‘UDP threw me under the bus’ says Hewitt
Velma Powery-Hewitt and Gordon John Hewitt
(CNS): Gordon John Hewitt told a court that he was repeatedly reassured, through attorney Steve McField, that the UDP would cover all the costs of a petition to challenge the election of Tara Rivers in 2013. But he said the party “led me down the garden path” and then “threw me under the bus”. As lawyers and trustees picked over his assets Tuesday, following his declaration of bankruptcy earlier this year, the 78-year-old man said he “felt stupid” for believing the opposition leader and the promises made that he “would not have to pay a dime”.
Hewitt said that everything was “veiled in secrecy” and nothing was in writing because the party leader, McKeeva Bush, had made it clear he did not want it to get out that the UDP would be financing the challenge. But they never did.
Hewitt was forced to declare bankruptcy over the election case, which was lost, when he received a bill of over US$200,000. Despite being promised from the start that he would not be liable for the financial element, Hewitt revealed that he did not receive anything from the UDP. He had been persuaded to front the election petition, he explained, because the party, and Renard Moxam in particular, would foot the bill for the challenge and a subsequent appeal.
The West Bay resident, whose wife ran on the UDP ticket in the 2013 election, claims he was first asked by McKeeva Bush, leader of the UDP (a.k.a. CDP) and currently the leader of the opposition, if he would front the challenge in name only. Hewitt said he had agreed but on condition that he would not be paying the bill.
“I said I would do it if it doesn’t cost me a dime,” he said. He told the court that he could not afford to pay and he had made that abundantly clear. “I was not willing to pay anything, but if all the costs were covered I believed in the action and I agreed I would put my name to it. I was reassured that would be the case.”
Following the failure of the case and then an appeal, when Rivers was awarded her costs, he said that Bush, Moxam and other members of the hierarchy of the UDP, including some of its wealthy backers, were nowhere to be seen. He explained how he wrote to Bush asking for his help in getting the money but he never received a response in writing.
Hewitt said that McKeeva Bush responded to him via a BBM message but it was very negative. He said the UDP leader told him that he had no money either and was almost bankrupt himself.
Hewitt said that the UDP completely reneged on the deal, leaving him with the bill, but there was only a verbal agreement and nothing in writing. However, Hewitt’s account of the events is supported by sworn affidavits from his wife and attorney Steve McField, who has supported Hewitt’s claims. McField also stated that he and Abe Dabdoub, the Jamaican attorney that presented the election petition challenging Rivers, were not paid either.
The court heard that Renard Moxam had paid the retainer to McField in the first instance to enable him to instruct Dabdoub and obtain the necessary permits, but that was the only cash that ever came from members of the UDP to cover the challenge.
Hewitt, who has lost everything, including the small art and framing business he had for twenty years, has no assets.
As attorneys for Rivers and the bankruptcy trustee questioned him, it became apparent that Rivers will not be collecting her $200,000 in costs from him. Attorney Graham Hampson, although he was representing Rivers and questioning Hewitt about the events and his remaining meagre assets, nevertheless baulked at suggestions from the court to list an inventory of Hewitt’s possessions, which he described as “Dickensian”.
Hewitt can only now be discharged from bankruptcy if the debt to Rivers is paid. Falling short of stating the obvious — that this could happen if the UDP and its leaders come through as promised — Justice Ingrid Mangatal, who was clearly troubled by the case, said she felt it was “desirable for the matter to be resolved in some other way”, as the severity of Hewitt’s near destitution was laid bare.
The trustee who examines the case will be the one to recommend whether there are debts owed to Hewitt and if the verbal agreement, as claimed by him, his wife and McField, with the UDP and its party leaders and members makes them also liable for the court costs awarded to Rivers.
The hearing was adjourned until February to give Hewitt time to locate and file documents to confirm his lack of assets.
