Fraudster given seat on transport board
(CNS): Edlin Myles, who was convicted of using his previous position on a government board to con would-be tenants of the housing trust to buy insurance from him, has been appointed to the Public Transport Board. Despite being given a six-month sentence for the significant fraud and breach of the public’s trust when he was the deputy chair of the National Housing and Development Trust, the PACT Government has given Myles a seat on another oversight board.
This one deals with the approval of licences for watersports operators, taxi and limousine drivers, as well as regular, school and tour buses. According to the Cabinet note reflecting governments meeting last week, Myles (69) is joined by Patricia Ulett, Colin Redden and Colleen Burke as new members of the board.
The George Town man, once a prominent member of the defunct United Democratic Party and a well known local musician, was found guilty of seven counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain a pecuniary advantage in 2014, after he told clients of the government low-cost housing scheme that they had to buy insurance from him in order to secure one of the trust’s homes.
As the deputy chair of the board governing the housing project, he was in a position of trust and the clients believed that they had to do what Myles said, even though they despite struggled to find the cash.
At the time the judge pointed to the breach of trust and how Myles had abused his position for his own advantage. Myles appealed the sentence and conviction and managed to secure bail for almost 18 months as he awaited the appeal hearing.
But on the day of the appeal in November 2015, he dropped his appeal against the conviction and instead appealed the jail time. However, the higher court upheld the six-month sentence because of the beach of trust and what was described as the “egregious nature” of the crime, in which Myles had used his position to manipulate those who could least afford it.
See Cabinet Post Meeting Summaries in the CNS Library.
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- Afraid
Category: Government Administration, Politics
I have typed several responses to this decision and nothing I can write comes close to my feeling of total disappointment that once again the Government of the day outperforms itself in how tone deft and idiotic it can be. Or maybe they think we are not clued in enough to pick up on this sideshow. I am astounded.
Now that Panton, et al, have rescinded the invitation for the ship to call, we are now waiting for the Panton/PACT Clown Car to rescind the newly announced board appointment of convicted pecuniary predator Edlin Myles.
It would be bad enough for the Clown Car to be riding with a convicted criminal, but not only is Miles a malefactor who served jail time for an egregious breach of trust, his transgressions apparently go even further than taking advantage of the poor. According to a Cayman News Service article dated 28/04/2015, the disgraced former deputy chair of the National Housing and Development Trust, was not only convicted of heinously preying on the disadvantaged, but was also sued by his attorneys for allegedly trying to stiff them for over $30,000 in unpaid legal fees. THIS is the quality of people that Panton and the Clown Car want to thrust upon us! If Panton and his minions want to snuggle up with riff-raff in their personal life, such is expected because birds of a feather do flock together, and that’s bad enough. But to place on a board an ex-con who stands convicted of abusing his position to extract gain from the economically disadvantaged while sitting on a previous board is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! Good God! Panton et al are rewarding a person who was convicted of preying on the poor. The Clown Car stinks to high Heaven!
Why they like criminals,????
THIS IS ALL THEY CARE ABOUT!
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What do you expect? He left PPM because of Mac then took him in with open arms.
Panton has made it clear he is tone deft.
Sadly I think even if Kenneth’s intention was to help Edlin, he has done nothing more but to bring his previous past of irrepute back into the limelight.
Kenneth by the same doing has brought the same damage to himself. How can he defend this decision? How can he not see that in the eyes of the people that this shows ineptness on his part not to mention that he is doing the exact same thing that politicians did in the past. I was hoping that those few years away from Alden would have taught him something but it seems that same old political way of thinking still resonates with him. He needs to get his shit together otherwise come next election he may not be elected again. He above anyone else should know the power of social media and I am sure that whoever his competitor is next time around that this article will appear frequently.
Criminals likes criminals, like stupid people do stupid things, birds of one feather flock together.
So very, very sad! With so many decent, honest people who could have had this job WHY on earth did they choose this man? The kind of action does not bode well for the reputation of the leadership of our islands.
Don’t stop the Carnival!
When I first arrived in Grand Cayman, a friend gave me the book of that name. This he said, is to prepare you for real life here.
I read it, enjoyed it, and thought he was joking.
Decades on I know better, but this appointment takes it beyond anything I read back then.
Remember, I have seen all the absurdities that Mac among others has produced, culminating in his Speaker role, but appointing someone with this mans CV to positions of oversight beats them all!