Government oversight
Speaker approves PAC contempt motion
(CNS): Allegations that the chief officer in the health ministry deliberately misled the Public Accounts Committee when she appeared as a witness last October will be debated in the Legislative Assembly next week, as the speaker has accepted a motion calling for her to be held in contempt. PAC Chair Ezzard Miller has said he […]
PAC motion threatens CO with contempt
(CNS): Public Accounts Committee Chair Ezzard Miller has filed a motion in the Legislative Assembly on behalf of the entire committee asking parliament to hold the chief officer in the health ministry in contempt after requests to the deputy governor to discipline her were ignored. Jennifer Ahearn could face prosecution for giving false evidence to […]
Lack of plan undermining CS goals, says OAG
(CNS): The auditor general has found that government needs to develop a comprehensive workforce plan to meet its goals as there are significant gaps in managing talent, succession planning, recruitment and retention, and human resource strategies within the civil service. The latest report from Sue Winspear and her team warns that the deputy governor’s ambitions […]
Port boss ‘felt compelled’ by leave request
(CNS): The embattled port director, Clement Reid, told the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands (PACI) Board he had felt “compelled to agree” to requests by then opposition leader McKeeva Bush, who had repeatedly asked for a specific member of the port staff to accompany him on overseas trips, when he granted 63 days paid […]
Board gave port director second chance
(CNS): Despite finding that the litany of questionable actions by Port Director Clement Reid exposed by the auditor general did amount to gross misconduct, the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands (PACI) Board gave him a second chance because of his long service with the authority, his willingness to try to put things right and […]
Port director struggles to explain actions
(CNS): Responses given by the director of the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands (PACI) to auditors to explain the potential mismanagement and abuse of public cash exposed in a special report show the public authority boss struggling to explain his actions surrounding major breaches of recruitment laws and procedures, unauthorised spending and other personnel […]
Port boss faces list of mismanagement accusations
(CNS): A damning report released by the auditor general has revealed a significant list of allegations against the director of the Port Authority of the Cayman Islands (PACI), ranging from mismanagement to potential fraud and corruption. Clement Reid is accused of breaching recruitment practices, spending over $130,000 decorating the port offices without approval, allowing staff […]
Operation Tempura spin-offs ran up AG’s lawyer bill
(CNS): Acting Solicitor General Reshma Sharma from the Portfolio of Legal Affairs told the Public Accounts Committee Thursday that spin-off litigation from the fall-out of Operation Tempura, a corruption probe into the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, accounted for a significant amount of spending by the Attorney General’s Chambers on outside lawyers’ fees. Appearing before […]
CIG’s full 2016 accounts receive adverse opinion
(CNS): The government’s Entire Public Sector consolidated financial report for the year ending June 2016 has received an adverse opinion from Auditor General Sue Winspear for a long list of reasons, including the government’s failure to fairly state its liabilities and of poor controls over coercive revenue. While government’s financial reporting has improved from the […]
Revised public ethics law still in limbo
(CNS): Some four years after the original legislation was passed and almost two years after a revised version was steered through the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly, the Standards in Public Life Law has still not been implemented. Acting Deputy Governor Gloria McField-Nixon told the LA last week that the regulations were being worked on with a […]
Consultants and temps cost public $38.5M in 5yrs
(CNS): The Cayman Islands central government spent more than CI$38.5 million on consultants and temporary staff between June 2012 to June 2017, according to a new report from the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). The latest audit into how the government is spending public cash once again raises questions about value for money as well as […]