Take your head out of the sand and clear your eyes cause they’re copies and not one iota better
Same plot just executed better and hidden better
What did they expect they made deals with the KAYMAN devils and expected another outcome that’s funny
Three sworn statements saying there was an oral contract to refund the expenses, and nothing from Moxam to say the contrary. Sounds like the bankruptcy trustee needs to be suing Moxam for the money.
And you trust the word of a politician because???? Go Moses Trump – you the man.
CNS, you need to investigate what happen to Mckeeva tongue. I never heard him speechless before, you sure he okay?
Hopefully something good will come out of this. Mr Hewitt, it wasn’t a bus you were thrown under, it was an Aircraft Carrier on dry dock loaded with buses. It is hard to imagine, after reading what has been done to you by the Honorable for life person that set you up, that he can still run for election in West Bay and get more than one vote. If he had any scruples he would cast that one vote for someone else. And Mr McField, forget about whether you ever get paid or not, I beg you, do us and your country a favor, please speak out and support the Hewitts, and help educate the voters of West Bay that it is time to get rid of this leach.
Well. With the new open door policy following the legal stance taken last election, some of you can now run for office and see how quickly an MLA can become a scapegoat.
No one is disputing that.
This was a reply to another comment, but is posted in the wrong place
Mac and his croonies never cease to amaze me. This is a new low for them. They should be made to pay the disputed costs. They can cash in some of their fixed deposits or call in some favours from the people who gained from them while in office.
I remember how vocally supportive the Hewitts were to Mac et al and yet they are being hung out to dry this way….sad.
On another note, there should be a law put in place that a person can only run for, say, two terms. That would have limited the reign of those morons and they would not have gotten the opportunity to screw up the country as they did. Learn from the mistakes and let’s labour on and pray, pray for a better future for all.
How much longer can these islands survive with all the corruption, poison, hatred, greed and ungodliness that have become part of the very oxygen we breathe.
Anyway, we can now start with Alden and his hoodies. Oh please! Do not forget all the old foots that sit on all these government boards, same old same old year in and year out. It seems like their birthright. They are the main reason why things are so backward and messed up. One big impenetrable faternity.
One last thing, housecleaning must begin with the CJ, AG and SG (judicial dept). They must have attained the retirement age by now and stored up enough pension money to go back to their beloved homeland and live like royality. These people are so ineffective and useless to the Cayman Islands. Oh, my bad, the retirement age only affects Caymanians….lord have mercy on the CAYMAN ISLANDS.
You do realise that the CJ, AG & SG are all Caymanians?
You can call them faux Caymanians, paper Caymanians, driftwood or whatever other derogatory name you people call them but legally they are Caymanians.
“Go back to their homeland”? This is their home! If you all will never recognise or accept someone as a Caymanian, why bother to give then status?
No matter how much a person has done in these islands, Caymanians never accept them. And it is called a Christian nation.
The only two people in cayman who didn’t see this coming were……..the Hewitts.
Mek a tell unna all somting unna hear? I is ferewa onerable, bobo. in my hans is clean in mi hart is puer too. Man dis is nuttin but b-brurocratic harrassment tryin keep my seat from me. dis donkey face gamble in lose in now he blamin poor mac? try go home n eat y carrots n milk bobo. a was in china lookin out fi mi country when all dis happen n from dey a went las wegas on business now dey blamin po mac agin.
Speak English and you might get a reply.
I already have 18, including yours.
Yes please do speak English. He’s got 2 replies now.
The fact that 11.18am has received 89 likes and not one dislike says it all. I just pray that he is a sign of the changing of the guard so that no more can candidates in West Bay blatantly buy votes.
Hey don’t just pick on West Bay – I saw a mattress being delivered in Spot Bay by Mr. Cayman Brac Trump’s shoppe – funny thing is the lady recently had government repair her house (she didn’t have any $ – so makes you wonder where the money came from for the mattress).
