Home affairs silent on CIO suspension
(CNS): Government officials at the home affairs ministry have refused to comment on the current situation regarding the chief immigration officer, Linda Evans, who has been on required leave from her top civil service job for more than two years. CNS has learned that Evans may have been retired from the post on medical grounds but the ministry which has responsibility refused to answer questions sent by this media house about the current situation. “We have no comment to make at this time relative to the queries,” Acting Chief Officer Kathryn Dinspel-Powell said in an email.
Evans was placed on required leave in December 2014 following allegations of misconduct relating to the immigration law but the alleged infractions have never been detailed and the immigration boss has not been charged under any legislation, including the Anti-corruption Law.
At the end of 2015 the then chief in the home affairs ministry, Eric Bush, said he expected the “unresolved disciplinary issues” regarding Evans to be concluded “shortly”, but since then there has been no comment from the ministry, which is held by Premier Alden McLaughlin.
CNS learned this week from unconfirmed sources that Evans has now taken retirement from her senior job on medical grounds but no officials are willing to comment on that or why Evans remained suspended from her job on full pay and benefits with an alleged inquiry underway for well over two years.
Evans is one of a number of immigration officials on required leave. In the most recent release from the department, Acting CIO Bruce Smith said eight people from his department were currently on paid leave as they are facing criminal charges.
Category: Jobs, Local News
This is a very unusual case that no details have been provided from the beginning. What on earth did she do to be off work and paid for 3years!
It’s a dying shame what they have done to this woman…. why is it Home Affairs has all of the cock ups and nobody has been fired for giving bad HR advice. Bad leadership!! This going down the road of the Prison fiasco I think and she will be back to work sooner than later. If there are no criminal charges then they have no grounds to fire or dismiss her.
I dont think it’s true about her being medical boarded as that would mean early retirement.
Is she able to go and work outside the civil service?
Years ago a local major law firm got rid of two of their Caymanian employees for absolute incompetence which was driving their gazillionaire overseas clients mad. There was huffing and puffing in the media but then it all went quiet. Why? Because they both got massive payoffs just to go away and to this day they live in houses the rest of us can only dream of with settlements from the law firm that are way beyond most people’s pensions.It goes on all the time in the private sector. Why do you keep bitching about the civil service?
Well said @7:57!
Because in the Private Sector, it’s private individuals money (and their choice). With the Civil Service it’s the taxpayers money (who have no choice)..
So, 9:26, natural justice has nothing to do with it? Just the private sector’s unlimited funds and their ability to buy people’s silence.
Very well said.
To all those in the private sector who complain about the public sector, misery loves company.
There’s good and bad in both sectors. Both are held accountable for their actions. The private sector just tend to replace caymanians for expats. Does that make it right, no! So the condition is worse across the fence but that doesn’t mean the other is held to a higher standard.
7.57pm -Just look at the common factor, it pays to be Caymanian. Expatriates if they are guilty of gross incompetence in the private sector, get fired with salary equivalent to one month’s notice, no massive payoffs for them.
I have learned over the years to never comment without the facts. So I won’t do so now.
None of us knows why this has taken so long and who is at fault.
All I know is that the Civil service is finally holding staff accountable. That’s a fact.
And yet you weren’t going to comment without facts. I can name 10 people in 10 seconds who are grossly incompetent, has been for years, is known by the Deputy Governor and nothing has been done.
One guy in Finance has been spending his days for the last 5 years working on his lawsuit against the Government, computer records are there to show it, he comes and goes as he pleases and nothing, not 1 minute of discipline has ever been metted out. Where is the accounatbility there?
6:58 that same Finance guy has been wasting government time and money since the nineties at least. He used to sleep most days and boasted off about it to plenty people.
Yup, same one that uses the photocopier, computer and telephone to research and compile documents to sue the same Government that is paying for his time to do it and the resources he is abusing.
He is also being paid for a title and a position that he doesn’t perform, flat out refuses to actually, and yet, nothing. Then people talk about the DG holding people accountable, please.
You are probably right that his behaviour goes back to the 90s, I only became aware of him in 2010 but I was told this has been going on for a long time.
it is not the public’s money. ….only a selective few decide how it us spent. full stop…..and they decide and squander and squander….
You do realise why this type of policy was created in the first place, don’t you? To financially protect the ones who created it, should the chickens come home to roost.
But… I’m paying her salary. Can’t you at least tell me why I’m paying her not to work?- John Q Citizen.
It’s just more corruption! Our politicians must be trying to win the prize for most corrupt leaders in the Caribbean, if not the world!!!
They ARE the most corrupt!!!!
Shame Shame Shame !!!
What’s curious is this treatment appeared to be a blatant breach of her human rights under ECHR Article 6 but she never complained. Guess it was more profitable to hold out for the pay off?
Puhleez get of that ECHR bandwagon. You have no idea whether her rights were violated.
This is but one of many similar instances over the years, where government employees accused of unspecified wrongdoing are allowed to retire without retribution and afforded the cloak of complete secrecy. The Civil Service seems to operate above the law and in an environment completely alien to the accountable private sector.
Except that accusation (of what exactly?) is not evidence of wrongdoing. What these issues usually are is (1) accusation made, (2) foot-dragged investigation besmirches person, (3) no evidence so they can’t charge (maybe never did anything wrong in first place) but so drawn out you can’t put them back to work and you cant’ shift them because they’ve been tainted by accusation but you can’t fire them or they’d sue you for wrongful dismissal, etc. So, just like in the private sector, you golden parachute them out. Only difference is the private sector keep sit private the public sector does it in public.
Not so public if they wont even confirm she has gone or the basis on which she went, let alone the cost.
Same ol’ same ol’
Thank you for the update CNS
Hush money…must know of a lot of dirty secrets of the highest levels
maybe it the mold i am hearing in the immigeation building why perhaps/ maybe she got retirement? maybe….
This is the continued norm here. Never gonna change.
I said it before and I will say it again required leave is a black hole of government funding that they need to find a viable solution for this policy. They have changed the way they do pension, and are about to change the way they do medical insurance. This needs to be next.
Linda has been treated awfully. There is no accountability.
I agree with you. She is a wonderful woman. You have to know her to know that. She did not deserve this type of treatment!! All because of hearsay and absolutely NO proof!
Public funds down the drain. This is what Marco Archer should be concerned with. The waste of the public’s money.
This is a total shame and disgrace. Only in government will you find this type of waste. Paying people to stay home and watch TV. What is Alden and the AG doing about it. Nothing as usual.
Their innocent until proven guilty. Another case follow for unfair dismissal. When you’re dismissed unfairly in the private sector, you get jack and then you run and cry to the Dept of Labor and Pension because you’re owed something.
In this case, it’s called a Process.
They are innocent…………. They’re innocent………..NOT Their innnocent……..
Same dog/puppy
No, it is wrong!
**** no, it’s wrong****
Corrected ??
Lol.. grammar police.
Ewe our sew write!
” They’re “
8 people from Immigration are currently on paid leave as they are facing criminal charges. But yo have to walk 5k to help the government buy an ambulance???
As a Caymanian, I really hate this place. Flipping Criminal City.
What are you doing to decriminalize it??? Not all are facing charges!!! That statement is very misleading and inaccurate. You walked to help your Health Services “Authority” as they were the recipient of funds generated.
Im glad you’re hiding under that handle of anonymous because you surely would have opened yourself up for lawsuit under the context of libel/slander.
Poster said nothing of the kind. CNS said “In the most recent release from the department, Acting CIO Bruce Smith said eight people from his department were currently on paid leave as they are facing criminal charges.”