Europe
Ex-Cayman banker dodges jail term in Switzerland
(CNS Business): A former offshore banker who was based in the Cayman Islands before he blew the whistle on his former bosses at Julius Bäer, accusing them of assisting clients with tax evasion and leaking sensitive account information to Wikileaks, will not go to prison. Rudolf Elmer (60) was given a 14-month suspended sentence after […]
ECHR ruling paves way for gay marriage case
(CNS): A ruling by the European Court of Human Rights will have significant implications for a local case relating to a same-sex couple. The ECHR found that a refusal to grant a residence permit to a gay couple in Italy on family grounds was “unjustified discrimination”. Former law school professor Dr Leo Raznovich and his […]
Pope calls on Christians to apologise to gay people
(CNS): As the issue of rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) continues to stir up intolerance among local politicians and some religious quarters of Cayman, Pope Francis has called on the Christian community to apologise to gay people. At a recent press conference, the head of the Catholic Church said that […]
Legal issues re same sex unions unchanged, says HRC
(CNS): The recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Chapin and Charpentier v France case has changed nothing when it comes to countries needing to recognise lawful same-sex unions, the Cayman Islands Human Rights Committee has stated. Despite recent comments in the Legislative Assembly, especially by Anthony Eden who suggested the court’s […]
Holland closes jails, Northward packed to capacity
(CNS): As the Cayman Islands director of prisons battles with serious overcrowding at HMP Northward and the highest number of female inmates at Fairbanks prison for many years, the Dutch government is planning to close empty jails and the UK has announced a series of reforms that will see inmates tagged and sent home during […]
Premier’s comments met with summit hostility
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin has said that his comments about the hypocrisy of the United States were not greeted very well during last week’s anti-corruption summit in London. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, he said the “temperature in the room fell about 10 degrees” when he pointed out the fight against corruption would not […]
Stealing food out of necessity not a crime, Italian high court rules
(CNS): A homeless man who was sentenced in 2013 to six months in jail and fined around €100 fine (US$115) for stealing €4.07 (US$4.50) worth of cheese and sausage from a supermarket in Genoa, Italy, has seen his conviction overturned after a court rule that taking food out of necessity is not a crime. The […]
EU blacklist of tax havens coming within six months
(CNS Business): A European-wide blacklist of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions is definitely coming and will be announced within six months, according to EU officials. Member of European Parliament (MEP) Jeppe Kofod, who is part of the TAXE2 Committee that a delegation from Cayman recently appeared before, confirmed to CNS Business that an EU blacklist for non-cooperative […]
Premier joins in condemnation of Belgian bombings
(CNS): Flags were flying at half-mast Tuesday at the Government Administration Building in Elgin Avenue as a mark of respect for the victims of the ISIS related terror attacks in Brussels. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who oversaw the lowering of the flags, which will remain so until 8pm today, said they were vicious acts of violence. […]
Hackers target ISIS, UK to recruit more spies
(CNS): The war against Islamic State is heating up online after the international hackers group ‘Anonymous’ released a YouTube video threatening a massive cyber attack on the jihadists. The British have also announced an increase in their spying budget following the terrorist attack on Paris Friday evening. Here in Cayman, the premier joined in the global […]
Swiss grant request for Takkas’ extradition
(CNS): Swiss authorities have approved the US extradition request for Costas Takkas, who was Jeffrey Webb’s assistant when he was CONCACAF president. Takkas, who was once a resident of the Cayman Islands and a general secretary with the Cayman Islands Football Association, was working for Webb as an attache in Miami after the local football […]
