(CMR) The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) has announced that Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) for all frontline operational officers will be implemented by July 31st, 2026. The organization said this marks a significant step in its ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and the creation of a modern police service.

The rollout follows a successful pilot phase tested over a two-year period, focused on internal change management, review of judicial pathways, and requirements to future-proof the RCIPS.

BWCs are designed to provide an objective record of interactions between the police and the public. By capturing high-definition video and audio, these devices ensure that evidence is gathered accurately, thereby securing the integrity of investigations in the Cayman Islands and increasing the likelihood of positive outcomes.

“The introduction of Body-Worn Cameras is a transformative moment for the RCIPS,” said Superintendent Roje Williams Cert. Hon., Project Lead. “This technology serves as a digital witness that protects both our officers and the community. By implementing strict guidance alongside this technology, we are ensuring it is used ethically, consistently, and in a manner that maintains public trust and confidence in policing for all involved.”

To ensure the effective use of this resource, the proposed framework will establish clear recording requirements for specific incidents, including arrests, searches, and use-of-force encounters. The RCIPS has also made a significant investment in instructor training, equipping a number of officers to deliver comprehensive training to frontline personnel across the Service.

The RCIPS said it remains dedicated to improving its service to better protect and serve the people of the Cayman Islands.

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As part of the implementation, there have been several stakeholder engagement sessions, and as the implementation progresses into the final stages, there will be engagement sessions hosted by the RCIPS with media, public, and external partners to ensure broader awareness and understanding. These engagement sessions will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The phased implementation of Body-Worn Cameras marks a pivotal advancement in our mission to deliver a modern, transparent, and accountable police service for the Cayman Islands,” said Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton.

“This technology is not merely a tool for evidence gathering; it is a commitment to our officers and the public that every interaction is grounded in integrity and professional standards. By capturing an objective record of our work, we are strengthening the bond of trust between the RCIPS and the community we serve, ensuring that our judicial outcomes are supported by the excellent quality of digital evidence,” he added.

At a glance:

• Major US airlines servicing Cayman and other short-haul international routes have increased checked baggage and ancillary fees amid rising fuel and operating costs.
• This month, American Airlines will impose its third baggage fee increase since December, while third checked bag fees on several carriers have climbed to as much as US$200.
• US airlines collected more than US$5.47 billion in checked baggage fees during the first three quarters of 2025 alone, highlighting how ancillary charges have become a major revenue source.

As US airlines continue grappling with sharply higher fuel costs and mounting operational expenses, travellers flying on domestic and short-haul international routes – including services between North American cities and Cayman – are being hit with higher charges for checked baggage and a growing list of ancillary fees.

The fees are what analysts describe as a broader industry-wide push to protect profit margins while keeping airfare prices relatively competitive. In addition to the American airlines listed below, two Canadian airlines – Air Canada and WestJet have also announced increases in baggage fees.

American Airlines

In less than six months, the cost of checking a first bag on American Airlines Caribbean and other short-haul international routes, including Cayman, has risen by as much as US$20 depending on when and how passengers pay.

Under changes introduced in April and in effect through 18 May, passengers travelling within the US and on short-haul international flights, including Cayman, pay US$50 for a first checked bag and US$60 for a second checked bag when paying at the airport. Travellers who prepay online or through the airline’s app receive a US$5 discount per bag. The airline also raised the cost of a third checked bag by US$50, increasing the fee from US$150 to US$200.

A further increase will take effect on 18 May for Basic Economy passengers. Under the new rates, airport check-in baggage fees will increase again to US$55 for a first checked bag and US$65 for a second checked bag. Passengers who prepay online or through American’s website or mobile app will pay US$50 and US$60 respectively.

The 18 May adjustment will mark the third baggage fee increase American has imposed on Caribbean and other short-haul international routes since December 2025, when the airline raised the price of a first checked bag from US$35 to US$40.

The changes extend beyond baggage fees. Beginning on 18 May, AAdvantage elite status members flying on Basic Economy tickets will lose upgrade and seat-selection privileges.

United Airlines

United Airlines increased checked baggage fees by US$10 earlier this year for most domestic and short haul international flights, including routes serving Cayman and the wider Caribbean.

For tickets purchased on or after 3 April, first checked bags cost between US$45 and US$50, while second bags now range from US$55 to US$60.

The sharpest increase came on third checked bags, which rose by US$50 to US$200.

Customers who prepay for baggage at least 24 hours before departure can receive lower pricing, while MileagePlus Premier members continue to receive complimentary checked bags.

United also announced that baggage fee increases would extend to longer-haul international routes beginning 12 May.

