Chief Justice Smellie knighted in latest royal gongs
(CNS): Chief Justice Anthony Smellie QC has received a Knighthood for services to Law and Justice in the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, the governor’s office has announced. He is recognised for “his outstanding service over the last four decades, including over twenty years as chief justice”, Roper said. Cindy Scotland, managing director at the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), received an OBE, as did former prison director Steve Barrett. Jondo Helen Obi, the director of the Cayman Islands Red Cross, received a BEM.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, CJ Smellie received his top gong due to the “quality and impact of his legal judgments”, as well as his commitment to justice and his exceptional contribution towards building the Cayman Islands’ strong reputation for good governance and a highly respected legal jurisdiction, underpinning a major financial services centre of great importance to the local economy.
His current service on the Court of Appeal of Bermuda and past service as Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions for Jamaica are also recognised.
Scotland received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to the Financial Services Industry. Roper said, “This is well deserved recognition of Cindy Scotland’s successful career and tenure as a highly respected head of CIMA. The award is also testament to the strong reputation of Cayman Islands’ highly professional financial services industry and its commitment to meeting international standards and regulations.”
Barrett, who left his job as director of HM Cayman Islands Prison Service around six months ago after almost four years at the helm, was also awarded an OBE for his work in Scotland, the Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. Roper said that Barrett was an “outstanding public servant who has given many years of dedicated and loyal service in a number of challenging environments”.
Obi received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the community. Roper said she “is a highly respected and energetic director of the Red Cross, which plays a significant and valued role in our community”.
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Category: Local News
You missed the TCI prison work after it was trashed in Irma, and more importantly everything he did in Scotland. So yes, OBE.
They was omly doing their jobs that they was being paid big, big wages to do.
Congrats Sir Anthony Smellie, well deserved!
I will heave on my shoes when I read:
“This year’s honours list include Hon. McKeeva Bush who has been awarded a knighthood” or “DG Franz Manderson has been awarded CBE”.
Don’t change the channel….the Gong Show will be right back!
8:36. I pity you. What a sad world you live in. Get help please.
8:36. Prince Charles came to Cayman to give Mr Manderson his MBE. Bam!
8:36 we hope you are awarded the JB award. Jealous Brat!
Can we pray for 8:36. He needs it.
Director of a 200 person “prison”, OBE???
11:12 can you read he also worked in TCI and Scotland.
Always pay attention to facts.
@1:51..Were the prisons larger in TCI and Scotland?
Seriously, I so sick and tired of these people being awarded these lofty titles just for doing the job they are paid handsomely to do.
So many other deserving people..
Like who? You? Go on, name names.
Tara Nielsen and ARK?
@5:53:
Let’s leave it at: “I’m so sick and tired of these people being awarded these lofty titles just for doing the job they are paid handsomely to do.”
What is the significance and value of these silly titles in the real world where knights do not really exist outside the largely imaginary realm of the so-called “Monarchy”? Historically, a knight was in service in a military capacity to his sovereign and was fully expected to put his azz on the line as part of his duty. Modern day knights have usually lived plush cushy lives far from any risk or demands that they put their country over concern for their own lives. For what its worth in real life value in a modern world, knighthood is no more worthy than being dubbed a Mouseketeer at the Orlando Magic Kingdom. It is quite akin to donning The Emperor’s New Clothes. My! How fine you look with that title, Sir Whoever!
Lol
I truly believe our Speaker should be awarded a Nighthood – a Goodnight for politics.
Never. The people of West Bay will elect him forever.
A God in West Bay.
Having said that, the voters of West Bay are not the brightest candles.
Congrats Cindy!
I have no idea what the criteria for these things are but Smellie’s decisions are often overturned by judicial review and only in Cayman would you have a person be head of the financial regulator for more than two decades.
This must be a reward for his overeaching rulings. Like when he ruled that a person with no Cayman born parents or Grandparents could run for office contrary to the Elections law.
CNS: I believe you are wrong but you can correct me with specifics.
Are you talking about someone who was adopted by a Caymanian, because is a completely different scenario?
The Privy Counsel case recently on the same sex marriage confirms what you have said.
