Immigration official stays in post
Gary Wong
(CNS): The immigration ministry has confirmed that the Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Garfield Wong remains in his job after being convicted of two traffic offences in connection with a 2013 collision. Officials said that the situation will be re-evaluated when “the court’s actions on these traffic matters are concluded”. Wong was convicted earlier this week of careless driving and the more serious offence of leaving the scene of an accident. He avoided a DUI conviction as a result of a procedural error on the part of the RCIPS.
The only part of the case yet to be concluded is the sentencing, which is expected to be handled next week. However, it is very unlikely that Wong will lose his job, given that the matters are not criminal.
Precedent was recently set for even serious traffic offences when the chief justice confirmed that Grand Court judge, Justice Ingrid Mangatal, would remain on the bench following her conviction for drunk driving.
Category: Local News
From the comments alot seem to dislike the guy.
Mr. Wong was convicted of TRAFFIC offences. Mr. Wong was NOT convicted of criminal offences. HUGE difference.
He is not a convicted criminal. Traffic offences are different than criminal offences.
Perhaps the people here who are ignorantly demanding he be fired should stop to think about the reason why Cayman has separated traffic offences from criminal offences.
IF traffic offences were criminal offences, then any foreign person convicted of such would be barred from obtaining a work permit, permanent residency etc and any Caymanian convicted of such would have a Police Record and could not work.
Think about it. How many Caymanians and non-Caymanians are convicted of traffic offences? Traffic offences include driving with an expired coupon, driving with a blown headlight, indicator not working, speeding, dui, leaving the scene of an accident, failing to wear a seatbelt, driving without insurance, parking on a yellow line, parking within a certain distance from a crosswalk, and the list goes on and on.
Now just imagine – those non-Caymanians would not be able to get a work permit or PR because they have a criminal conviction and those Caymanians would not get a job because of a Police Record.
That is the reason why Cayman has a separation between TRAFFIC offences and CRIMINAL offences.
If you don’t like the separation between traffic offences and criminal offences, then take it up with the lawmakers!! Stop bashing Mr. Wong for committing traffic offences.
Every driver / road user is guilty of committing traffic offences, whether it is speeding or going through the yellow light or making a turn without using an indicator or riding a bicycle without a light or parking in a blue spot or parking on a yellow line (to run in to use an ATM) or failing to pull off the road for emergency vehicles or walking on the roadway without a light or…………the list goes on.
Every driver / road user is guilty of traffic offences – something as simple as not using your indicator to turn into your road or into a parking space, not putting on your seatbelt before the car is moving, etc – however, not every breach of the law is caught!
The comments defending this man shows that attitude that allows corruption and local criminality flourishes in the civil service and private sector. No-one reading the facts about how this man behaved after the accident and in the course of cowardly trying to escape criminal responsibility for his selfishness could possible sensibly take the view he should stay in his post.
Even the briefest review of what the events were, how he fled like a drunken coward, how he desperately tried to get off like a coward rather than admit he did wrong, all these show how entirely unfit the man is for his current job. It shows, when it mattered, that he lacks the most basic standards of morals and integrity. He has to go.
Utter B.S. 9.32 am! You talk about “unfit for his current job” and I say by whose standards? Bottom line is that the RCIP failed to get a conviction on the more serious charge, once more! He was tried in a court of law, and because you do not like the results, you seek to lambast the guy! Was anything illegal about that process? If you cannot show that to be the case, SFU!
YOU can shut up, 2:27 pm! He got out of a conviction because of the Cayman buddy system.
Gary Wong is Cayman’s blessed. Raised up with many privileges and went up the ranks of becoming a Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, next to the CIO. He receives his benefits whilst he uses his powers to detect and see to the prosecution Immigration offenders. But God has blessed Gary and he has a child and a family. Yes, there are some things that certain persons have against the man, which some charge is unethical, such as his lifestyle.
But as a Caymanian, I think for such reasons and his position of power, business owners and alot of expats will want to see Gary Wong fired from his job. They will want more than anything else to feel vindicated for having this enforcer of the law walk on the streets jobless!
People, I fear God, and I know that God reads people’s hearts and intentions. I have always warn people to be very careful, be very careful of the bad things you wish happen to other people. Because you never been in their shoes, tempted like they were tempted, and God knows our hearts, and may become displease at our wishing.
In my years, I have seen the tables turn. The proud becomes the humbled, and the lowly move up in position. We should never wish for anything bad to even befall the ungodly! But that they repent, learn from their mistakes, and live a good life. Always remember God has the last say.
