Immigration officer will be suspended
Cayman Islands Department of Immigration
(CNS): With the news this week that an unidentified senior immigration officer was arrested after a police raid that turned up a gun, drugs and an illegal immigrant, the home affairs ministry has confirmed that the woman will be placed on required leave. No one has been charged yet but five people were arrested, including the 57-year-old immigration officer in the RCIPS operation triggered by a shooting at a George Town apartment on Tuesday night.
“Given the very serious nature of the allegations, the officer will be placed on required leave while the matter is being investigated,” Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Wesley Howell, the ministry’s chief officer, said in a joint statement.
“We thank the RCIPS for their vigilance as the arrest demonstrates a resolve to tackle illegal activities whomever the suspects. Any progression of this matter will follow natural rules of justice as we note that an arrest on suspicion indicates early stages of an investigation,” they added.
A spokesperson for the immigration department told CNS that because the officer was still in police custody, the department was not able to say what the next steps would be and that the ministry would be issuing a comment.
This is by no means the first time that senior staff at that department have been embroiled in controversies but the allegations in this case are extremely serious, as the officer was arrested on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession with intent to supply ganja, and knowingly assisting an illegal immigrant to remain in the Cayman Islands, which is an immigration offence.
The arrest comes while Chief Immigration Officer Linda Evans remains suspended from the job after almost two years. Officials stated in May that they expected the situation to be resolved, but she remains on required leave on full paid as a result of unspecified alleged workplace offences.
Former immigration boards director, Kim Davis, was dismissed after she was charged with offences relating to incorrect information she allegedly gave to the immigration department about permits she held for staff in her own business. That case is continuing in Summary Court and is expected to be heard later this year.
Garfield Wong, the deputy chief immigration officer in charge of enforcement, was arrested in December 2013 and charged with careless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence, but so far the case has not been tried and Wong has never been placed on leave.
Further down the ranks, immigration officer Nicholas Tibbetts (25) has now pleaded guilty to causing the death of Donnie Ray Connor when he knocked him from his bike on the Linford Pierson Highway, and left the scene. He was placed on required leave and is expected to be sentenced in November.
Category: Crime, Immigration, Police
Anyone know what’s happening at CINICO???? The marl road is buzzing……CNS go for it as your entity is the only one brave enough to ask the tough questions to get the real truth.
CNS: Can you give us a clue what’s up? You can send as a comment and add “don’t publish” if you like or email info@caymannewsservice.com
It starts at the top with the Deputy Governor and the crappy PC culture he nurses from GOAB.
Yeah, speaking of Little Cayman, some interesting things took place there that makes one think.
More than two years ago in DEH a garbage truck driver while drunk and driving the garbage truck before sunrise while drunk, ran the garbage truck into a govt building near the dump, damaging the truck and demolishing the small building.
What did he get for that? He was taken off the job but kept on full pay and word has it he still is.
There was another instance where the the guy who worked on the truck picking up the garbage, took one of the smaller trucks and being drunk, ran it down into a pond.
What did he get as punishment? Transferred to CB and given an apartment to live in and receiving Social Services financial assistance.
How can this be right? Being recompensed for destroying government equipment while driving drunk. Only government would allow this sort of thing to take place.
A dismissed postal worker (office manager) is still on pay for theft, word has it.
Let me add to that list by asking what ever happened to the fire officer in Little Cayman who wrote off a fire truck while drunk in the wee hours of the morning on his way home from a drinking session? As I understand it he didn’t pay for the vehicle and he was never charged by police. Can someone look in to this matter at the same time? Secondly, the question of why the Deputy Immigration Officer who was arrested for DWI and leaving the scene of an accident was never placed on required leave. XXXX
People need to understand: judicial process is the problem. They arrest people, investigate, and bring loads of charges against the person hoping that at least one will stick. In other words, our system is guilty until proven innocent not innocent until proven guilty. http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-framed/ Read that to see how you can be on the wrong side of the law even though you didn’t do anything wrong. Another example is a long time ago someone told him how they stopped to pick someone up and the person that they were picking up saw a police car coming and they dropped some weed in this person’s car. The person didn’t know until they were cleaning their car. Imagine if this man had been stopped by the police and their dogs were there or they even looked in the back, they would’ve seen it on the floor of his car?