My wish list to Brac candidates during upcoming election season:
1. An apple and bottle of water like last election. I have been rationing the water to last me the past four years.
2. T-shirt and hat like last election.
3. Acknowledge that I still exist, as you only know me at election time.
4. Please import more foreigners on work permit for Cayman Brac – locals need more helpers, yard workers, store clerks, restaurant cashiers.
5. Increase the handouts for those who “cannot” find work – as the costs groceries increases the voucher the you give me cannot buy the same amount of food – this is pure bull as I am a tenth generation Caymanian and government owes me because I am Caymanian.
Merry Christmas to All
Well folks you can always vote for Da PPM and suffer another 4 years of living hell Yes Smitty you right they dont do this because its usual cloak in a great wall of secrecy. Oh please spare us. Try hush and bring me my friggin turkey.
What “living hell”? Are you so troubled because the UDP/CDP freebies have dried up. The economy is on the rise. Improve yourself and do honest work. You may not agree with the PPM on everything, neither do I, but I do not doubt their ethics.
Read the post – he needs his turkey.
You mean instead of the nation’s building funds being used as a personal slush fund for gambling or providing scholarships to some imaginary sports academy? Yeah, that was sooooo much better!
Thought maintenance and champerty will still illegal in Cayman. Affidavit evidence against McKeeva and the UDP should presumably prompt further investigation (just in time to mess with the elections), methinks.
This is indeed very sad. This is an elderly gentleman that has lost everything in a ‘public interest’ case regardless of who you support. A political party on one side which appears to have conned someone and a ruthless politician on the other with no compassion, but only determination to seek revenge and ruin what is left of their lives.
She has a bill to pay!
Paid already! She’s looking REIMBURSEMENT for those who paid! QC JOWELL WOULDN’T WAIT TWO YEARS LIKE HEWITTS
*Speechless*
Does the corruption amidst the political parties ever end?
Groups of people do not form parties during election season because everyone wants to work together for the good of the country – they do it to guarantee that they are the majority in the LA and to have the comfort of knowing that they can ride on the coattail of other standing political members – in other words, the whole setup is corruption in itself.
I am so disgusted; at the UDP/CDP and this couple – first of all you should have been more ethical than to allow the UDP to hide behind your name! If the challenge in court had been successful all of you would be singing anthems in the LA and hiding this ridiculous scam of an arrangement you had. This is just more evidence of why so many candidates cannot be trusted. Why so desperate to challenge the decision of your people because of loser’s sadness??
Didn’t AG Bulgin not bar Richard Christian?
Didn’t others give up foreign passports?
Why was Rivers allowed when others couldn’t?
What was special that she was not barred fr nomination?
That’s the reason of the Challenge!
It is clear to me that unfortunately, the law does not apply to all.
I am not disputing whether Rivers is eligible or not – she has proven unfit on more basis than nationality.
But a more appropriate time to have brought this to officials’ attention would have been as soon as she proclaimed candidacy.
Unnah lay down with dogs…
So let me get this straight… Stevie told them that Mac Mac and Ren Ren would cover the costs and they believed that promise was as secure as all the gold in Fort Knox and now it turns out that Santa got run over by his reindeer…
While I feel sorry for the Hewitts they should have known who they were dealing with. Politics is not for the faint-hearted.
Say what you like, I don’t see anyone in the PPM doing this. Their conduct in Government is the opposite of the backroom deals of the UDP.
I hope Caymanians learn a lesson from this. If the UDP can do this to one of their own, what will they do to you and me? Its all about power for Big Mac and the access it gives him.
In Cayman it’s a case of “same game different players” always has been this way.
The PPM are just as bent as the UDP they just are smoother, more covert and focus on long term benefit to themselves like property development concerns land deals and real estate held in the name of their bag men and some loyal supporters. They are about the long game not the quick cash grab like Big Mac’s cult.
Corruption in Cayman takes many different forms and involves many different people from all both sides of the political parties and is aided by corporate cayman.
Sorry Bub – nobody believes that BS! The PPM may have their faults but being corrupt dirty backstabbers is not one of them.