Gary Wong is there for a divine purpose. That’s how I see it.
God bless
The sort of religious lunacy that elects the current crop of MLAs.
You really are some CAYMANKIND of idiot! No wonder people think we are so simple minded. Smh
What a load of tosh! What has any religious nonsense got to do with it?
The guy crashed his car and then left the scene of the accident to avoid getting caught. I bet he would have done the same if he had injured someone!
What’s wrong with Gary remaining in his job? He did NOTHING wrong! In other words he was on his personal time. Stop minding people’s personal business and go and clean y’all house.
By contrast the Judge got off and she sits on the bench and convicts persons. What she did wasn’t right but then again her privileges would be different because she is a foreigner!
Let’s not go any further cause y’all never made up any noise on that case. Caymanian have a way of crying down each other rather than lifting one another.
Nothing wrong? The court disagrees and found him guilty of leaving the scene of an accident. What are you smoking?
1. Nothing wrong? Left the scene of an accident when someone else could have been hurt. That’s ok with you?
2. On his own time does not excuse breaking the law. By your logic it would be ok for me to burglarize your house as long as I did it on my own time. And this man is part of law enforcement, so how do you expect him to be honest in his conduct of his job enforcing the law when he evaded it “on his own time”.
3. The judge did not get off. She stayed at the scene to take responsibility, she plead guilty and she got sentenced in accordance with the law. Your Mr Wong not only fled the scene but pleaded not guilty resulting in years delay to sentencing and God only knows how much court time and cost.
You cannot seriously argue she should lose her job and Mr Wong keep his. That really would be an example of foreigners being treated differently, whereas your argument that somehow Mr Wong is only in this predicament because of his nationality is ironically a perfect example of a certain mindset that Caymanians should be treated differently – more leniently- than foreigners. Get the chip off your shoulder and the beam out of your eye.
What Gary did is not on amd yes he should be held to a higher standard being in his position. However if memory servers me correctly he has been in the immigration dept for approximately 30yrs. How many times has he been in trouble? During his 30 yrs of service has he done a good job? If the answer no and yes to those questions, then let’s give him a pass and hope he will now set a better example to our youth in his future.
Everyone makes a mistake. Gary continue your good work sir
In a civil service riddled with endemic corruption and criminality keeping this convicted criminal in his job sends the totally wrong message. If he had any sense of honor or integrity he would resign. I do not expect him to resign. He must be fired without delay.
If Wong was a non caymanian the negative posters would have run for cover. Most of the negative posters probably voted for Trump or Corbyn.
To you 2.15 pm you obviously need a little educational help. Gary Wong has NOT been found guilty of any criminal offense as you state, so do not refer to him as a “convicted criminal”. You should be sued for that kind of unintelligent defamation you moron!
The clue is in the “conviction” and “being found guilty” bits dufus.
He is good at what he does and well trained. To remove him for an infraction that didn’t harm anyone would be foolish in this time during Cayman’s monumental growth. Let him pay the priced the sentence and lets move on to rapist, theives and child molesters.
I saw an earlier comment asserting that it was not Wong’s fault –but rather it was the other driver’s.
Apparently, the defense brought in a report by an accident re-constructionist who claimed that the other car crossed the centre line and hit Wong. Please remember that this is one “expert” witness—if you watch television you see the so-called experts battle it out all the time.
Here is an excerpt from the prosecution’s point of view that came out in court in January, according to media report:
“Later, Mr. Wainwright (the prosecutor in the case) asked for more details about how the accident had occurred. Mr. Wong agreed he had said that his cellphone dropped to the floor, he checked traffic both ways and then bent down to pick up the phone. He said it was correct that he did not know he had hit a vehicle and he did not see it because he was looking down at the phone.
“So you had taken your eye off the road?” Mr. Wainwright asked.
“Correct,” Mr. Wong replied.
“Would you agree that’s careless driving?” Mr. Wainwright asked.
“No,” the defendant replied.
He denied feeling any impact, saying he only heard a thud, which he thought was the result of a pothole or a road marker.
He was asked to look at photos of both vehicles.
“It’s not a little fender bender, is it?” Mr. Wainwright asked.
Mr. Wong agreed it was not. Told that the BMW was a write-off, Mr. Wong said he was still driving his same vehicle; repairs had cost him $1,500 and that included a new tire and rim.”
Readers can draw their conclusions from that.
Readers should also remember that a number of cardinal rules were broken: 1. driving while intoxicated (he did have a blood alcohol reading in excess of the limit, but got off on that charge on a technicality.)