Being proved guilty is irrelevant in an employment situation. The employer is entitled (and good practice requires) that it form its own views after its own reasonable investigation, and act accordingly.
You are absolutely right G.T. the presumption of innocence still stands but from the campaign and point you are trying to mount and defend on here indicates you are niether impartial nor as innocent as you claim this person to be.
Fortunate for you GT that CNS respects the presumption of innocence because the truth may put us all in jail. As for those who now conviently claim ignorance of the law it is niether and option nor an excuse at this point and finally GT it is said that some people can do it as much as they want but not as long as they want?
Can she be placed on required leave whilst she is still in police custody? And what happens when you fail to turn up for work because you are in jail, but have not yet been placed on required leave? Do you have to take time off your vacation balance?
Come on folks. Let’s engage some logical thinking. We asked for greater accountability in the Civil service and boy are we seeing it. 16 firing last year and now big arrests this year.
Now we are complaining about paid leave while criminal cases progress in the courts.
So let’s say you are arrested and suspended without pay. You can’t provide for your family you can’t pay your bills. You lose everything…but wait if you are eventually found not guilty you get your pay returned. Would you really want this to happen to you.
We need to address the root cause of this matter. Which is the time it takes for criminal matters to be completed.
Thank you DG for making the Civil Service better.
Those of you who can’t understand how someone can be arrested and yet their employer still pays him or her – ITS CALLED INNOCENCE UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
Put yourself in the accused person’s shoes for once in your life!
G.T., so what you are saying is that for those that were employed in the private sector and were subsequently let go because of charges brought (pre-trial) or they didn’t turn up because they were locked up for DUI, might have grounds for unfair dismissal because they were innocent until proven guilty?
What the F are you smoking? Cayman Govt is the only employer on planet earth that keeps criminals on their payroll until trial and thereafter moves them to another department if they are found guilty.
Why? That’s there voting base or family member. End of story. In the real world your ass gets fired, plain and simple.
Has it not occurred to you that she is not even charged??? And this is not even a DUI case where guilty act and intention are meshed. … lol … but it makes no sense explaining to you, from your second paragraph she is already guilty 🙂
How come that same standard did not apply to Kenneth Bryan? Alden gave him the boot before he had a chance to have his matter go to court. Presumption of innocence appears to be a selective principle, it obviously does not apply to all in this country.
Now that’s funny?
Yes, I am guilty of failing to understand how the presumption of innocence lasts for years before it goes to trial and in particular with government employees.
Like the above commenter 5:28 was saying – we need to improve on the speed of our judicial processes, which isn’t fair to victims of crime and/or accused persons.
The presumption of innocence applies in criminal trials NOT IN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS.
… because it boils down to the character of who employed you. It can also be seen in their agreements with you. But … still, may Cayman Islands always exhibit good and mature bosses who will listen to their employees and not judge them. Who sees the balance between caring for business profit and employees unto lasting success
How truly sad when those whose responsiblility its is to report and investigate corruption simply ignore or blatantly turn a blind eye to family and colleagues criminality and corrupt behavior and here in lies the problem in government today the Enablers who wilfully aid and abet this lawlessness to continue.
How you know the situation? Don’t judge.
G.T. do you live at this Officers house? If so, why don’t you go help the police with their investigation as you clearly know everything about the situation at hand and it will save us paying this person to sit on their ass for the next 2 years whilst they bring this case to court.
We read the news. Laws have been broken. And we have not been brought up to glorify criminals. We are brought up to see them as enemies of us and our families and friends. You?
So the Immigration Officer not even charge yet, is a criminal???
Yes…..
