Bridger still not quizzed in latest Tempura probe

Martin Bridger, senior investigating officer for Operation Tempura

(CNS): The former lead investigator in the ill-fated Operation Tempura internal police corruption enquiry has still not been interviewed in connection with the latest fallout. Martin Bridger is alleged to be the subject of a related criminal complaint in the ongoing saga but the former Scotland Yard officer has not been approached by the RCIPS for an interview. But this alleged investigation is the latest hold-up in the release of a much-anticipated report into other complaints regarding the Tempura fiasco.

Bridger confirmed this week, shortly after the news that he is no longer facing a civil lawsuit by the former police commissioner, Stuart Kernohan, that he has been given some information about the latest accusation but he has not spoken to the RCIPS. This latest enquiry, however, was opened by the RCIPS Commissioner of Police David Baines last year.

“I have been provided by the Commissioner Baines with a broad overview of the allegations that have been made against me, albeit no clarity has been provided as to who has made the allegations,” Bridger said this week.

He also said Baines’ allegation last year that Bridger failed to turn up at an arranged interview regarding Bridger’s own complaint about the probe was misleading.

“I had arranged to see the deputy commissioner in the UK to be interviewed. On advice I subsequently informed the commissioner on two occasions that I would not be attending. These communications were written some days before the proposed interview,” Bridger stated.

Since then the RCIPS has made no effort to interview Bridger over the latest turn of events. This investigation, however, was accepted by the courts last month as a reason to further delay the release of a report of a complaint, also by Bridger, which the governor’s office has been fighting to keep under wraps for more than two years. An FOI request for the report was denied but following an appeal the Information Commissioner’s Office ordered its release.

But following numerous legal hearings Jan Liebears, the acting information commissioner, has been directed to reconsider his decision to order the document’s release in light of this latest probe and to speak with the police commissioner

While the probe appears to be important enough to deny the public, yet again, a chance to learn more about the controversial Tempura investigation, it does not seem that interviewing the main protagonist in the latest episode of the sage is. Bridger was in the Cayman Islands recently dealing with other issues relating to the continued fall out of Tempura, but despite expecting to meet with the police, nothing happened.

“I fully anticipated that I would be seen and interviewed,” he said. “I was not approached by anyone from RCIPS.”

Bridger indicated that were he to ever be formally interviewed in relation to this criminal investigation, he would need access to documents relating to Tempura that Attorney General Sam Bulgin had fought to have returned and he would need to reference the very report that is being kept under wraps as a result of the probe into Bridger.

“Many of the issues are covered in the report authored by Duncan Taylor, written in response to my complaint, a matter that is still under the scrutiny of the courts,” he added.

However, Bridger also has other information that he would be likely to use in any case that the RCIPS would pursue against him. Given the hard-fought battles of the attorney general and the governor’s office, another public Tempura courtroom drama may be something they would wish to avoid.

Bridger revealed, “I remain in possession of the documents released by Kernohan as part of his disclosure requirements in relation to the action that he has recently withdrawn against me. I, of course, would seek permission from the authors of those particular documents to also enable me to use them in my defence of the criminal allegations made against me, or in any other future proceedings,” Bridger said. “Without access to and use of the documents referred to above I would not be able to fully defend myself,” he added.

The Tempura investigation, which began in September 2007 and continues more than seven years later, remains something of a mystery. The people of Cayman have been kept largely in the dark about the conduct of the local authorities as well as the numerous UK police officers that were involved in the twists and turns of the enquiries, as well as the outcome of Operation Cealt, a spin-off probe into local police corruption.

And while the public has learned very little about the futile probe, it is estimated to have cost the public some $20 million.