants who have been spending a long time, some three months, in a Cayman Islands Immigration Detention Centre on Grand Cayman were transported to Owen Roberts International Airport last Tuesday (10) and boarded a Cayman Airways jet back to Cuba.
The Cayman islands agreement with Cuba states migrants are supposed to be repatriated within three weeks but this has not happened and has caused some disruption, break outs and threats of burning down the detention centre by the incarcerated migrants.
Deputy Governor Hon. Franz Manderson will meet officials in Havana in September (hopefully as previous scheduled meetings have been cancelled) to discuss terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.
Cayman Airways jet reports engine trouble
A Cayman Airways jet was about to depart Owen Roberts International Airport last Monday (9) at 5:50pm when the pilot announced engine trouble. The passengers had to disembark and switch to another plane.
The cause of the problem was a faulty starter switch.
Passengers were transferred to another aircraft, which departed at 7:20pm. This delay, caused the return flight also to be delayed approximately one hour.
REVISED – Queen’s Birthday Parade & Awards Ceremony
The public is invited to attend a parade and awards ceremony in celebration of the 88th birthday of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, in front of the Legislative Assembly, on Saturday, 14 June 2014 at 9.00 a.m.
The parade will include contingents from youth associations and various uniformed services. There will also be a presentation to past honours recipients, announcement of the 2014 recipients as well as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme awardees. Dress code is semi-formal.
A garden party reception at the Governor’s House will follow at 10:15 a.m.
Cayman Islands: Liquor Licensing renewal deadline is 18 August
Monday, 18 August 2014, is the renewal deadline for all liquor licence holders, including those with music and dancing licenses.
Licensees also are reminded that their premises should be inspected by the relevant Government agencies – the Fire Service, Port Authority, Environmental Health and Planning – before the 18 August deadline. To avoid processing delays, these reports should be submitted along with renewal applications.
However, even if these agencies’ inspection reports are unavailable by the deadline, liquor licensing renewal applications still must be submitted to the Liquor Licensing Board by 18 August. Inspection reports from other departments should be forwarded to the board as soon as they are obtained.
Renewal applications have been mailed to each licence holder; however, copies also are available from the Liquor Licensing Board counter, first floor, Government Administration Building.
Renewal applicants may contact Liquor Licensing Board Secretary Marva Scott on 244-3168 for more information.
Cayman Islands police host Family Fest on Monday (16)
RCIPS Family Fest
RCIPS invites the public to come out for fun and games on Monday, June 16 at the Cricket Field from 10am – 4pm. The event is free and includes a bouncing castle, live demonstrations by K9 team and fire services, refreshments and so much more.
