Ex-NHDT chair acquitted in soil scandal case
(CNS): After deliberating for more than eight hours over a two-day period, a jury of six women and one man found Geoffry William Ebanks not guilty of two corruption charges in relation to material cleared from the National Housing and Development Trust site in North Side that he directed to his own land and used as fill. He was acquitted on Thursday of both counts — breach of trust and conflict of interest — following a two-week trial during which the jury heard that Ebanks had directed the material to his land but said he had done so to help the project stay on track.
When he gave evidence to the court on his own behalf, Ebanks claimed that truck drivers had told him that Beacon Farms was full after just two days of deliveries. The NHDT board, which Ebanks chaired, had decided to send the cleared material to the 65-acre rehabilitation facility in the district.
However, he had told the court that because he thought the farm could not handle any more fill, he directed what could have been around 100 truckloads of the material, including soil, rock and green waste, to his own and his father’s land. He then paid another truck driver thousands of dollars to spread that fill across his own land.
Ebanks said he had informed NHDT Director Julio Ramos that he was taking the material, but he had not formally told the rest of the board because he believed they were aware of what was going on.
The court had also heard during the trial that the heavy equipment operator who spread that material was Johnny Ebanks, the father of Planning Minister Jay Ebanks, who is responsible for the NHDT. Johnny Ebanks had also worked for the Housing Trust for several days driving one of the trucks that was removing the waste from the site before some other members of the board pointed out that this looked bad.
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Shouldnt have been charged in the first place, this was garbage essentially that was heading to the landfill. It not like it was actual soil. It was a bunch of cleared bush for Christ sakes!!!
bush full of native trees, shrubs, pollinating plants for the residents of low income housing to enjoy, instead of importing plants and high air-conditioning bills that will now be the reality. no plan Cayman is how we roll.
@ 7:25 am. The ACC made a huge mistake when they changed the law so that intent has to be proved.
It was our illustrious politicians who voted in that change to the law – guess why
Not the ACC – the law was amended by the PACT government as I recall
Clearly this man was not equipped to be Chairman of a public board…
He gave a lucrative contract to the Ministers dad. Of course he is equipped.
Any fine example for the youth to look to…..let’s teach the youth by leading by example. Corruption 101, Lack of Role Models 101…class is in session.
Free at ICCI.
The last paragraph about Johhny and Jay in the article made me laugh out loud while rolling my eyes. Along with Geoffrey, a bunch of North Side bros just “helping each other out with a lickle ting” as we say in Jamaica, Cayman’s new mother country. How many of the jury were related to any of the players in this farce?
Literally did nothing wrong. My dude is about to be paid.
Caymanians feel so overwhelm so threatened so marginalised they are now willing to comprise their integrity and sense of justice and even honesty to protect political corruption and criminal behaviour of its citizens. No wonder our politicians are promoting this population expansion. If you starting to feel like And look like Jamaica it is Cayman ?
Nothing to do with feeling overwhelmed, threatened or marginalised. All to do with not knowing right from wrong, what corruption is, and generally having no civic responsibility.
It’s sounds to me that minister jay and he daddie Johnny needed to be in the dock too What a disgrace but I am not surprised at this outcome. Too much going on now in the social fabric and dynamic of Cayman. When you understand that corruption is permeating throughout society now. Especially in our world class civil service where the ends justifies the means.This is very very sad for Cayman, we are becoming more and more like our neighbours to South East because we have allowed their influence on our society to become too strong and now we have become inundated and comprised with their corrupt political and criminal concepts and principles .
Instead of “Overseas Territory” our Passports should now say “Banana Republic”.
Normalized official corruption is the first pit stop on the road to corruption.
The reference to Legge, former editor of the Cayman Compass, relates to an article in 2015 relating to the FIFA scandal, in which he said the paper criticized Cayman leaders over their supposed slow response to the allegations of bribery and also railed against “common” corruption in daily life in the Caymans.