Jet Blue

JetBlue raised checked baggage fees in March as fuel prices climbed globally.

For most economy passengers travelling on JetBlue’s Caribbean network, including flights to and from the Cayman Islands, JetBlue Airways now charges US$39 for a first checked bag during off-peak travel periods and US$49 during peak seasons such as summer holidays, up from US$35 and US$40 respectively.

Passengers who pay within 24 hours of departure, including at airport counters, are charged an additional US$10 surcharge.

JetBlue said the higher baggage fees would help the airline “keep base fares competitive” while continuing to invest in amenities such as complimentary Wi-Fi, seatback entertainment and snacks.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines increased baggage fees by US$10 in April, less than a year after ending its long-standing ‘bags fly free’ policy that had differentiated the airline for decades.

The airline’s first checked bag fee rose from US$35 to US$45, while second checked bags increased from US$45 to US$55 for bookings made on or after 9 April.

Delta

Delta Air Lines raised checked baggage fees in April as part of what it described as an “ongoing review of pricing”.

Short-haul international passengers, including those flying on Cayman routes, now pay US$45 for a first checked bag, US$55 for a second and US$200 for a third bag – increases of US$10 on the first and second checked bags and US$50 on the third.

In addition to baggage fee increases, Delta recently announced it would eliminate complimentary snacks and drinks on hundreds of flights under 350 miles beginning 19 May.

The increasing price of jet fuel

Rising baggage fees are unfolding against the backdrop of sharply higher fuel costs driven by the conflict in the Middle East.

Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, told Barron’s that jet fuel prices have risen by at least 70%, pushing fuel costs from roughly 24% of a typical flight’s operating expenses to as much as 30% to 35%.

“Airlines cannot be expected to absorb all of that high jet fuel cost,” Harteveldt said.

Federal data underscores how important extra baggage and other ancillary fees have become in offsetting those costs.

According to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the 13 largest US airlines collected more than US$5.47 billion in checked baggage fees during the first three quarters of 2025 alone. American Airlines generated nearly US$1.1 billion of that total, while United Airlines brought in roughly US$1.01 billion.

In 2024, US airlines collected more than US$7.27 billion in baggage fees, underscoring how charges once considered secondary have become a central and increasingly lucrative part of the airline business model.

Food truck businesses are gaining momentum in Cayman, exemplified by recent applications to the Central Planning Authority and updated guidance on compliance issued to business owners.

Owen Powis, an architect associated with several food trucks in George Town, says one reason for the interest in the food truck model is the high cost of rent in Cayman, prohibiting many startups from pursuing a traditional brick-and-mortar location.

The operations continue to face road bumps, however, as small business owners get up to speed on the regulatory requirements to operate such establishments.

During a May 2025 meeting, the CPA noted, “The Authority determined that food trucks must be removed from their location at the end of every day in order to be exempt from the need for planning permission.”

This guidance has led many businesses, already in operation, to seek after-the-fact planning permission.

One such operation, a jerk food stand operated by Kenneth Davis (Brewsters Design), will come under scrutiny during the 13 May meeting of the Central Planning Authority.

The jerk establishment has been serving clients on North Church Street and Bodden Road, alongside three other food trucks, associated with Powis.

The jerk takeout business, consisting of a cooking area and a storage/dining area, is seeking after-the-fact planning permission at the 13 May meeting. The other businesses operating at the site are expected to come under consideration at a later date.

Powis has submitted applications for the other establishments—Desi Kitchen, Himalayan Express and Cool Runnings—but said he still needs to submit newspaper notices. He said, so far, he hasn’t heard any objections regarding the food truck site.

The jerk stand application, however, has received two objectors.

“Patrons of these food trucks frequently cross onto our property to consume their food due to the lack of adequate seating and facilities on the parcel where the trucks are operating. When asked to leave private property, individuals have at times been confrontational,” wrote objector Harilyn A. Bodden, who referenced all four food trucks present at the site.

“The surrounding property conditions are also concerning. The area contains numerous derelict vehicles, trucks, and containers, and the overall appearance has unfortunately begun to resemble a DUMP yard.”

Bodden questioned if the site complied with Department of Environmental Health standards, but noted that the jerk business “appears to be maintained in a clean and orderly condition”.

The CPA agenda says DEH has no objections to the site “in principle”, but did note the need to meet certain requirements, such as proper maintenance of restrooms and cleaning of equipment, such as jerk drums.

Another objector, Noah Rotman, said, “These “businesses” have no running water, no proper electrical, no proper sewage or proper disposal for oils, transmission fluids, etc. as well as no rodent controls. Buildings and houses have been constructed without proper permits and setbacks.”

