Public purse to pay for Watson’s appeal
(CNS): With all of his own funds frozen in anticipation of forfeiture, Canover Watson (46) has been granted legal aid to fund his appeal, his defence team has confirmed. The local businessman and former chair of the Health Services Authority, who was convicted last year on a number of corruption charges relating to the hospital CarePay case, has no money for lawyers because the crown is seeking to seize his cash in relation to those convictions.
Despite being a wealthy local businessman and successful accountant before he was arrested and charged in the hospital scandal, Watson can no longer access his own money. Having filed an appeal, the public purse will now pick up the tab for the challenge to his conviction and seven-year prison term because there is no legal route for Watson to use his funds.
Watson was convicted in February last year of five offences relating to his role in securing a payment system for the hospital.
Jeffrey Webb, the former president of CIFA and CONCACAF and FIFA vice president, was also charged in the CarePay case but he has not yet answered those charges as he remains under house arrest in the United States in relation to the international FIFA corruption case.
Once convicted and sentenced, the court froze Watson’s assets to allow prosecutors to seize what is said to be more than CI$300,000 that Watson creamed off the contract he organised for the government hospital.
No formal grounds of appeal have yet been filed but the case is expected to be presented to the appeal court before the end of the year.
I hope he be forced to reimburse the Cayman Islands any legal aid fees advanced to him.
At last we can’t say that Cayman is prejudices, he is a black man and he gets the same treatment or better than a white man would get.
If the Court has frozen all his assets, can the Court not be petitioned to have some of those assets be unfrozen and credited to his legal team?
Seems to me the logical solution. At the end of the day why should those assets be held in escrow for a convicted thief and our money be used for his legal defense?
Apparently we’re going to have to pay for him to hire a QC due to the complexity of the case and appeal. WTF??!! They say justice is blind, well too bloody right it is in this case.
I remember his bizarre speech the year after he won the Young Caymanian award. I knew he was a bad one there and then. Never would go near anything he was involved with after that.
I do hope he’s being provided a local public defender rather than the public purse paying for a team of gold-plated private lawyers. I am pro legal aid, but there should be limits.
Revoke his CI papers policy should be in place!!
Thieving b**tard. Give him the bill for his stay at Northward.
I think that it’s appalling how Cayman islands Laws work. Here we have a convicted criminal by Judge and Jury on corruption charges involving the TAXPAYERS/GOVERNMENT Money, now that Government has frozen the convicted criminal assets, and he can get an appeal and use more of the TAXPAYERS MONEY to pay for his appeal hearing/new trial.
Can’t his buddies that he was flying around on leer jets around the world help him?
Frank,
that should be what the Law should say
(Ask Your Buddies), or stay and serve the balance of the sentence term. But the Public shouldn’t have to support anymore of his corrupted lifestyle.
And we wonder why our youngsters are turning to crime in droves?! Contrary to what we were taught at school it appears that crime does indeed pay!
Shame on Canover and Webb; we were once so proud of them.
We who! I saw this coming once they started climbing so fast.
One more to go. Just waiting for the next one. We all know who.
Yes. Once the branch bends far enough, it will eventually blake.
To the Judge, Jury and Executioners; to those against being ruled in a system that either provides a Legal Defense Office or Legal Aid ( wth a means test) – it sounds like you are advocating for a system like Russia, China and Cuba where you have no Human Rights. In these Countries you are jailed, without trial and Appeals, or she metines you just disappear. In Russia case, they just execute you on the street or inject you with radioactive material. Be careful what you ask for as you might get it and when you do, and it deprives you or a close friend or family member of these basic Human Rights – you might not like it. Suppose Jesus had said that to all he offered forgiveness to? Supposed he had not died on the cross for us? Where would we be today? Where is this God Fearing Country of people gone to? Did they migrate? I don’t think so, as the Countries you would probably choose to migrate to have these Human Rights.
Frank,
that should be what the Law should say
(Ask Your Buddies), or stay and serve the balance of the sentence term. But the Public shouldn’t have to support anymore of his corrupted lifestyle.
Communism and Jesus. Close to a Godwin’s Law overload. But how on earth does this person choose what words to capitalise?
@ 5:16pm ,
Human rights Judge/Lawyer,
How come you’re not advocating for the lesser crime prisoner that is severing time . The criminal in question should have to do what every other prisoner have to do, and what he should have to do is NOT a human rights issue, it’s a convicted criminal issue.