Nine years later, nothing has changed, with numerous allegations swirling around regarding possible corruption that go unanswered and not investigated. We have an ineffective investigatory arm. The Anti-Corruption Commission quite clearly chooses to focus on minor infractions by Caymanians instead of tackling major corruption. Is it because corruption at that level doesn’t exist in Cayman? Or is it because the ACC are either not fit for purpose or is deliberately avoiding investigating what matters to Cayman, instead trying to justify its existence by dealing with small-time issues that should never have been taken to court.
They won’t investigate it because if they did we would have a team flying first class from London to implement Direct Rule before they could finish typing the emails.
That is the reason. The pigs at the trough don’t want it investigated because they know what it leads to. What makes us different to BVI and T&C? nothing. Same corruption, same system, our guys at the top just have a little more control on it keeping it under wraps.
BVI and TCI are not dealing with theft of cleared bush and dirt!
Where was the public interest in bringing this to court ??
Total waste of time and public money!
Clearly this jury did/do not understand public corruption. How well were they instructed??
Given recent changes to the Anti-Corruption Act that make it nearly impossible to convict any politician or political appointee, it may be that the jury had no other option within the useless law as it now is.
Why on gods earth did they try this by jury and not judge? Jurors let people go all the time just based on nationality and we have serious criminals roaming around the island because of it.
Duh – who do you think selected trial by jury? The prosecution?
I’m not a lawyer or in any way legally qualified for anything, which of course hasn’t stopped me from giving legal opinions on CNS, but I’m pretty certain any defendant has the option to ask for a jury trial. How do you think the Big One keeps getting off?
What a waste of public funds, poor man
Did not do anything wrong but happy to keep the topsoil.
Was public money spent on legal aid for this individual or was some consequence for his actions?
So will there now be a civil case to recover for the public purse the value of the tens of thousands of dollars of fill dumped on his property. Any where else a civil case would be underway already given his testimony in the criminal trial and given that there would be no jury of like minded individuals to decide the outcome. I suspect that as with many things there will be no accountability whatsoever.
The government’s gutting of the Anti-Corruption Act by means of the recent amendment of s.17 of the Anti-Corruption Act (adding a requirement for proof of intent to commit a corrupt act) created an almost impossible hurdle for the prosecution of corrupt politicians and their appointees. This case proves the point. Now every corrupt person only needs to claim an alternative intent to avoid any consequence for corrupt acts.
This trial and the investigative and other prep work that preceded it cost the people of the Cayman Islands tens, if not hundreds, of thousands.
If a fraction of that money had been spent on a mandatory prerequisite anti-corruption course for all prospective government board members, perhaps there might be less corruption. At the very least it might be more difficult for corrupt government appointees to claim ignorance.
This is what happens when a criminal is judged by a jury of his peers. Corruption and dishonesty is such a way of life here that people don’t even think its wrong any longer, and don’t recognise it as a crime, or see that they are the victims of it day after day.
About time juries were made up of people who aren’t asked to pass verdict on their cousins, friends, distant relatives, and colleagues- thus always finding them innocent of obvious wrong-doing. Will the jury members all be receiving a truck load of soil for their gardens now?
Does he get his job back then for unfair dismissal?
Yes, and 50 more truckloads of topsoil!
With this government he will likely be re-imbursed for the cost of spreading the NHDC fill he had dumped on his property.
How can he be put in such an important and responsible position? Last I knew he was working at a fruit stand
Previous descriptions of the materials stated it to be to be tree branches, leaves, tree trunks, rocks and topsoil. I would have thought it was unnecessary to remove any of this from that site to build these homes. All the plant materials should have been mulched on the site and used in the landscaping. The rocks could have been used on site as well. This development is now bare of any greens and stand out like a complex in a desert. Not very pleasing sight to the eyes.
As much as this seems to be the case, I sincerely doubt that the poor guy set out to enrich himself and line his pocket. The cost of mulching the material and crushing the rocks does not seem economical enough to generate any big windfall. From my interaction with him over the years he really is not that kind of guy.
Why didn’t he offer to pay for it, if he wanted it?