The jerk stand application was previously scheduled for a March CPA meeting but was rescheduled to allow both the applicant and the objectors to be present.

The CPA will seek to determine if the site complies not only with commercial building standards but also if it complements the character of the area, noting the 1997 Development Plan requires “a standard of design, construction and landscaping which reflects local architectural traditions”.

George Town’s evolving downtown landscape has reached a new milestone with the official opening of ONE | GT, a luxury hotel and residential development.

The 10-storey property on Goring Avenue – which welcomed its first guests on 8 May – combines 97 condo-style hotel suites with 80 private residences and is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World collection.

Jeremy Hurst, president of IRG and one of the developers, said the project was designed to reconnect people with downtown George Town while creating a modern hospitality and social hub in the capital.

“This project has always been about George Town and its significance as the Cayman Islands’ capital and a vibrant centre for culture and community,” he explained in a press release.

“Our goal was to create something that contributes in a lasting way, socially, culturally and economically.

“ONE | GT is meant to bring people back downtown, support local talent and businesses, provide exceptional guest experiences and create a sense of energy and momentum that will redefine our nation’s capital.”

Hotel suites range from one to three bedrooms and feature kitchens, living spaces and private balconies aimed at both short- and long-term visitors.

Amenities include valet parking, wellness activities, grocery pre-stocking services, shuttle transportation and a fitness centre equipped with Technogym equipment.

Alongside a third-floor pool deck, the property also features what developers describe as the island’s first rooftop restaurant and bar with an infinity-edge pool.

ONE | GT general manager Andrew Barlow said the concept was designed to function as a community destination as much as a hotel.

“All hotel suites feature kitchen and living areas, making us the perfect choice for those bringing clients, colleagues, family and friends to the island for a short or extended stay,” he said.

The Byū Asian-Caribbean rooftop restaurant and bar (Photo: ONE | GT)

Food and beverage offerings are expected to play a major role in the property’s identity. Executive chef René Cahane and food and beverage director Norman Martinez oversee three distinct dining venues within the development.

Perle, the hotel’s signature French-Mediterranean restaurant, focuses on refined dining and an extensive wine programme, while Byū combines Asian-Caribbean cuisine with rooftop dining, sushi, robata-grilled dishes and panoramic island views.

At street level, Café Bellini offers an Italian-inspired café and bakery serving espresso drinks, pastries and breakfast fare aimed at residents, office workers and visitors.

Developers also say the property includes the island’s only dedicated rooftop event space, targeting weddings, corporate functions and private events.

Designed by Mike Stroh of Trio Architecture, the building has already received international recognition, earning three International Property Awards, including Best International Hotel Architecture and Best New Hotel Construction and Design.

To mark the opening, ONE | GT has launched a staycation promotion for Cayman residents, with rates starting at US$204 for stays between May and October.

Those interested should visit onegt.com for more information.

(CNS): The results of last autumn’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) confirmed that as of October last year, the population in Cayman had increased to over 90,000 after an administrative review by the Economics and Statistics Office. Of those, almost 65,000 are in the workforce, an increase of 6.6% on the 2024 survey. The unemployment rate overall was 2.6%, but 4.1% among local people, a decline of half a percentage point from the 2024 Fall LFS.

The number of people employed in the workforce at the time of the survey reached a record level of 63,289. There was a slight increase in the unemployment rate overall from 2.4% to 2.6%, though the number of local people in work last October had increased by 13.4% from the 2024 survey.

There were 1,700 people unemployed in the labour force, with youth unemployment (aged 15 to 24) was the highest at 13.7%. The unemployment rate among women is 0.2% higher than among men, while locals make up more than 61% of those out of work.

The overall population stood at 90,577, a 2% on the previous year. The ESO said this was mainly driven by permanent residents, whose numbers were revised upwards using administrative data to 9,061, up from 8,184 in the Fall 2024 LFS. The Caymanian population saw a more modest natural increase of 1.1%, reaching 41,063, while the non-Caymanian population increased by 1.1% to 40,453, relative to the 2024 figures.

A significant concern is the level of under-employment in the country. Almost 9% of people in work said they were under-employed because they can only find part-time work or are in jobs that don’t require their skills or education — the largest portion of those saying they were underemployed.

The under-employment rate for Caymanians is now 7.5%, and higher still for all women. Almost 11% of working women said they are over-skilled for their roles or are not working enough hours.