DENIAL in Cayman is nothing like the Nile in Egypt.
There is no difference between the UDP and PPM. Same games different players. If you understand Caymanian politics and are objective you will come to that conclusion eventually.
Hey 3:52PM – you sound like you know Mr. Cayman Brac Trump. You probably also know the gentleman who is a “Bracker” – use to be in charge of government. Hey do you also know the “Crown” realty people.
Anyways, 3:52PM hope you had a good laugh – keep telling it like it is.
Plainly entering into underhanded and champertous arrangements is not enough.
Maintenance rather than champerty! But no question as to underhanded, to which you can add a fair measure of either stupidity or naivety depending on how generous you feel.
UDP = UnDependable Promises
I am a born and bred West Bayer and from the time I could vote (18 yrs) I always voted McKeeva and his party. All of my family did the same and we are a big family down here in the Republic.
In the last election (2013) it was the first time that I did not vote for McKeeva and his party, for the simple reason that he was caught with his silk pants down at his ankles…….. gambling in multiple casinos in multiple countries with our credit card. (the public credit card)
I certainly did not give him permission to use my credit card for that purpose, regardless if there was not an official government policy about the use of such card. He should have known better and “he stooped too low” as our first Premier in doing this.
I am still waiting to hear an apology from him, but years later, he is still not forthcoming on the issue. Mckeeva needs to retire the same as Kurt and Anthony Eden. They are all double dipping and hauling in over $17,000 CI – $20,000 CI per month.
When I look around the West Bay district all I can see is a bunch of older and young people sitting on their lazy asses, milking the welfare system; compliments of the UDP CDP.
It does not surprise me that Velma and her husband got throwed under the bus by Mckeeva and the UDP. You see, it’s all a power struggle.
Capt Eugene makes close to $10,000 CI per month (over $100,000 CI per year) and all he does…….. is goes around Christmas time and spends about $5,000 CI buying coffee, sugar, creme, rice and flour, gives it away in the district and claims that’s good MLA representation for the year. He is known in our district as Mr. Dress Up Politician but is rarely heard in the LA and he never did a damn thing to help the West Bay Watersports Operators – which he should know something about.
Bernie I’m not too impressed with you but it least I can hear your voice in the LA.
Tara, Oh what a Big F&%$%&* Disappointment you are. If you could do your job as Minister of Education as good as you can change your fancy hair styles every week, that would be great.
West Bay needs some new representation and I’m looking forward to seeing some capable new faces on the scene for the OMOV. If not, I’m Not Voting and this would be the first time that I did this in over 30 years.
Well said!
Featured comment CNS???
At 11:18….best comment ever!!!
Respect to a person who says it as it is.
Preach!!!!!!!!!
Only surprised that someone actually believed what UDP promised, not surprised regarding the outcome of it all whatsoever
They deserve what they get for trusting the UDP.
Big Mac almost bankrupt himself…guess the one-armed bandits at the Hard Rock have been treating him like he treated the people of Cayman…like a sucker.
If there were no rules saying that he must pay, if he said he was going to pay, then he doesn’t have to pay! Especially since he no longer had the government credit card to get the cash to pay. Capisce?
If he had used the credit card to pay this debt, that would have been lawful temporary borrowing from the government, under the rules in place at the time. Let’s not forget that here. Very important.
No need! I am sure this man would have been a perfect candidate for a grant from the NBF. I think the one-man decisions committee would have been supportive.
Da wah you get!
Two sayings come to mind:
“My word is my bond”
“No honour among…”
UPD step up and pay. The whole thing should not have happened . If you lose an election just accept it and move on. Now you have this to contend with and you all Darn well know that you cant believe or take the words of the UDP its leaders or members . that goes for the PPM two.
*too
What does one have to do to earn a ban from politics in the Cayman Islands?
That’s easy, they would have to tell the truth.
Be declared a bankrupt or get a criminal conviction with a sentence over a year.
I believe you can get criminal convictions removed by shooting yourself in the leg.