CIFA at heart of two ACC arrests

(CNS): Anti-Corruption Commission investigators have arrested a second man as part of an investigation which is related to the Cayman Islands Football Association, CNS has learned. Following the arrest of a 47-year-old George Town man yesterday, who is still an executive with the football association, a second man, aged 46 and described as being from Prospect, was also arrested Friday. CNS can confirm that this person is a former CIFA executive.

The second man was arrested for the same offences as yesterday’s suspect: secret commissions (taking bribes) contrary to s.21 of the Anti-Corruption Law, and money laundering. He was reportedly taken to the Prisoner Detention Centre at Fairbanks. Officials have not released any further details about the two individuals as the ACC said the case was ongoing.

CNS has contacted CIFA President Lee Ramoon about the arrests, but we have not received any response to our questions.

The association recently announced that an independent audit was underway to address the ongoing financial questions that remain in the wake of Jeffery Webb’s arrest and subsequent conviction in the US relating to the broad FIFA corruption scandal.

Further questions were also raised about the CIFA’s finances regarding the CarePay hospital corruption scandal and the charges against Jeffery Webb and Canover Watson (46), who was from Prospect before he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in HMP Northward.

Evidence in that case indicated that CIFA cash and bank accounts may have been misused by Webb and Watson as they moved around money relating to both their illegitimate and legitimate earnings.

Questions over the association’s accounts have been raised in government, which has stopped its subsidy to CIFA and grassroots football until the financial irregularities are all addressed.

Check back to CNS later for more on this story.