The survey revealed a paucity of workforce development. According to the details now being captured in the survey on training and development, 62.6% of the workforce has not participated in any personal development training. Among those who have, Certified First Aid is the most common, followed by customer service, with less than 10% of the workforce receiving that.

Workers are reporting very little opportunity for promotion, which is of specific concern for Caymanians. Only 22.8% of the total workforce received a promotion, and the majority of those were expatriate workers. Even more concerning is that over 28% of the workforce earns less than $2,400 per month, and more than 60% of those in work earn less than $ 4,800 per month.

Construction remains the largest measured industry category for workers, and 60% of all construction workers as of autumn last year were on work permits, with just over a quarter of those jobs being held by Caymanians and another 14% by permanent residents.

In this survey, the ESO has also captured details of when workers arrived in Cayman. Almost 45% of the labour force has arrived in Cayman since 2020. It also revealed that 3,660 people were new entrants to the workforce in the fall of 2025, but just 321 of them were Caymanians.

The Third Quarter Economic Report 2025, released by Cayman’s Economics and Statistics Office on 8 May, showed a drop in work permits despite a growing economy.

There were 36,425 work permits active as of 30 Sept. 2025, down from the 37,418 that were active on 30 June 2025 and also down from the 36,602 work permits recorded at the end of 2024.

The latest data indicates that 2025 would be the first year to see a decline in work permits since 2020, when the pandemic saw a dramatic exodus of international workers. It may also be an early sign that the immigration rhetoric of the National Coalition for Caymanians government, which assumed control in May 2025, is being implemented.

However, some discrepancy remains between different statistics publicly available, with Workforce Opportunities & Residency Cayman showing a higher number. “There has always been a disparity between the ESO data and the WORC data,” said immigration expert Nick Joseph.

Joseph, who founded relocation advisory consultancy Reside Cayman, cautions against reading too much into one statistic.

“Part of the problem is ‘what constitutes a work permit?’,” said Joseph. “If it is a formal permission or exemption to allow a resident of the Cayman Islands to engage in gainful occupation, then the numbers are much higher.

“For example, the Department of WORC statistics do not appear to include hundreds of persons with work permits in the Special Economic Zone, nor the thousands of non-Caymanians working under an Employment Rights Certificate, whether as a spouse of a Caymanian or Permanent Resident.”

Joseph points out that any fall or stagnation in work permit numbers could simply reflect that international workers are switching categories.

“More than 500 expatriates dropped off the work permit numbers over the last year, not because they left or retired, but because they gained PR. The number appears likely to exceed 1,000 this year. Accordingly, work permit numbers flatlining at 37,000 likely indicates that 20 plus new expatriate workers are joining our community every week.”

Economic causes and impacts

The downturn in work permit applications could be attributed to recent economic factors. For example, the value of building permits fell by 6.1% over the first three months of the year. In theory, less construction work could mean a reduced demand for work permits.

Yet Cayman’s overall economy is expanding, with the ESO report estimating Cayman’s economic growth at 2.8% over the first three quarters of 2025. But that growth is largely being driven by growth in the jurisdiction’s financial services sector, which has a smaller employment footprint than construction.

The report shows the total number of funds registered in the Cayman Islands increased by 2.6% to 30,860 over the period, including 13,119 mutual funds and 17,741 private funds. New company registrations increased by 10.9% to 10,013, while new partnership registrations grew by 18.2% to 2,493 and insurance licences rose by 3.1% to 742.

One of the first sectors to show the impact of a reduction in work permits would be the property rental market. In a Q1 2026 report published in April – so more recent than the ESO’s third-quarter 2025 report – Cayman real estate brokerage Provenance Properties stated that: “The slowing trend of rental increases may be correlated with the moderation of work permits and the resulting deceleration of population growth.”

Can anybody shed a light on membership cost and what is included? Are there classes included with membership? Not much information online! Thank you

Former financial services industry fund administrator and football executive Canover Watson has had his Caymanian status revoked because of his criminal conviction.

The revocation of his status was revealed in a Grand Court judgment by Justice Marlene Carter, who refused Watson’s application for a judicial review to overturn a decision by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal.

Watson is serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2022 of committing fraud and money laundering while serving as an official at the Cayman Islands Football Association. He had earlier been convicted, and sentenced to seven years in prison, for a different fraud case, involving a scheme that skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Health Services Authority’s CarePay patient swipe-card contract.

The Cayman Status and Permanent Residency Board had informed Watson in August 2019 that it intended to revoke his right to be Caymanian as a result of his conviction. Watson appealed that decision to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal, which, on 29 Oct. 2024, dismissed his appeal and advised him that he had a further right to appeal, on a point of law, to the Grand Court within 28 days.

