Suspended civil servants mostly from law enforcement
(CNS): Nine of the thirteen public servants who were on required leave from the civil service in March this year, on full pay, as a result of pending criminal cases or internal probes were from law enforcement agencies. In response to a freedom of information request by CNS, the Portfolio of the Civil Service released a document detailing the suspension of 13 civil servants but also revealed that there is no centralised data of public officials who have been suspended from their jobs but are receiving their full salary from the public purse.
However, the PoCS did release a document drafted by the deputy governor’s office in relation to civil servants who had been suspended from duty as of March 2022, based on information supplied by civil service managers who had suspended a member of their team for more than 30 days.
The document showed that three police officers, two prison officers and four employees of Customs and Border Control were all suspended. All of the CBC staff and one police officer were facing criminal charges. The rest of the law enforcement staff were facing internal investigations. However, according to other open source information, some of these internal probes have since turned into criminal cases.
A member of staff from WORC was also suspended as a result of a criminal investigation, and one employee of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture was facing criminal charges. One person from DVDL and one person from the Department of Education Services were facing internal investigations.
Two of the CBC officers have been suspended for more than four years, having been placed on required leave in relation to a criminal investigation. While criminal investigations can be notoriously lengthy, one of the prison officers placed on leave as a result of an internal investigation has been at home on full pay since February last year, more than 18 months ago.
However, the document does not give a full or current picture of the suspensions of government employees. The PoCS information manager told CNS that the records we were seeking were not held centrally within the Cayman Islands Government files. As stated in the Civil Service Personnel Regulations, it is the appointing officer, usually the chief officer or department director, with the approval of the head of the civil service, who places government staff on required leave where it is deemed to be in the public interest.
“Therefore each appointing officer retains any record that may be created regarding such personnel decisions,” the official explained. She also confirmed that employees of statutory authorities and government companies are employed under the Labour Act, which makes no legal provision for an equivalent to required leave or for suspension.
It is also difficult to calculate the cost to the public purse of these ongoing suspensions because, even though some of the individuals’ job titles have been disclosed, others are exempt under section 23(1) of the FOI Act relating to personal information.
See the document below and in the CNS Library:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Crime, Customs, Government Administration, Police, Politics, Prison
And here is a kicker:
Do civil servants have to repay the Government those monies they received from Government while on leave, if they are later found guilty of the offense for which they were suspended?
What was it Legge said again?
I wish I could get paid leave for doing something illegal. Must be nice to not have to work and still rack in that money.
Franz is the reason for the season…..of ineptness, lack of accountability, entitlement and lack of any desire to really improve, in the Civil Service!
Some years ago I asked a relative who happened to be a Cabinet Minister “who’s watching the watchers”. I was referring to the occurrence of illegal surveillance on citizens buy public officers who have all the tools – bought at our expense!
Illegal? Yes! There are “officers” or persons in authority with access to all the technical facilities which RCIPS “analysts” (spies) use to monitor people under investigation. Legally with a Court Order; illegally without any orders at all, just the will and ability to spy on anyone they choose, for whatever purpose – at ANY TIME. It HAPPENS! I know one who claimed he was illegally bugging his girlfriend’s phone to see what she’s up to…..and who else may I ask?
My Cabinet relative seemed naive to all of that and ruled it out..”they don’t do that!”
So, now we know that most of the suspended public officers are from some law enforcement depts. Surprise!
Again I ask. WHO IS WATCHING THE WATCHERS? The problem is larger than acknowledged.
Some people may say why worry if you’re not doing anything illegal. True. But why should anyone have access to monitor my life if I’m not doing anything illegal? It’s HAPPENING!
Well if your relative in Cabinet couldnt or wouldnt answer what you want us to say?
The sound complicit.
OK flat earther…settle down
but they’re valid points! plz don’t be dumb foruiner
It’s meant to be the ACC. But apparently the ACC need watching too 😉
Nothing to you with this article,but someone should check out the staffing situation at the port.
Director telling employees if they want to continue their employment, they will have to sign contracts as Laborers,no matter what position they currently hold. Would that be legal?
I understand the Police and Intel gets to do surveillance and detector works on CBC, Prison, WORC, and other government departments… But I must ask an important question: 🤔 WHO DOES SURVEILLANCE AND DETECTOR WORKS ON THE POLICE ???
* Detective
My brain hurts.
Our newly beloved King will conquer. Long live King Charles !!
Time for these enablers like Martin Roper to go who has and will not address this terrible situation only promoted it and made it flourish and spread everywhere with their indifference and acquiescence. This is now so bad it would appear to be a well organized plan to let it destroy these little islands In 1962 Dr Roy McTaggart told Mr Donald Sangster NO You dear sir can’t even tell the difference what a pity the Caymanian people have now become a minority ! You need to go and like my Father would say If I see you again it will be too soon !