Typical ” my fellow Caymanian is misjudged” attitude here. If it was an expat then it would “cancel the work permit and deport” before any investigation took place. Crime and corruption is endemic on this island and the main instigators are Caymanian….statistics and history prove it. Get over it, take responsibility and deal with it. Stop sticking your heads in the sand as the world will kick you in the butt!
O really! Before any investigations! Thats a new one :)) I have never heard of a person in the Cayman Islands deported without a conviction (proven guilty) from our courts or courts overseas.
Maybe you can give us a case where someone was barred from coming back to Cayman without being investigated.
This country cannot keep paying salaries to suspended officers and officials. We must be paying out millions per year in salaries, health insurance and pensions to people who are not even working and then listening to the cries and mourning of thousands who cannot find jobs!
The private sector has the ability to fire without cause much less for some of the scandalous behavior our government workers have been called-out on. Many organizations use the loopholes within the Labor Law and place their “full-time” staff on one year renewable contracts regardless of the length of their tenure; this enables them to refuse to renew the employment contracts of employees for absolutely no reason after the twelve month period. I know of a company that refused to renew the contracts of a lady because of her mounting medical problems that required extensive time-off – an obviously very unfair method for a huge company to use against a person who desperately needed the little income she was getting and the law gave them the ability to do it without consequence and yet our government is maintaining alleged criminals on payroll.
Obviously government needs to review their employment contracts; the Civil Service should not be the place that people go to get jobs and three years paid vacation for alleged corrupt and/or criminal conduct.
Place them on UNPAID leave and give them the ability to claim all lost pay and their jobs back at the end of a successful defense. XXXXXXXX
Employees of the Civil Service must be held to higher standards of accountability for their actions – but I guess monkey see, monkey do. If the elected leaders themselves are able to draw in high salaries for many years with no accountability for their actions and inactions – then why not extend that consideration to the little guys in the offices?
How bout you losing your monthly pay that you rely on to maintain you and your family, if and whenever you get arrested???
You see, its easy to complain about what government is doing with their money until you fall into the same situation. You say, “oh that will never happen to me!” 🙂
I would expect to take responsibility for my actions. But that would never happen to me or the people I know. You?
self-righteous
If I was accused of any of the things these civil servants are accused of whilst in my private sector job I would be FIRED, not places on PAID LEAVE! Simple.
good for you! bravo! being fired is more important to you than paid leave. Too others who cant afford to be fired -not!
So just because the private sector adopts abusive practices and takes advantage of their employees the Civil service should do it also? Tell me, are you one of the abusers or just suffering from Stockholm syndrome?
The Government leaders (civil servants too) enact the laws that the private sector is able to abuse.
After years of paid leave due to slow conviction processes, once the process is completed and guilt (if any) is proven obviously the income stream will still be cutoff, what then?
What after taxpayers have paid millions out in salary to the then convicted criminal?
Would it not be more sensible to reimburse them if found not guilty? Or, if when found guilty do we think Government can claim the millions paid out in years of annual salaries to civil servants on “paid leave” due to criminal conduct? Yeah, I am sure they will pay it all back; after all, they are honest, upstanding civil servants.
Because this is a country that has not seen any leadership that has steered them into being responsible and socially correct citizens. Many of them are still wondering why they should have to be self reliant when there are still so many opportunities steal cheat and lie for a living. Like Bush.
No where in this article does it even say that any of these persons have been CHARGED with an offence. It says arrested under suspicion of…… and in the interest of the public suspended WITH pay to wait and see (1) if they are even charged with an offence and (2) even if charged then under the law of this land they are innocent until proven guilty. How quickly this processes now is wherein the problem lies.
In the private sector and under the labour law, most of these people would have been fired immediately. Being charged would be irrelevant.
Paid leave?
Of course, den of Inquity the best gig in Cayman.
Check DEH Little Cayman…
and Cayman Brac. They have a worse problem. Being paid to drink.
These cases should be top priority for judicial system. Reinstate and pay them their dues or fire them…all within a few months.