The Compass understands Watson, who was born in Jamaica, moved to Cayman when he was 6 years old, and holds Cayman and British passports.

Carter, in outlining the background to Watson’s application, noted that on 21 Aug. 2025, 10 months after the tribunal had refused his appeal, Watson’s attorney had written to the tribunal, asking that its decision “be declared a nullity”.

On 7 Nov. 2025, the tribunal responded that it had “neither a legal basis nor any power under the [Immigration (Transition) Act] to do a reconsideration” and pointing out that the deadline to apply for an appeal had been 26 Nov. 2024, it dismissed Watson’s request.

Then, on 7 Feb. this year, Watson filed his application for judicial review, challenging the tribunal’s refusal to reconsider his case.

One of the grounds of his application was that the Immigration Appeals Tribunal had failed to disclose that the Office of the Director of Prosecutions had provided what Watson described as “speculative and factually incorrect advice” and did not allow him an opportunity to respond.

Under immigration legislation, the tribunal is empowered to revoke an individual’s right to be Caymanian, or Caymanian status, if that person has been convicted of a criminal offence that has resulted in a prison sentence of 12 months or more, and if the person’s rights of appeal have been exhausted.

Watson argued that at the time the tribunal made its decision, he had not yet exhausted all his avenues of appeal.

In his submission to the court, he said he was incarcerated at the time of the tribunal’s ruling and did not have access to funding or legal representation. He noted that, on 8 Nov. 2024, he received the Court of Appeal’s judgment dismissing his appeal against conviction in the football fraud case, which triggered a 56-day deadline – until 3 Jan. 2025 – to apply to the Privy Council for a final appeal.

Three days later, on 11 Nov., he said, he received notice of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal’s decision, which was dated 29 Oct. 2024.

Explaining his delay in appealing the tribunal’s ruling, Watson said, “As a lay person, without funding and with limited access while incarcerated, my efforts during that period were necessarily focused on preparing and pursuing the Privy Council application, which was time-critical.”

He added that once he could reasonably turn his attention to the tribunal matter, he sought assistance from his lawyers in January 2025.

But, the judge noted in her judgment, a letter seeking reconsideration by the tribunal was not sent until 21 Aug. 2025, some eight months later, which Carter described as an “unexplained delay”.

In a letter to the court, the Attorney General’s Chamber noted that Watson’s application for leave to apply for a judicial review challenged the revocation of his Caymanian status, not the tribunal’s dismissal of the reconsideration request.

Carter said Watson had failed to avail of the statutory remedy provided by the immigration legislation before pursuing a judicial review, which she was a “remedy of last resort”.

Dismissing his leave to appeal, she said, “The facts of this case do not support there being any special circumstances to warrant a departure from this principle. The reasons advanced by the Applicant for not pursuing the statutory appeal are not persuasive.

“In the absence of such circumstances, leave for judicial review should not be granted.”

(CNS): Agriculture Minister Jay Ebanks has said that, based on 2025 data, the level of self-sufficiency in local egg production is now at around 53%. There are 106 egg farmers in the Cayman Islands producing an average of 164,346 eggs per week (around 13,700 dozen). Answering a question in parliament about the newly regulated sector, Ebanks said the government remains focused on supporting local production and encouraging demand.

Dwayne Seymour asked a follow-up question about how the recent fall in US egg prices had affected local producers and whether they were throwing eggs away because of it.

The minister said the US price drop has had an effect, but the government is talking to grocery stores to ensure they support local suppliers, as some are in a position to ramp up egg production. However, they cannot be certain now that they will be able to sell them to the supermarkets, as many stores returned to buying large quantities from the United States when the prices dropped.

Ebanks said officials have been going to the hotels and introducing local products, and many of them are now buying local eggs from the suppliers directly. Local egg farmers are also supplying the prison.

The minister stressed the importance of the NEST programme, designed to regulate and encourage production, to make the country self-sufficient in eggs, which was seen as “low-lying fruit” that could become sustainable very quickly by increasing homegrown foods.

“I figure if we get to the point where we’re getting all of our supermarkets to start to take more local eggs, we’ll be able to get to… 75 to 80%” of the market being covered by local producers, he said.

“And it may take a little pressure to put on the supermarkets, but I don’t mind putting pressure on them. I’m okay with that,” the minister stated in response to Seymour’s question. “But I can tell you the government is going to have to do something to put more pressure on the import of eggs so that we can grow the local market even better.”

