Bridger has new evidence about Tempura saga
Former Cayman Islands governor Duncan Taylor with Police Commissioner David Baines
(CNS): The former senior investigating officer of the discredited Operation Tempura has told CNS that he has “new and incriminating” evidence about that investigation. Martin Bridger also said he was never interviewed by the RCIPS regarding complaints he made about senior officials, which the governor has told him are not in the public interest to investigate. She has, however, allowed an enquiry into counter allegations against him to continue for almost three years, holding up the release of a controversial report, which remains the subject of an FOI request that has dragged on for four years.
In early 2013, Bridger made allegations of criminal conduct against former governor Stuart Jack, Attorney General Samuel Bulgin and FCO security adviser Larry Covington, which were based on statements from former senior police officers. Bridger told CNS that neither he nor the witnesses supporting his allegations have ever been interviewed about those complaints
However, Police Commissioner David Baines wrote to Bridger in July 2013 informing him that counter allegations had been made against him, but he has never been interviewed about those allegations either.
Following the latest revelations from the Information Commissioner’s Office last week, Bridger talked to CNS about the developments (or lack of) in his complaint about the three high-ranking officials.
“I informed the RCIPS that I had other evidence to support the allegation and I would need to be seen to explain the complexities and inter connectivity of the evidence and that a full witness statement would be required to be taken from me,” he said this weekend.
“I and other key witnesses were not seen by any officer from RCIPS. In a relatively short period of time the allegations I had made were dismissed by the RCIPS,” Bridger said, noting that no reasons have ever been given to him as to why those allegations were dismissed. “I later complained to Governor Helen Kilpatrick that I did not believe the RCIPS had carried out an investigation of my allegations to an acceptable standard. Her response was, and remains, that it is not in the public interest to have the complaint investigated.
“I cannot understand how the person responsible for policing in the Cayman Islands has made the decision that it is not in the public interest to investigate a legitimate complaint against her commissioner of police. It does seem that the rhetoric of openness, transparency and good governance is being compromised by the continued and ongoing efforts to keep material away from public scrutiny,” Bridger stated.
Questions about what exactly the local authorities are hiding regarding the possible culpability of the governor’s office, the UK’s security advisor or the attorney general remain unanswered, as senior officials try desperately to keep a lid on evidence over how Tempura was managed.
Bridger said the authorities’ efforts to hide the truth about Tempura were reinforced again this week by Baines’ threat to the Information Commissioner during his most recent review of the FOI request for the original complaint he made in 2010 to the governor at the time, Duncan Taylor, and Taylor’s report regarding that complaint.
Bridger said he had recently told Kilpatrick that since his 2010 complaint, which is the subject of the ICO’s recent ruling, and his 2013 allegations of a crime, he was in possession of “new and incriminating evidence” that was not available to him in 2010 when he made his first complaint to Taylor.
Kilpatrick said he should submit this new evidence to Baines. However, Bridger said that, given the circumstances surrounding this case and Baines’ dismissal in a matter of weeks of Bridger’s complaint compared to the 3-year ongoing probe against him, he said he had decided not to follow her advice.
“For 30 months Baines has been investigating me in respect of the counter allegations made,” Bridger stated. ”Recently he informed me he is almost ready to interview me but he is still waiting to receive some documents. On the face of it, this seems to be an exorbitant length of time to complete the investigation.”
That particular point was not missed by Acting Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers, who has ruled once again that Bridger’s original complaint and the report by Taylor dismissing his allegations should be released with redactions relating to the Bridger enquiry. But in his ruling Liebaers said he would revisit the need for those redactions in six months and determine what is happening regarding this investigation.
However, efforts by the authorities to keep this report secret would be undermined if Bridger was ever tried because he would use the complaint to support his own case.
“If and when I am interviewed by the RCIPS, I shall be making reference to the Duncan Taylor (FCO) findings, as some of the contents will be crucial to my defence. Any attempt to prevent me from doing so would run the risk of impeding my right to a fair trial,” Bridger added.
While the governor’s office continues to fight tooth and nail to keep a lid on all the details regarding the truth of Tempura, a considerable amount has been released into the public domain anyway.
The first complaint by Martin Polaine (Tempura’s legal advisor) and Bridger was about why the investigation was closed down, as well as issues regarding the legal rulings, legal advice and decisions made surrounding the arrest of former Grand Court judge, Alex Henderson, which was ruled as unlawful. However, former police commissioner Rudy Dixon was arrested, charged and tried under the exact same law. (Dixon was acquitted of all charges.)
The subsequent criminal complaint by Bridger in 2013, however, relates to accusations that the governor, Stuart Jack, and others lied to him during the course of his investigation about what they knew about an alleged unlawful entry into the office of Desmond Seales, the publisher of Cayman Net News, by two of his staff members, Lyndon Martin and John Evans.