You lost me at “Jesus said”
Are you kidding me ? NO, no appeal should be allowed. Guilty as sin ?
If no one has noticed…….they were all Jamaican born or Jamaican heritage; those ones at CIFA.
Some them Lear Jet travelers have their tails between their legs. I am laughing, I am just low class traveler.
All partners in crime. Robbers with bold faces.
We don’t like you.
Well he is afterall Caymanian….at least there isnt a work permit holder doing that for him.
That sticky hand has the audacity to file for an appeal. He can hardly wait to come out of prison to steal again.
Moral of the story – Greed!!! he was already wealthy just couldn’t be satisfied. very sad
His position “went to his head”
Already wealthy? Not likely. He was an accountant. Young (honest) accountants don’t get “wealthy” unless they happen to be partners in a major firm. He liked to live like he was wealthy and to do that he had to steal from somewhere. He was a financial partner in crime with a certain bunch of unscrupulous individuals in collusion with a certain politician we all know and love (not).
Yes! Look at Patty-Jane .
I don’t buy this Foolishness about unless they are a partner or even manager. If you start to dig you will probably find that greed and more greed and off colour activity is often the foundation for their so call wealth.
Mostly it is always greed. Look at former President Martinelli of Panama. He was a billionaire businessman before he was president. Now he is in a US jail awaiting extradition on theft and embezzlement of public funds. Soon his entire family will join him in jail. It was greed all the way for them all. You can also look at Bill and Hillary Clinton who set up their private foundation not really to help the poor around the world, but to build an unthinkable slush fund for them and their family.
It is always greed and lust for power.
Hopefully the failure of his appeal won’t be the end of it…there should be some interesting cash movements coming out of CIFA audit from when he and Webb were Treasurer and President respectively.
don’t forget the minister of sports and health at the time.
wasn’t the legal aid dispursemebt supposed yo be placed in an independent body hand, instead of the courts????
what a sump’n! I’ve never heard the like of this before!
If the appeal is successful and the charges are dropped, will he have to repay the appeal cost when his assets are released? If not then the reality is that the country will be shafted.
…yet again!
Are there grounds for denying a grant of legal aid? Suspect it might be unconstitutional but I am not familiar with how the process works. Anyone know?
Wow these people have no shame. Hope we are attaching a claim to his Georgia mansion and these appeals costs are recoverable from his ill-gotten assets. There still one more high-profile Caymanian and one more financial institution that should be investigated thoroughly.
So, will we be repaid when the funds are unfrozen? This is a shame, that he should scam us now we have to pay for his appeal. If he can’t afford an appeal, then serve his time.
Give that money to feed hungry children and pay for their prescription drugs which they now have to pay for at HSA and cannot afford. Therefore they go without.
What about his hidden assets?
He will win his case on public funds an then have access to his own riches once again…We still end up losing an he walks away a winner…Don’t believe me…Just watch!!
Why will these guys just not accept they were caught, do their time and get on with their lives. Already cost us loads, now more?
Apparently the desire to appeal and appeal to avoid responsibility is cultural.
His cellmate Courtney has most assuredly schooled him in his ways.
Jackass
My you are testy 11.49! Hit a nerve?
That’s what he is to his cell mate Courtney.
Deportation order please.
to where exactly?
As he is so proud of his Jamaican parents …send him back to his mother/fatherland.
Who cares… Anywhere but here!
I believe he was born in Jam.
So that’s alright then? Another crime we can put down to Jamaicans. I believe the Webbs in Cayman also came originally from Jamaica so we gone clear…….no Cayman crime! Booya!!
Who said anything about it being alright? It’s a fact that he’s A Jamaican born Caymanian via status. Crime is not a zero sum game. We have plenty Caymanian born in the prison system but the question being responded to was where can we deport Watson to.
9:03 am. Deport. Him to his place of birth, he has no directed local connections/Cayman family. Drain our overflowing swamp.
That answered your question!
8:47am, JAMAICA!!!! Deport the criminals, we don’t need them.
What a sad perverted state of affairs. Throw the key away as when he is out he will start some other scam like this all over again.
Double his time in prison for he deserves it and to send a message to others.
I like this idea. I wish those that have that power would read the comments here. Seven wasn’t enough as it is.
What a waste of time and money. Wrap it up in one day and give him another 7.
I hope he gets more time.
He should have to stay wright where he is, an so should the money.
He should be made to pay it back.