He said the ministry needs to collect enough accurate data on the level of local production. Seymour also asked the minister to consider a moratorium on imported eggs, or at least higher tariffs, to encourage everyone to support the local farmers and eventually become self-sufficient in egg production.

The ministry began organising and certifying local egg production through the National Egg Strategy (NEST) just two years ago. Last year, the government purchased around 1,500 broilers to give to local producers and has opened a special egg facility at the Department of Agriculture to support them, with the goal of having local farmers supply almost all the eggs Cayman residents are consuming.

Since the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), aka bird flu, was detected in the United States, the price of eggs in local stores has fluctuated wildly, reaching highs last year of more than CI$10 per dozen for even ordinary eggs, which at the time made local eggs ranging from CI$4-5 much more attractive.

The current drop in the price of imported eggs here to as low as $2.50 could easily go up again in the coming months. Egg prices remain volatile due to ongoing concerns about bird flu, and recent reports from Europe indicate that prices are already spiking there.

(CNS): Deputy Opposition Leader Kenneth Bryan has written to Premier André Ebanks asking for information on surveillance measures and protocols in place to monitor for hantavirus within our borders and at all points of entry. There are global concerns that dozens of people who disembarked from the cruise ship MV Hondius before the outbreak on board was detected could be infected.

The ship is currently in the Atlantic off the coast of West Africa and is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on 10 May. Health officials around the world are trying to track all passengers who disembarked on the island of St Helena on 24 April.

The Caribbean Public Health Agency has said the risk to the Caribbean remains low, but it is advising all member states to remain vigilant, review and strengthen vessel surveillance systems as well as public health protocols at ports of entry.

The World Health Organization has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic, as seen with Covid-19, because hantavirus spreads only through “close, intimate contact”. Five cases of hantavirus on the cruise ship have been confirmed, including three deaths, and there are now suspected cases in several countries.

In his letter, Bryan asked the premier to provide “clear and immediate assurances to the public regarding our islands’ preparedness”. He said the people of the Cayman Islands deserve to know that the “government is taking every necessary precaution to safeguard their health and well-being”.

He asked how the government is preparing to respond to any potential cases and what information it plans to disseminate about the risks and preventive measures associated with hantavirus.

See the full text of Bryan’s letter below.

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In a stuffy storeroom in the intake area of HMP Northward, an orderly carefully sorts through the prison’s daily laundry.

Convicted prisoners’ belongings are folded into clear plastic tubs stacked on numbered shelves.

The remand prisoners’ civilian clothes hang separately on a rail, sorted alphabetically, ready for the next appearance before a judge.

The rail keeps getting longer.

Data sourced by the Compass through Freedom of Information requests shows the number of prisoners on remand at the prison has almost doubled over the last four years. As of last month, 82 inmates across the prisons system – 30% of the total incarcerated population – had not yet been convicted of any offence.

A backlog of cases in the courts and a shortage of defence lawyers has been cited as one of the key challenges facing the justice system. The average time prisoners spend on remand is now 14 months, officials told the Compass.

Excluding a long-running extradition case involving a Venezuelan national who has been held without conviction in Cayman for more than six years, a total of seven inmates had spent more than a year in custody awaiting trial, according to detailed prison population data released through open records requests.

The data indicates that many of those inmates are facing serious charges, such as murder, rape and firearms offences, where bail would not ordinarily be expected.

The list also includes a smaller number of less serious matters, ranging from common assault, damage to property and immigration overstays.

Bail is often denied by courts depending on the seriousness of the charge and the assessed flight risk of the defendant. In some cases, bail conditions, such as ankle tracking monitors, curfews and the confiscation of passports, can be used to manage these risks in the community.

But prosecutors insist they will continue to push for inmates to be remanded where public safety is a factor.

Court system backlog

Long-running issues of an absence of court space have been partially addressed through the repurposing of the old Scotia Bank building in George Town. But infrastructure and expertise gaps continue to challenge the justice system.

Minister of Home Affairs Nickolas DaCosta said the primary challenge right now is the speed at which cases are being processed through the courts.

Minister of Home Affairs Nickolas DaCosta

“The lack of a pool of defence attorneys that can try all of these cases is hindering us moving them through the system quickly,” he said.

Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale raised similar concerns in her address at the official opening of the legal year in January.

“The principal causes of extended remand were not judicial inactivity or a failure to list trials, but capacity constraints elsewhere in the criminal justice system, most notably, delays in the preparation of pre-sentence and mental health reports, the limited availability of defence counsel in serious criminal cases, and in receipt of expert reports provided by external agencies.”