Unfortunately Franz has gotten so caught up in petty office politics with every civil servant running to cry to him whenever a manager tries to discipline them that he can’t focus on the bigger issues.
The huge union called the Civil Service association would kill any move to increase accountability in the Civil Service, so people will continue to be criminally charged and get paid to stay home and watch TV, while those trying to make a positive differnce continue to get marginalized. smh
The problem is not the Civil Service Association, the problem IS Franz Manderson. He needs to get off his ass and do something with the Chief Officers and other high ranking civil servants who are doing nothing in these cases and get these matters resolved. The Public Service Management Law and Regulations is very clear on how to deal with disciplinary matters in the Civil Service. If these allegedly highly educated Chief Officers along with the Legal Department would follow this law and any other related law step by step then it is not difficult to quickly discipline a civil servant and/or terminate them. Case in point on incompetence – when a Chief Officer terminates someone who he has no authority to terminate they get reinstated.
9:26 I bet you are one of those poor leaders Franz is holding accountable. Remember to be tough not rough with your staff.
What is clear is that since Franz who comes from a law enforcement background has become DG accountability in the Civil service has improved tremendously. You think all of those arrests, suspensions and firing are happening by accident.
I have seen the difference and trust me civil servants are feeling it.
Support our DG and stop trying to tear him down.
I agree that these court cases take too long but hold the Court accountable for that.
Finally while the private sector is quick to fire. They are also quick to pay out the $$$ for unfair dismissal.
Erm, if someone is presumed innocent until found guilty by a judge or jury of his/her peers (we’re not in North Korea are we?), why should they lose pay, benefits etc until that judgement is rendered, whether or not they are in the private sector or the public sector? Surely the real problem is that it takes a horrendous amount of time for these cases to come to court and it has been this way for 20 years or more.Justice delayed is justiced denied, whether the winner is ultimately the accused or the accuser. Are these posters singing the praises of the private sector saying that someone is dismissed for an offence just because they have been accused of it?
An employer can ask appropriate questions and form their own determinations, and terminate, provided they are acting reasonably.
Reasonably??? That’s more like JUDGMENTAL when you don’t have any evidence! You sound arrogant!
Read the Labour Law. You sound ignorant.
You sound like a person used to being accused of things. Responsible much?
My answer is ‘not me suh’ – what is appropriate then?
Rubbish 7;20.
Common sense says that these people should be suspended without pay, and if they are not prosecuted of declared innocent they receive back wages.What happens to these civil servants who sit at home or at another for for years on full pay and benefits and are then found gulty, do they repay these funds – of course not.You can’t allow this to continue.
What’s wrong with making the “on leave” person return all the salary if he (or she) is found guilty? If they can’t or won’t pay send them to jail. Deportation would also be a great idea.
“”Anonymous says:
28/08/2016 at 12:34 pm
In the civil service suspension equals an indefinite vacation of full pay and benefits. “”
Seems the public has to GET SERIOUS about countering this CRAP !!!
I would recommend a PUBLIC PROTEST of this waste of public funds, but does the public have any confidence in this type of recourse.
ANY LEGIT SUGGESTIONS TO STOP THIS CRAP ?
Yes. The Immigration and Customs should be staffed and administered by the UK.
Absolutely. Immigration in its entirety should be run by the UK, including all legislation and regulation surrounding work permits, residency & status, and the grant thereof. Caymanians should be removed from this process entirely.
Immodium?
In the private sector, a suspension = pink slip.
In the civil service suspension equals an indefinite vacation of full pay and benefits.
Or just a transfer to another department, the “suspension” being the time taken for the powers that be deciding which department that is.
What a mess
This crap has to stop. There should be an internal investigation, and independent of any charges or prosecution, if she is found to have acted inconsistently with the obligations of her role, she should be fired immediately. This payment of the public’s money to the mutual income for life preservation society (otherwise known as the civil service) is starting to make FIFA look like a bastion of ethical behaviour.