Yeah because it’s all the Governors fault. Not all those Caymanian politicians, elected by Caymanians. No siree bob.
Catcha Fire, I suggest you douse yourself with a bucketful of water. Like many of your cohorts you seek to blame the Governor for problems involving Caymanians.Corruption is endemic here but the Governors’ remit in these islands has always been not to interfere in our internal self government.Your remarks reveal only an unlimited amount of ignorance in making such accusations against a man of undoubted integrity.
Bad things happen when good people do nothing. We sure have a lot of highly paid good people, doing nothing.
Kind regards
Nick
nah, he’s just getting a paid vacation.
He is nothing more or less than an agent of the FCO, as are any SIS operators active here. He does exactly what he is told by his UK superiors. Remember he still has the authority to dissolve Parliament and force an election, command the RCIPS to do his bidding, or annul any law. The fact that none of that is done except in extremis reflects the fact that the UK doesn’t really care what we do as long as it doesn’t endanger their interests or embarrass them. You have to go a long way Fahie in the BVI, Mac getting too cozy with the Chinese – before anything happens. Otherwise they are happy to sit back and watch us elect idiots and crooks, and our public officials engage in low level corruption. And to be fair, if they did constantly interrupt there would be howls of protest and complaints of colonialism. Look at the BVI – Premier caught in a drugs sting, for heavens sake, and there were still those that protested that the UK should keep its nose out. And despite the evidence of widespread corruption , UK didn’t impose direct rule. Just let the Yanks make an example of Fahie.
The question is, is corruption getting worse or does more people getting caught mean it is being dealt with more effectively. Hard to say but this suspended on full pay thing is a farce given how long they are under investigation for.
There is no question. It is getting worse. Indeed, it now pervades. Unfortunately it appears the police and even the governor are partly responsible. They do not act even when the fruit hangs lowest and bumps them in the nose (Gasboy, Stipend Frauds) let alone the numerous more complicated but nevertheless serious issues ranging from the importation of explosives to status grants. The press tried to shine a light on it. Sickening.
ONE
ONE QUESTION…..
WHY ARE THEY STILL GETTING PAID?
happy to see them being investigated/caught…but i ask the same question again, how are jamaican canoes eluding the helicopters? as according to news murderers being aprehended on dump road and deported back jam? maybe scheduling of when helicopters patrolling and who has access to the info should be looked at? i am just a concerned caymanian….
Mostly law enforcement, but all “work” (well, sit on their asses watching television) for Franz spending our money. So glad to be contributing to their pensions and cost of living increases while I have neither.
Franz, you are going to be held to account. Change this!
Who is going to hold Franz to account? Seriously – who? He’s the ultimate Teflon man, and the next Governor once the UK gets fed up with sending us retiring FCO diplomats.
We should all agree that corruption has increased 10 fold as did detection but can’t help to point out the fact that those employed from jurisdictions where it is both flagrant and rife has no doubt sadly added to these statistics. We should now take concrete steps to rid ourselves on this scourge now Cayman. We need to stop listening to this hocus pocus governor and bypass him.
I don’t recall the article telling us that these persons were not Caymanian. Seeing most who work in the civil service are Caymanian, its a big assumption to say that is it people born elsewhere that are criminals and people born in Cayman are not.
You are wrong, on so very many levels!
Most Caymanians these days are actually Jamaicans with Status so no it’s not a big assumption.
At least one of the Prison officers isn’t from here – but that makes sense since most are not (like the cops, and their customers).
Only in the Cayman Islands is criminal activity or fraud rewarded with an endless paid holiday. This is criminal in itself, to waste public funds in this way. Investigations should be carried out within 30 days, and then either the person is cleared and required to return to their job, or fired. No more paid holidays for criminals while the rest of us can’t afford to eat properly.
It is very likely criminal. Part of what is happening is called Maladministration. Bad governance free from accountability. A common law offense.
Governor. Good Governance? Prudent use of public funds? Exactly how low are we to set the bar, Sir?
And don’t even get me started on the Speaker’s ability to have full control of his budget, or the fact that some of the criminals on full pay and benefits are not even from here!!!
You really don’t get it do you. The G doesn’t give a crap as long as it doesn’t impact the UKs interest. We wanted self governance apart from national security, we’ll we got it. We need to hold our elected officials to account – we elected them after all. We are like the teenager that leaves home but keeps bringing his laundry home for mommy to wash.
Oh, I get it. The problem is that as the vehicle started to swerve into oncoming traffic the G sat silently – observing, but publicly saying nothing. It is not even Caymanians doing this to us. It is mostly Jamaicans and Trinidadians.