The scale of the problem is visible in the numbers cited by Ramsay-Hale in that speech. At the end of 2025, Cayman’s entire criminal legal aid roster comprised 30 private practitioners, she said. In the same year, 671 criminal legal aid applications were received, more than double the 329 approved in 2022.

“The Criminal Bar in this jurisdiction remains small, with a limited number of practitioners undertaking the bulk of serious criminal trials,” she said.

“Sustainable solutions to broaden capacity at the Criminal Bar are therefore urgently required if disposal rates are to improve in a meaningful way.”

She said the number of criminal cases filed in the Grand Court had risen by 40% in 2025 compared with the average numbers seen in preceding years.

“Experience has shown that increases in enforcement activity, if not matched by corresponding investment in the capacity of the courts, the Bar and the supporting agencies, will inevitably place additional pressure on case progression and remand,” she added.

A public defender’s office?

Currently, Cayman has no state-employed defence lawyers. A roster of private practitioners takes legally aided cases, but DaCosta said the pool was insufficient for the volume currently moving through the courts.

He said government was exploring the creation of a dedicated public defence capacity – salaried lawyers employed by the state, mirroring the structure of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on the other side of the courtroom.

“All defence counsel is private practice. I think we need to look at probably creating a public defender pool; that is one thing we do not have,” DaCosta said.

The chief justice referenced the same idea in her speech.

“Discussions in the past have included the establishment of a public defender service. It is a matter that needs to be considered with some urgency if the number of cases brought before the court continue to increase,” she said.

A similar pattern was evident in the Summary Court, where 135 of 429 listed criminal trials in 2025 could not proceed on the day, with the most common reason being the unavailability or lack of readiness of defence counsel.

Chief Justice Margaret Ramsay-Hale at the official opening of Grand Court for 2026. – Photo: Raymond Hainey

Director of Public Prosecutions Simon Davis said the gold standard was to get serious cases to trial within six months. In the UK Crown Court, the equivalent of Cayman’s Grand Court, the standard custody time limit before a trial must begin is 182 days from the date a defendant is sent for trial.

These limits exist to protect defendants from excessive pre-trial detention, though they can be extended where the prosecution has acted with due diligence and delays arise from good cause.

Davis acknowledged that Cayman was operating well outside those time limits.

Lisa Malice, acting deputy chief officer at the Home Affairs Ministry, confirmed an average of 14 months on remand for prisoners currently at Northward, more than twice the UK benchmark.

In the vast majority of Grand Court cases, Davis said, the prosecution was ready to proceed to trial within six months of charging. He noted that the court ultimately controls the pace of trials and scheduling.

Even in the UK, Davis said, murder cases and complex financial matters routinely exceed the standard time limit.

Mental health proceedings compound the delay further. Where a defendant’s fitness to plead is in question, the court must obtain psychiatric reports before the case can proceed.

“You could lose three months just by getting reports done,” Davis said.

Despite concerns around space limitations at HMP Northward and rights issues of prisoners incarcerated for long periods before trial, Davis said he won’t compromise on seeking custody in cases where the public safety is at risk.

Richard Barton, president of the Cayman Islands Legal Practitioners Association, said the issue was more nuanced than a simple shortage of lawyers.

“A substantial share of legally aided work appears to be concentrated among a relatively modest number of practitioners, which can create capacity pressures and contribute to delays,” he said.

Barton, a prominent local defence lawyer, added that consistent application of the cab rank rule, which obliges barristers to take cases as they come, was important to the system’s effectiveness.

He believes the kind of delays faced by defendants currently are unacceptable both for the accused and the victims.

“There is simply no reason why anyone should be on remand for a period of 14 months,” he said.

“Extended waiting times affect not only defendants, but also complainants and the wider public.”

Barton said proposals for a public defender model warranted careful consideration, but raised questions around independence and institutional pressure that would need to be resolved before any reform was introduced.

Remanded prisoners mix with sentenced killers

For those on remand, the wait is served inside a building certified for 168 people that is currently holding 237. The number of people awaiting trial can’t always be accommodated in a dedicated wing, and though they are legally presumed innocent, many are housed alongside sentenced inmates, including those serving long terms for serious offences.

Inmates Council chairman Canover Watson said this was a welfare concern.

“Remand inmates, which are typically housed on Delta, are also co-mingling with sentenced prisoners, and, in some cases, long-term sentenced prisoners. That person on remand is not guilty, but yet they’re being put into a facility where they’re exposed to that type of risk.”

Source: FOI data supplied to Compass.

Even ‘lifers’ are sharing cells with other inmates and mingling on the wings with all types of prisoners.

Dencle Barnes, another inmate, spelled out the risk more bluntly.