Sounds like you are a fan of illegal activity. Not surprising in Cayman. But sad as so much corruption is rampant here – and accepted as normal. Caymanians simply don’t care about ethics, laws, and anti-corruption, just look at who we elect for Ministers – criminals.
The ACC and the DPP’s office, both are incompetent.
How can a jury of his friends find him guilty..poor man jus tryin to hep out his people, and himself ….wa wrong with that..?
They may be incompetent, but the recent (Corrupt Politicians Stay out of Jail) amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act together with the political appointment of cronies with no requisite understanding of anything other than feeding at the government cash trough, (?deliberately) makes any prospect of any successful prosecution for corruption exceedingly unlikely.
That may well be true, but this result is 100% down to the jury.
Black and white 100% guilty. Caymanians find him not guilty. And we wonder why people drive drunk, speed, blackout their windows and nothing happens to them.
At a minimum, this clown should have been immediately fired and forced to pay restitution times 300% of actual value of his theft.
Will the Anti Corruption Commission now please make sure to present to each Government board guidance on what is or is not corruption, breach of trust & conflict of interest? So that the trip-up of ‘must prove they knew what they were doing was wrong’ (not just that they should have known) can no longer be jumped over so easily (or truthfully) by saying that no one told us it was wrong. Kinda like putting up speeding signs and having ‘do not drink and drive’ in the driver’s licensing programme.
cause ya know common sense aint so common – on either the commission or apparently our boards. Or behind the wheel of a car.
The problem is, some of them have been told by the very staff they are governing that their actions amount to corruption. The audit office have knowledge of these things, but will anything be done? No! the most you can expect is a mention in some report with zero accountability, if you go to the ACC, not only will you be fired or put on garden leave for challenging the board, the ACC will ultimately lose the case for the reasons you point out, and the person reporting will be blackballed from future employment. And so it continues, people look the other way and let them be as the pain and consequences are not worth it when you have a family to feed.
They say being stupid is no excuse, but it seems to be a good defence, for all of the NHDT persons involved in this crime.
We need to hold our elected officials accountable for appointing persons to the Board of Directors who have no experience or skills to run the companies and authorities owned by the Cayman public.
It appears that the only qualification to be placed on public Boards is that you support the party in power or are friends with certain people.
This crop of Board members has no experience in governance, recognizing conflicts of interest, or how to execute their duties.
When they fail, they claim ignorance or say they did not know any better; that may be the truth, but who placed them in that position? That is the question we should be asking and the people we should be holding accountable.
The Boards this administration appointed are causing havoc and are only in it for themselves and greed. Look at CIDB, HSA, Port Authority and others, it is a money-making venture for party supporters who are pursuing their self-interest with little regard to their role and what is in the public’s best interest.
Yes NHDT board has a board member that was convicted of drug dealing and a civil servant that drives ambulances. The former chairman is a pig farmer. What skill sets did they have??? None!! Once you are a supporter you get rewarded.
Port authority UDP appointees represent the lowest in self seeking benefits for themselves and the politicians who appointed them.
Look at how much they’re paying themselves.
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
Another quality job from ACC!
And the mentor said, “I only took those 2 free multi-million dollar condos in exchange for development approval and millions in duty exemptions so that the island would have more economic activity. I was only thinking of my people and did not do anything wrong”
#leggewasright
So does he give back the soil?
What a relief – his reputation would surely have been soiled otherwise.
The moment you realize that the jury has applied ‘Cayman Kind’ justice to one of its ‘own’. Maybe we need to offer up a more elaborate description of what the term means and how it should be interpreted. 🫣😩
BTW – that estimated 100 truckloads of ‘fill’ I reckon was worth an easy $50k …. Is he expected to pay that back? Just asking for a friend …
another glorious day for the dpp and the civil service.
cayman justice = no justice.
welcome to a banana republic wonderland….
This is embarrassing…
Here is my defense.
Well your honor, I knew the bank’s vault was full, so as a public duty and in order to assist my bank, I took the $50,000 home for safe keeping.