Get a grip Franz. Change the law if you have to, but the private sector would not behave this way with shareholder money. Nor should the civil service.
One can safely say that the rocket scientists that run the CI govt are really a bunch of space cadets. Imagine having a senior head of a department suspended for almost 2 years on full pay and don’t make her case a priority to be concluded AND while paying another probably the same salary or more to do the job. Mr. Wong continues to enjoy his position while the general public are charged and locked up for similar offenses. Well, that concluded any misconception for me that in the Cayman Islands there are double standards and double the double standards. I suppose it is all about who you are, who you are related to and who knows you.
Well if this is known to you, then stop complaining and make yourself known, or get to know important people. Hater
Everytime I try to think there is hope for Cayman and things could possibly change fornthe better, an idiot like 9:14 am pops up.
Takes a bigger idiot to actually think the troll was being serious
As an expat, I find this frigging hilarious. Cayman kind at it’s finest, do as I say not as I do.
Tell us more about where your from?
“you’re”…..
It is quite annoying when those who have been the chief beneficiaries of all things Cayman kind- try to taint everything negative as a Caymanian trait. Cayman’s hypocrisy is child’s play to the rest of the world…
Keep telling yourself that Bobo. No one else but a Caymanian can see the world as you do.
I dont know about the rest of the world but we real good.
Oh I am sure this doesn’t happen in your country of origin! I am sure all politicians and civil servants are stellar examples of human beings.
Remember – just because you don’t know what’s going on in a country with millions and millions of people doesn’t mean things are not happening……..
Kim was not dismissed. She was also placed on leave and is still getting paid until her case is decided. Check your facts…
I’m just curious. Seeing that Immigration has watchmen (the police), who is watching the watchmen???
Isn’t it interesting that the Police has over 300 employees and we are not hearing of any arrest made within the department. Are they so clean? Immigration has way fewer employees than the Police. But could it be we need a separate investigating body in Cayman that can investigate the high ranking police as well?
Yep. Whatever happened to the internal investigation of the drugs taken from the evidence locker in GT? That seems to have gone awfully quiet.
Does the immigration dept have access there?
Sad day for the immigration dept and Caymanians.
But I am proud to see the joined up approach to going after anyone who is suspected of breaking the law.
Eh?
Two questions:
1. Why does it take so long to adjudicate these cases?
2. When wrongdoing is proven, why doesn’t the government sue for return of the undeserved wages paid out?
2. That’s a novel idea!!
It takes so long often times because they are trying to decide how to go about it.
Many times the people getting caught is the smaller “man” working along side or on orders from the bigger fish and they don’t want that to get out.
As a result the cases are drawn out and then nothing much happens… else, big names will likely be called and hell will break lose and even then not much happens depending on who it is. So there in lie the issue.
Not saying of course that this senior officer is guilty. But often times that is the situation, which is very sad because… not all CS are lazy and incompetent and or corrupt.
Yet again a civil servant has pleaded guilty to a serious crime but will get full salary and benefits for months to come. This nonsense has to stop,use some common sense and amend the regulations that allow for this ridiculous state of affairs.
8;34 @ 27/08: “yet again a civil service has pleaded guilty” — to which case are you referring? Surely you cannot meant to say that the immigration office who pleaded guilty in the case of the cyclist’s death is on full pay? That would be entirely against civil service rules and cannot be correct.
On the other cases, whether we like it or not, until cases headed to court are actually heard and a verdict given, the accused has to be presumed innocent.
That is absolutely correct. Another of the insane reuglations allows the civil service employee to continue receiving benefits until sentence is pronounced. In this case I believe another two and a half months on top of the 2 years already accrued.
Do you read? Where was it stated that she pleaded guilty? The article specifically said “No one has been charged yet”. How you ah talk bout common sense when yuh nah even know how fi read an article? Obv if she pleaded guilty she would get way more than a suspension, bafoon
I retract, I myself did not read the last paragraph. You good bredda