CPA spent almost $1M in losing battle with NCC
(CNS): A partial release in response to a freedom of information request relating to the government’s battle, in particular through the central planning authority, with its own conservation law and the conservation council has cost the public purse close to CI$1million. The request for information didn’t result in a full response but after six months the CNS reader got the costs so far of the failed legal battle by the CPA.
The request also revealed government has paid Blackstone Chambers in London some £8400 to redraft the conservation law. The request for emails and correspondence relating to these two issue has however been refused. Government stated that they were all either legally privileged or contained advice prepared for Cabinet or a Minister. The government also claims there are no meeting minutes or notes in existence relating to the re-drafting of the conservation law.
The anticipated controversial amendments to the legislation have still not been published though CNS has learned that the draft has been completed and is being prepared to be published and filed with parliament shortly though its passage there remains in question. It is understood that neither the official PPM or the independent opposition members are willing to support the current minority UPM administration to do anything more over the coming months than keep the business of government ticking along until the election.
Meanwhile, the current government’s dislike of and complaints about the national conservation law have led to its support of the central planning authority’s doomed legal challenges to two directives made by the department of the environment and national conservation act. One related to planning permission given to a project on Boggy Sand beach that would have allowed a developer to build a new sea wall and two story cabana in the sea in a marine park and the other relating to clearance and road construction in land now designated as a protected area for blue iguanas.
The biggest single beneficiary of the near one million dollars spent fighting the NCC’s lawful directives was the local firm Jackson Law, owned by Sammy Jackson, a political candidate in Red Bay at the last election who lost to the former premier Alden McLaughlin. Jackson was paid CI$504,655 with Blackstone receiving around $348,000 for their work as the lead litigators.
Jackson has not yet announced whether he intends to be a candidate or not in 2025.
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Category: Local News
This is one helluva poor investment.
The CIG spends millions upon millions on ego-driven litigation, losing settlements, garden leaves, and redacted early retirement packages. We never hear about most of them. Almost all of these seven figure public costs were due to mismanagement and avoidable.
CI$504,655!! Assuming a very generous attorney hourly rate of CI$750 per hour, that is 672 hours spent on the case…or 16.82 full standard working weeks. When it is free money to spend though who needs to bother checking the legal bills.
Cayman like the US is being run by obnoxious greedy rich a holes
Chump change for the developer lobby.
Sammy billed more than Blackstone? V impressive…
Here you go folks – exhibit A of what corruption costs this country!!
No big deal, what’s another million as we have lots of money to blow.
Make the CPA chairman pay it as he seems to be in very good financial shape.
Money is absolutely no problem in this very wealthy society where money grows on trees. 😭
How much was the NCC bill?
That could be an interesting comparison.
What would the ACC charge?
Good question, since, after all, it was the NCC that started this battle . CPA had no choice but to defend itself