2. he left the scene of an accident.
If I had had that level of a collision that cause a write off of the the other car I would have at least stopped to investigate, especially if I had taken my eyes off the road.
Further, once he got home, did he not inspect the extent of damage to his vehicle? Common sense would have told him it was not a pothole.
What if he had seriously injured someone? He would have left them on the road without aid?
This behaviour is the height of irresponsibility and demonstrates little regard to the potential impacts on life and property.
If I were a boss, I would not have him on my staff, because I could not trust him to act with honesty and integrity when no one was looking and I could not trust his word.
It would have been different if he had thrown himself on the mercy of the court, but he did nothing of the sort.
He has seriously undermined the trust that an employer could have in him in the sensitive job that he carries out at the Immigration Department.
I hope the Portfolio of the Civil Service will seriously consider the consequences and the message that it sends to the population, especially the impressionable minds of our youth.
Don’t forget that he was only caught because the boyfriend of one of the girls in the car he hit, happened to be driving behind them as they were all going out together.
After checking to see that his girlfriend and the other two girls in the car were ok, he called the police and gave chase after Mr Wong.
Mr Wong drove almost 2 miles to his home all the time rimming his car with the boyfriend of one of the girls driving behind him and trying to get his attention by tooting his car horn.
When he finally stopped, the boyfriend came out of his car and started video taping Mr Wong on his cell phone. Believe me….I’ve seen the video…Wong was drunk. And wait for it….he was in his Immigration uniform.
IRONICALLY…the driver of the BMW and her friends had seen Mr Wong earlier that night at a bar and stated in their police statement that he was “wasted” when they saw him.
The police on the scene tested the driver of the BMW and she was NOT DRUNK.
After about 2 years, the driver of the car got sick and tired of the fiasco in court and told the court that she was NOT coming back and they threatened to hold her in comptempt.. She felt that the system failed her terribly.
Even though I’ve heard that he has since shown remorse to all three young ladies, I agree that this his behaviour was irresponsible and displayed little regards for potential impact on life and property and speaks to his integrity and character (Or lack thereof).
You can’t possible boast of Cayman as a country with very strong Christian values and then turn a blind eye when someone in high office behaves this way.. this is NOT OK.
I saw the video too and he was in uniform why didn’t they note that DPP so why didn’t all this come out???!!! before the Ministry must act on this info no integrity at all
To you 1.08 pm I say – how many times do you want to try the man for the offenses alledged? The legal course was followed, and because you do not like the outcome, you would seek to further punish the man. If you do not like what happened in the court, find fault with the process, NOT with the accused person who contested the evidence put forward, and proved it to be inadequate to obtain a conviction for DUI.
This is not the first time that the RCIP has prepared inadequate case material to win in court. I can recall years ago when they presented blood alcohol level evidence from a breathalizer machine that had not been calibrated as specified by the manufacturers and therefore the law, and Justice Ramsey threw the case out, lock stock and barrel.
2:49 pm: Gary has had his day in the court of law—and by the way, I don’t have a problem with the court—now he has to face the court of public opinion.
This is a lesson for us all. When you are wrong, admit it, and take the consequences.
People are much more willing to forgive a contrite person.
“When you are wrong, admit it, and take the consequences.” That would be the moral. Christian thing to do. But he showed the local mentality of trying to get away with his crimes, then playing the system to get off blatant drunk driving and then trying to avoid responsibility by pleading not guilty and running a pack of lies to get off. And then? The consequences… None, because myopic locals want to protect their own even when their own in question obviously lacks the basic character needed for the job.
Was Wong in the Wrong? LOL
who cares…the civil service is an expensive bad joke anyway….
he’s a perfect fit in that rats nest of incompetence
He is trusted in his position in Immigration?
Oh my, what is wrong in the Country carries on and on and on…
Man who has proven he lacks integrity and decency has senior role in Immigration? Makes sense.
That mustache is just Wong!
Trust me he aint going no place!
And thats sad…no example being set by anyone here, local NOR expat – theyre all consumed.
Lock him up. Poor example from someone who should know better.
Lock him up for what reason? Just by virtue of being an immigration officer who does what he’s being paid to do? That’s the problem with a greater part of the Cayman public. Ungrateful.
Question: If he lied, did it had anything to do with his work?
No. Absolutely not.
Many politicians lie DURING work all the time.
It is everything to do with his character, which is everything to do with the integrity of the position he holds. Your syllogistic argument has no value.