I am no lawyer, but I am not sure the CJ’s decisions can be overturned by judicial review. If anything he would be the judicial reviewer. And I don’t think many of his decisions have been reversed by the Court of Appeal. Happy to be corrected by a practicing lawyer.
Confirmed
Many of his matrimonial cases were overturned by the Court of Appeal. Read Cayman Law Reports.
Isn’t this the person who indicated the prioritization of desired professions in our point system was “subjective”? Resulting in law suits by our entitled guests and Alden awarding PR to pretty much all applicants including contested cases similar to how he awarded permits to whomever could pay? The requirements for knighthood doesn’t seem to include service to your own citizens.
Knighthoods are for service to the queen. Nothing to do with the citizens. Global Britain marching on…
Not sure what planet you are on but as someone who got PR here a few years ago in 2018, it’s a very robust and difficult process. They don’t just hand out PR. You earn it.
Yeah sure….we are lucky to have you right? That’s the attitude that should have rolled.
Bullshit. 40 points for impregnating someone who got status, with no obligation to provide for the resulting child? 15 points (maximum available) for having $1,000 to your name against an annual income of $20,000? 15 points (maximum available for education) for having a taxi license?
20 points available for a test they sell the answers to? 10 points if you are 30 years old? 15 points for having a job (no matter what). 10 points for being from pretty much anywhere (other than Jamaica or the Philippines). That’s 125 without any account for income, investment, property ownership, charitable contributions, volunteering. You only need to get to 110. The standards for PR today are ludicrously low.
That’s true. But why is it that no government, including this one, wants to make to fix this.
I’m all for there being a path to permanent residency and ultimately Caymanian Status, but the current points system is a mess. Why not designate priority occupations? Why not remove the stupid points for age and cash in the bank and replace with something better? Is it really the case that nobody has any better ideas?
Lots of people have better ideas. They were shut out and shut down. Barriers to corruption.
It was Alden who created an unworkable points system. It was the Chief Justice who identified that Alden’s system was opaque and prone to arbitrariness, and provided Alden with an opportunity to fix it. It was Alden who doubled down and turned an already broken but repairable system into one that awards PR to all. As was obvious to anyone paying attention it is literally destroying the long term economic viability of Cayman.
Congratulations to all the recipients.
I’m especially pleased to have the opportunity to address the CJ as Sir Anthony. Congratulations also to Lady Jackie.
It will be Lady Smellie, as wives of knights are addressed as Lady *surname of husband*.
Why are royal awards given to persons who simply do their job well? Should these not be for services above and beyond what a person is paid to do?
There is no one who has gone “above snd beyond “ what he is paid to do more than the current Chief Justice of the Cayman Islands.
They couldn’t pay him for what he does. Day and night, during work and even while on vacation.
His devotion to the law and the administration of jurisprudence knows no bounds.
Even when it comes to the overt and probably unlawful practice of Cayman Law by unqualified persons in other jurisdictions?
@6:49Pm Do you have any idea how much he is being paid? For that kind of money, he should be working day and night.
I have to work 3 nights a week plus my day job and every other Saturday…Shouldn’t I be given a Knighthood then?
Strange things do happen. We got the gay rights, didn’t we?
Not sure what you are alluding to here. I work in the UK setting up offshore companies and funds, including Cayman companies. We don’t practice Cayman law, we engage local Counsel IN CAYMAN to advise us on that. Standard practice so far as I am aware and has been so for decades. Curious as to what these repeated references actually mean?
Large numbers of unqualified people hold themselves out as practicing Cayman Law, in service of Cayman firms, in places such as Hong Kong. The activity, which is widespread, appears to conflict with Cayman Law.
I think the “do their job well” bit is seriously dubious.
A Nighthood for those 3 nights perhaps
So Cindy gets an OBE on top of that massive salary and extremely generous benefits she receives. “To those who hath, shall it be given”.
“For those about to rock, we salute you”
-AC/DC
11:04 why are you so jealous
I can confidently say that Hon. Chief Justice Smellie QC has (without doubt, based upon merit) received this Knighthood for Law and Justice in the Cayman Islands and the Caribbean. Congrats, Hon. CJ.
…are you serious?