Civil service rolls out anti-corruption policy

| 10/04/2017 | 26 Comments

(CNS): The government is rolling out a new policy to promote good governance, officials have said. Later this month the civil service management will begin training public sector workers and begin a wide public education campaign aimed at stamping out corruption, fraud and other wrongdoing by government employees and encouraging whistle-blowing. “We want to create and maintain a culture of honesty and high ethics, including the understanding and awareness of risks and controls,” said Deputy Governor and Head of Civil Service Franz Manderson.

“We want to mitigate the risks and reduce the opportunities for fraud, as well as provide a platform for civil servants and members of the public to report an incident they feel is wrong,” he added in a GIS release announcing the policy roll-out.

The policy emerges from various pieces of legislation dealing with the public sector and policies already in place in the civil service, such as the Public Service Management and the Public Management and Finance Laws, the Code of Business Ethics and Conduct, Official Whistle-Blower Policy, Records and Information Management Policy and the Offering or Receiving Hospitality, Entertainment or Gifts Policy.

The Whistle-Blower Policy will be the platform used to report any incidents or claims directly to a hotline or website anonymously.

“Civil servants and officers at every level and in every department have a responsibility to speak up when they believe they have knowledge or suspect fraud or corruption is being committed, so appropriate action can be taken in a timely manner,” Manderson added.

Continuing to promote their credentials as a government of integrity, the political leaders offered support for the policy. Premier Alden McLaughlin told an audience on Saturday night at his party’s national congress that this policy would protect those willing to come forward and reveal wrongdoing. However, he added that in fifteen years there has never been a whiff of scandal around PPM politicians.

“There are strong provisions in the policy to protect civil servants and non-civil servants who deliver tips,” McLaughlin stated “All claims or allegations made by a person will first be thoroughly investigated to determine the veracity of the claim. The Anti-Fraud Policy will also provide clear guidance on how investigations into fraudulent activities will be dealt with by the Internal Audit Service.”

He said the policy covers “the prevention, detection and remediation of fraud, corruption and dishonesty”, as well as dealing with the roles and responsibilities of civil servants and how they should conduct themselves “in and outside” of work.

Finance Minister Marco Archer spelt out the basic reason for introducing the policy: “We are implementing these new policies to make clear that the use of one’s occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse of public resources and one’s office is unacceptable.”

Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of good governance, he said.

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Comments (26)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    If the DG could not identify who in the civil service gave Canover Watson that cheque in the Care-Pay deal, I do not see how he can do all these other things now that he say he is going to do. Talk is cheap!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Come on CNS why are you not posting the comment about XXXXX. An FOI will reveal that this is true.

    CNS: Do the FOI and send me the response. “Trust me, I know what I’m talking about” from Anonymous isn’t proof for us. You get that, right?

    • Jah Dread is back says:

      Hey the Civil Serbice is expecting a return of the MAC wow anti corruption policy, wow they have a Cristal ball??

  3. Anonymous says:

    Today is 11 April
    Not 1 April

  4. Anonymous says:

    Will this new policy become required reading for anyone elected in May?

  5. Hopeless says:

    “Civil servants and officers at every level and in every department have a responsibility to speak up when they believe they have knowledge or suspect fraud or corruption is being committed, so appropriate action can be taken in a timely manner,” Manderson added.
    Give me a break Franz. You recently had a senior (acting head of a uniformed department) tell police under oath that he had a friend who he believed was in Cayman illegally and who he believed was selling weed. Had he reported this to Immigration or Police? No. Was there any consequence? No. You reinstated him and put it on the front page of the government website for the whole world to see.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You’re dead right. He blew the whistle on himself but no one heard or did what should have been done – sacked him. How can you swear these things and nothing happen to you.
      And what about the senior civil servant that is supposed to be big executive for Standards in Public Life and Anti-Corruption who was up in court every day supporting him? Same thing. Plenty talk but it don’t mean a thing.

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      • Anonymous says:

        If we get a whistle-blower law he may be entitled to claim a reward the next time he makes up such an outrageous story about himself.

  6. Anonymous says:

    They need to check out the civil servants in Cayman Brac who are in the pocket of a certain investor. Taking goods and trips to NY. And certain high ranking civil servant who comes and stays at this investors place for free all the time. The Brac is small its in your face. Everyone knows this happens and that it is wrong and nothing is done. So having another unenforceable law will help? I don’t think so. There is s much corruption it is sickening.

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    • Anonymous says:

      People in the Brac need to grow a pair then, and speak out against it. Instead of waiting for someone from Grand Cayman to come and solve it.

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      • Anonymous says:

        That’s the point. It has been reported over and over and over and nothing is done. Therefore this legislation will be a waste of time.

  7. Anonymous says:

    If you have to ‘train’ someone to be honest should that person really be in your employ to begin with ?

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  8. Anonymous says:

    You can also ask the DG about ganja found in government office bathrooms and the cover up by the CO. Then there is the illegal charging of food for certain government boards in excess of the board members and the civil servants therefore getting free meals. The CO’s responsible know about this and nothing done. The list goes on and on and on and on.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    This is absolute BS. So for all these years certain high ranking civil servants, the DG and CO’s have known of wrong doing and they have done nothing. It is unconscionable what they have allowed to happen. They know right from wrong so a law is now going to make it all right. Right is right and wrong is wrong so why do we need a law to address this. If they were morally upstanding civil servants/human beings they would deal with it anyway. Just another smoke and cloud issue within the civil service. Useless DG and worse CO’s

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Oh, the high standards like borrowing public funds to gamble in casinos or buying land in the Brac! Won’t hold our breathe

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  11. Anonymous says:

    blah blah blahhh……politrix?

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  12. Anonymous says:

    “encourage whistle-blowing”?? Not while the CS and the elected branch of Government is controlled by the Lodge!

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  13. Anonymous says:

    ROFLMAO the DG is a joker. He’s a politician

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Now that will upset the applecart!

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  15. Anonymous says:

    For god’s sake – another policy! Just enforce even half of the ones you already have and things would be a lot different!

    Any word on how many civil servants run their private business during Government working hours?

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    • Anonymous says:

      How many Civil servants have been seconded to the Elections Office, such that core Govt. Depts. like Planning and L&S have come to a griding halt!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Absolutely Right. We need to hire a cadre of people for something that happens once every four years. … Uhm, wait, someone’s going to object to enlarging the Civil Service. Hmm, I know, the private sector should send a bunch of their workers to the Elections Office saying ‘we’re volunteering to do all of the pre-election work on our employer’s dime’ (same as the above staff doing elections work but paid from their employing agency’s cost center). There I’ve hit two birds with one stone. You wont’ have anything to complain about and we won’t have any more elections to get agitated over.

    • Anonymous says:

      Very well said, so much so I have nothing much to add besides how sick and tired I am of hearing about more policies and more reports, when enforcement is the only issue we really have. This place is all about talk, no action.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Thank you DG. Don’t listen to these negative posters. Just look at the foolish comments on this article.

        Too many Civil Servants working at the Elections office. The grand total is about 6???

        They asked for you to tackle abuse of government funds and when you roll out a comprehensive policy to do that. They complain of too many policies.

        You just can’t make this stuff up.

        Keep up the good work. Too bad these policies were not developed 10 years ago.

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