I hope you understand my position.
Of course. 🙄
Remarkable.
Hip Hip Hooray! True justice Cayman style.
Does anyone know why the National Housing and Development Trust thinks it necessary to strip all new housing development sites bare of trees and soil before building houses on the site?
So Jay’s father can get paid for removing it! LOL
Exactly!!!
Yes
Because it gives some contracts to equipment owners & truckers. Need to spread the money around mate!
Google Images sat view is always really interesting! you can see areas where land has been stripped down to the rock and built on and areas built on with virgin land surrounding it. My view is it creates a separate industry of selling topsoil back to the new owners of previously good land. The valuation reports probably don’t adjust the value downward for this jip and if they did it would probably stop and it should because this has implications for ownership including the radiant heating increasing bills and the lesser availability of fruit trees which cost occupants more including the often tax burden associated with buying more substitute import of goods.
Well, he is now qualified to sit on bigger and more important boards.
Were the jury members properly advised the market value of 100 dump truck loads of this structural-grade aggregate? Each dump truck carries roughly 16.5 cubic yards weighing 3000 lbs per yard. Each yard of 3 to 4 inch costs about KYD$30, so 16.5 x 100 x $30 = KYD$49,500. Is he going to pay that back?
No where is it said that this was construction grade aggregate – because it wasn’t.
If it was good enough to enhance Mr Ebanks’ property, surely it could have been used to raise the level of the affordable housing land..?
Acquitted of theft. Only in Cayman.
And our twin countries El Salvador and Eritrea
No such luck for the English guy who took a couple of loads of marl to fill his house lot a few years ago.
His employers charged him with theft, found guilty, couldn’t get a permit for another job and had to leave the Island with his wife. That was justice for a non-Caymanian thief.
When the local population (ie jurors) just accept corruption as a way of life, we are in real trouble and each person then just takes for themselves. Caymankind at its best.
The latest in a litany of failed court cases by the Anti Corruption Unit. One has to ponder why the aged leader has been allowed to remain in post managing a department of expats, plagued with incompetence and lethargy collecting a wage for producing absolutely nothing. Time to go bobo!
Don’t blame expats for Cayman Incompetence and endemic corruption; that is home-grown!
Jury trial numb nuts. Not an expat amongst them.
Endemic corruption prevails as always. The defence boils down to “I didn’t know it was wrong”
I may try that excuse if I ever get done for something “Sorry, I didn’t know drink driving was wrong”. I suspect you need low friends in high places for that to stick though.
If anybody doubts these Islands are absolutely rampant with corruption (bizarrely in small jurisdictions like Cayman it’s excused due to the size), go and search assets.publishing.service.gov.uk for the Governors reports back to the UK for the last 70 years, read them and nearly every single one contains some element or mention of clear corruption by our bent politicians.
Almost soiled myself when I heard this. So where are our 60 loads now?
There’re exercises to strengthen your sphincter muscles.
I ride a motorcycle on Cayman roads. My sphincter is fine.
Unbelievable! I do not wish ill on people but I cant believe the jury acquitted him that I felt was an open and shut case of corruption. No justice served here. Things that make you go hmmmm
Will the 60 plus truck loads of fill and debris be replaced elsewhere as the original plan called for. It was going to a Charitable/non profit Organisation?
FREE GEOFFRY and JEFF Webb!
This is Cayman only certain people are viewed as criminals and law breakers.
As a country we either do not understand the principles relating to conflicts of interests, pecuniary interests, abuse of public office and corruption unless it involves characters and politicians like Big Mac or his disciples. If we did many people including senior civil servants and MLA’s would be charged and convicted for the roles they play in breaking the rules and the overt corruption.
Additionally, it appears that the DPP’s office are incompetent and cannot make a compelling case to secure a conviction in these high profile matters.
as long as it’s trial by jury, they will always be acquitted.
You can’t blame DPP for this one. Did you read the trial reports? Clear as day. His testimony was downright embarrassing – couldn’t even get his idea consistent. You can put it square on the jury.