And lying is ok?
Lying, drink driving, fleeing accidents, trying to get off consequences of criminality. It is cultural apparently, and god has something to do with it according to some of the posters on here. God likes lying drunk drivers with no morals. Apparently.
Because really, who is left to take the job.
The dude who he delegates all his work to now…
May he continue his job.
Let’s say Wong told a lie to get off. That’s bad. He told a lie.
But what he did wrong is really between him and God. Our Courts don’t sentence people for lying about the facts of a case. And who here don’t lie????
If you are an American, your Donald Trump, the highest leader on U.S. soil lies all the time. In the UK the MPs lie all the time. Its unfortunate that leaders do lie, but I leave it between them and God.
Imagine, if our government and employers started firing people for telling lies, imagine the record thousands of unemployed locals and expats!
So, pray for Wong, and leave the matter in God’s hands. Let’s not be hypocritical.
Peace
If your bank lied to you, would you leave it between them and god?
For sure, God would sack him if he was an angel, (which he sure isn’t!.
10:30 pm– I hope no one is holding up Donald Trump and his elk as standards to live by. Sad spectacle of a people we have become that we are now gauging ourselves by the lowest common denominator. Everyone is doing it — so nothing is wrong with jumping on the lying bandwagon. I hope the Legislators realize that they are setting the tone and are the exemplars for our people.
They will have a lot to answer for when we reap what they have sown in future generations. History will not treat them kindly, even if they appear to be getting away with it today.
And by the way, lying in court is called “perjury” and perjury can carry stiff penalties, including possible jail terms!!!
Perjury was the heart of a recent Motion in the Legislative Assembly that failed to get support — but that was exactly what the Motion was all about ——lying.
And perhaps it is time for people to get fired for lying!!!
How far have we come from the days of our fathers when their word was their bond.
When I was growing up my teachers and parents taught me the old adage, “Speak the truth and speak it ever cost it what it will.”
Local justice?
Another wise move by CIG. Wong has held the immigration department together.
No one get fired in the private sector for traffic offences.
We have far too many schlock characters occupying high office to be taken seriously on the international stage. One day we’ll mature as a territory and actually enact Standards in Public Life and other rudimentary provisions to protect these offices…until then…
Wow. What a surprise.
Same old, same old!
Another one of Franz’s henchmen.
Good. Everyone deserves a second chance.. No human , none of you or I are immune to making bad decisions.
And to those bad decisions, one usually pays the consequences.
To 5.49 am that is what the courts are there for! The “Court of Public Opinion” amounts to zilch in reality, especially in small island societies generally.
I prefer second chances to go to people who admit to making a mistake, tell the truth, and throw themselves on the mercy of the court — not people who bear falls witness and get away on a technicality.
So, the offense does not involve any disregard for the law or dishonesty? What was the improper conduct that cost Linda Evans her job?
Her improper conduct was not knowing the right people…or not enough of them.
Figures.
CAD
Her improper conduct was daring to investigate complaints about misconduct within immigration that her predecessor appeared (I don’t know for a fact this was the case and I’m not alleging that it was!) to have been ignoring. Trust me on this because I was one of the complainants and let’s just say that things started moving a heck of lot quicker after she took over.
Anybody who knows Gary, knows he’s wong but who really expected a different outcome? That department has enough heat on them as is with all the suspensions and charges of their staff and they are just small fries. Wong was for sure getting off with a slap on the wrist, especially with his high rank.
It is a private personal matter so end of story. Nothing to do with the man’s job, so let’s move on.
Criminal apologist.
Good….we’re all human and make mistakes but would still like to see him apologize for trying to avoid responsibility (not for the accident as I think that was the other driver’s fault)
Seriously! You really should tuck your ignorance in if you are going to comment on a public forum. Anyone who has the full factual details of the accident knows that it was not the other drivers fault. I am very close to this matter and I have all the facts including videos and other details that did not become public. He is guilty as charged!
That being said in cases like these you pay your legal team to utilise loop holes and to get you off charges. He did just that. I don’t hold that against him. But I can assure you that it was not the other drivers fault. She just got tired of wasting her time to fight a losing battle and was not prepared to keep taking time off without pay to go to court over a four year period.
He has already apologized to her but integrity alone should compel him to take responsibility for his actions accordingly instead of trying to blame others.
People like You who form opinions without having all the facts are what’s wrong in this little island.
The other drivers fault! Really !
I guess the other driver got him drunk and told him to leave the scene after he hit her. come on folks this man was wrong.