Seales was accused of being a corrupt relationship with RCIPS Deputy Commissioner Anthony Ennis. That allegation was the original subject of the Operation Tempura enquiry, which Bridger and his officers found to be baseless relatively soon after he arrived here.
Bridger discovered more recently, based on evidence from former police commissioner Stuart Kernohan and former chief superintendent John Jones, who supervised the entry into Seales’ office by Martin and Evans, that Kernohan had informed Jack, Bulgin and Covington of this course of action, a claim they have all denied.
During the course of the trial against Lyndon Martin, who was charged with burglary in relation to that break-in, Kernohan, a crown witness in the case, revealed then he had informed all three of his bosses and had documented evidence of the meetings in which the covert entry was discussed.
This was the basis for Bridger’s accusations of criminal conduct that were quickly dismissed before any interviews were conducted.
Bridger now finds himself in the firing line for misconduct and six other offences in relation to the progress of Tempura. As a result, the former Tempura boss now appears reluctant to reveal his latest ammunition in what continues to be a very costly war of word for the public purse.
Let me get this straight. He says he has new and incriminating evidence, but he won’t provide it to the police investigating the case, or the Governor, or the press, or the Anti Corruption Commission, or in fact anyone. Well, at best that’s not entirely helpful and undermines any credibility as to the existence or value of the evidence, and at worst is obstruction of justice, no matter what he may think of the efficiency or motivation of the police. He should publish it on Wiki leaks – or the Cayman equivalent, stick it under Ezzard’s windscreen wiper. IF he has anything. I wont be holding my breath.
Interesting is the difference how the CNS readership responds to corruption and transparency (or the absent thereof) when it comes to local issues compared to those that involve UK officials.
Honestly, you couldn’t make this crap up.
As I said once before, the CNS (readership) is like the UK minority area off-licence newspaper rack top shelf;
“New (Expat) Nation”, “The (Expat) Voice”, “Brit Times in Cayman”, lol!
(I.e. Defend the group, culture, nationality, creed at all costs – no matter what!!)
You guys are awesome! Really you are.
*Oh those double-standards and privileges of the lucky ones that created this imbalanced world in which we live.
Good work if you can get it … if you care nothing about respectability, that is.
– YaDunKnow
Luke 17:28-30 (KJV)
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Cayman is as corrupt as it gets. It is inevitable in such a small place that earns its money from dubious trillions flowing through it and where public service means you work in your own interest. Move on, nothing to see here.
If the media were to act in the best interests of the Islands, they would simply ignore all of this, Martin Bridger, John Evans and anyone else who tries to cash in: don’t give any of them any publicity and they will fade away into the sunset.
That would be a real public service.
OReally neither Alden nor deputy can ask because they have to take off their Union Jack underpants first!!!
This perpetual conveyer belt of British officials should come with a warning label;
“Handle with Gloves”.
The sleaze.
I see in today’s issue that Caribbean News Now has modified their broad brush “corruption probe” to “discredited corruption probe” in its lead in reference to the Tempura investigation, although the headline still retains the unqualified “corruption probe” language. Well, here is another adjective — taken right from the story above that formed the basis of today’s Caribbean News Now story — “baseless.”
The so-called corruption probe never happened — in this case there was no corruption to investigate — and even the so-called “break-in” to Seales’s office was total rubbish.
To keep headlining with that word and characterizing Tempura as a corruption probe is misleading, unprofessional, contrary to proper journalistic standard, and at the very least sloppy journalism.
I am starting to think each and every one of them is corrupt. It’s not in the public interest because if everything was investigated we would literally have no senior public servants or MLAs left, they would all be in Northwood.
Is it the premier government, or is it his Administration / party ? I didn’t know that the premier have his own government with in the Cayman Islands Government, good right the place is going so different direction at the same time. .
The Watergate scandal has nothing over this one, and still more to come . You see the way that Baines is looking at him .
Me Waaa wee munny $$$$$ Mista F C O Covington !!!!! pleeese gives us back our 25 million
Will Premier Alden McLaughlin and his government have the collective cajones to ask for the release of the Tempura report?
Honestly I don’t think they have any say in this. This is part of the legal system which remains outside of their oversight.
It costs nothing for them to ask the questions and publicly demand the release of the report.
Our MLA’s approve public funds used to pursue this matter in the RCIPS, Legal department and Judiciary budgets through the Ministry of Home Affairs which is the responsibility of our premier. They represent the people and the people want to know what this is all about that is costing us over 10 million dollars to investigate and now blocking the publication. What do they have to hide and what are our MLA’s afraid of by not asking?
Public funds were spent which they vote on so it’s their business because it’s our money even if they have no direct oversight.
They are a tier too low to have the ability to ask. Local authority representatives can’t tell national government what to do. That is pretty basic.
Exactly. It would be like the Mayor of Canterbury telling David Cameron what to do.
Helen Kilpatrick is a joke as Governor a complete waste of time with no interests in doing the right things for the Cayman Islands look at her handling of Tempura and allegations made by Martin Bridger. Tax payer monies are being wasted on her working holiday in the sun.
Why should she? Alden already put a brand new Jag in the car Port for doing absolutely nothing!
Since when is that the Governor’s job? Oversee and represent British interests in British territory that is her job. Cayman likes to profit of being part of brand Britain and needs to accept from time to time that comes at a price.
She is the direct superior of the police commissioner. Her responsibilities aremuch greater than you suggest even if she takes orders from above.
If the UK government has determined that not pursuing a complaint is in the public interest then what is in the nation’s interest is paramount over the interests of a local region or a few individuals.
The way it has gone down appears arbitrary, dictatorial and probably not in the public interest. All coverups by government are claimed to be in the public interest until the dam finally breaks.
LOL, is this the same evidence Bridger refused to give the Compass details of about a year ago or is it the stuff he claimed to have at OffshoreAlert in May 2013? This is just getting boring.
Mr Bridger – put up or shut up! Either make all this public now or stop your whining.
I have some sympathy with Martin Bridger here. My own complaints about the conduct of Tempura have received similar treatment over the past seven years. The problem seems to be that no matter how much evidence you provide (and most of mine came directly from the Met Police) the Governor and the FCO find excuses to ignore it all. As for Commissioner Baines? He’s just doing what his bosses at the FCO tell him. It’s been like that since he took over in 2009 – anyone who believes that he is making decisions about this on his own initiative is sadly mistaken.
The reason the FCO want this buried is, in my opinion, very simple. The two senior FCO officials who were responsible for both the original investigation and the Aina report have now moved on to very sensitive diplomatic posts – digging into their conduct could prove very embarrassing.
I’m not surprise at any of this. However, if one was to compare all that has been revealed, not to mention the level of potential evidence of criminal behavior at the top level of Government Officials with the case that was brought against the former Premier now Leader of the Opposition it is clear to see what happens to those who stand up against them. This is not to say that it was right for the former Premier to use his card but not a single other individual that used theirs for personal use were ever charged. Come on…..isn’t it clear to see that the intent was to single out the Premier and destroy his political career. Any blind man can see that. There were some who didn’t allow themselves to be used by them and they all had to leave government.
So Caymanians. We should learn from this. If the English would do this to each other – now you know what they would and will do to us Caymanians. Wake up before it’s too late.
Caymanians are very good too at doing it to one another. I have never experienced such a non Christian country for a place that is full of religiosity.
Let’s go Full Internal Self-Government. We will decide our own destiny to a larger degree.
Lord pls intervenene on behalf of our country, reveale and remove what and who need to.
Talk about transparency and good governance well after reading this report there is none of that in Cayman I am ashamed to be reading such reports. It is like what my old people use to say “something fishy is going on”. See where I have a problem is hat if it was some Joe blow he would have been arrested and charged then convicted and put in prison, there is too much double standards in this little Island and the governor should be ashamed of herself. As for Baines the next step for that clown is to try and run for politics because he is the best politician in this western hemisphere. But oh time longer than rope and as they say what goes in the wash must come out in the rinse. I truly believe this Bridger has evidence but where do he go with it, seems like old Bainsey won’t have it so where does he get justice. Helen I believe you has over stayed your welcome as well so the quicker you leave we can say good riddance.In conclusion I beg you Bainsey to please stop treating us the public like mushrooms ( fed bull crap and kept in the dark.
I stocking up on my popcorn
Well you have just wasted some perfectly good popcorn.
It’s difficult to believe there was no corruption present in RCIPS. After all, we’ve since seen junior RCIPS officers tried in Court for accepting bribes, etc. However, because Tempura fell apart we’ll never know. Nonetheless, the actions of Her Excellency and other seniors managing this event strongly suggests that there was clearly some ‘unconventional’ activities taking place within RCIPS which are to its detriment if the public discovers same. I, for one, am not surprised, having personally witnessed RCIPS Officers engaged in illegal activity (even while in uniform).
Of course I feared for my safety and said nothing. This is Cayman.
3:18 Tempura was never about corruption, it was all about selected UK officers having a nice holiday at our expense and dragging it out for as long as possible. One senior RCIPS officer (now retired) was identified to the investigators as being involved in falsifying evidence to convict one person and clear another – I filed the complaint, which is why this is being posted anonymously. Nothing happened to him, the whole thing was just buried.