“You got a guy doing life. He has nothing to worry about if he kills another guy inside.”

Juan Gonzales Infante, who has been held at HMP Northward since 2019 without being convicted of any offence, while contesting extradition proceedings told the Compass he has spent years on a mixed wing alongside convicted prisoners.

“It’s been detrimental for me. It is very noisy, a place where everybody is mixed. It has affected my health very much,” he said.

Solutions on the table

DaCosta said the most immediate lever available for the wider issue was the expansion of electronic monitoring, using ankle bracelets as an alternative to custodial remand for lower-risk defendants.

“We can expand the electronic monitoring, the ankle bracelets. We have the capability to do that,” he said.

Meanwhile, the chief justice has announced that three criminal trial courts will sit concurrently for a six-week period in June and July 2026 in an effort to clear a backlog of cases. But she indicated that would likely be a temporary fix without investment across the system.

“If concerns about delay, remand and prison population pressures are to be addressed in a sustained and principled way, they must be addressed across the criminal justice system as a whole,” she said.

Early parole an option to free up space

The Inmates Council, in a detailed submission to the Compass, point to similar issues at the other end of the process.

Members described a parole board that meets infrequently and routinely turns back prisoners who have completed every programme required of them.

“You do another year, come back and check me,” said Leonard Ebanks, a lifer and Inmates Council member, characterising the response prisoners receive from the board.

The council has proposed allowing low-risk Category D prisoners to be considered for parole at 40% of their sentence rather than 60%, with the Conditional Release Board retaining full discretion to refuse. The measure, which was introduced in the UK to ease population pressures, would bring immediate targeted relief to a dangerously overcrowded population.

A Caymanian man released after 150 days in US immigration detention says he wants to use his “traumatic experience” to fight for others still languishing in custody across the country.

Allan Dabrio-Marrero, 34, spoke publicly for the first time since his release at an emotional press conference at Middle Church in Manhattan on Tuesday, flanked by his husband Matthew Marrero, senior New York politicians, legal advocates and his church community.

Supporters held banners reading “Allan is free” and “free them all” in an event that doubled as a campaign against the tactics of US immigration enforcement more generally.

Dabrio-Marrero was joined on stage by US Congressman Dan Goldman, who said his case was going to be “the story every American hears” about the injustices of the country’s immigration system.

Dabrio-Marrero said he was overjoyed to be home but described the psychological and physical toll of months of imprisonment.

“People like myself immigrate here for a safer, better, more humane lives for them and their families.

“Instead, we are detained and treated like animals in cages for months and some even years,” he said.

He described the “nightly terror” of not knowing if his name would be called to be transferred to another detention centre.

“This is where they would chain you by your ankles, connected to your waist, connected to your wrist, for up to eight hours at a time, and can last up to three days not knowing where you were going, all while trying to use the bathroom on a bus or a plane, trying to eat a cold baloney sandwich and a small bottle of water,” he said.

Dabrio-Marrero was shuffled through multiple detention centres including New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Natchez, Mississippi during his five months in ICE custody.

He said officers tried to coerce him and others to sign self-deportation orders, telling detainees that it would end the turmoil for their families.

He was finally released last week after the latest appeal from his legal team.
But he said the joy of his homecoming was tempered by the knowledge that many others remained behind bars.

“It’s bittersweet to be out. I pray for all my brothers and sisters that have still been detained and await their release to be reunited with their families and loved ones.”

‘Allan’s story should be heard across America’

US Congressman Goldman, who joined the couple on stage, said Dabrio-Marrero’s story deserved a national audience.

“Allan’s story is going to become the story that every American hears about, how this immigration system is un-American and is failing our country,” he said.

“More than 90% of detained immigrants throughout this country in those for-profit prisons who are being held unlawfully have no serious criminal conviction. They are the vast majority seeking lawful immigration, just like Allan.”

Jubilant scenes at Middle Church, New York, Tuesday. – Photo: Angela Dykshorn/Middle Church

The congressman also referenced Dabrio-Marrero’s original reasons for leaving the Cayman Islands, saying he had come to the United States seeking safety as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

“He came to the United States, the beacon of democracy, for refuge,” Goldman said. Instead, the congressman added, that he and others seeking a better life were treated worse than they ever were back home.

Goldman added that he had introduced legislation to prohibit arrests at immigration check-ins or court appearances, a direct response to the circumstances of Dabrio-Marrero’s detention which followed a routine green card appointment last November.

Lengthy court battle

Dabrio-Marrero’s attorney, Alexandra Rizio, supervising immigration attorney at Make the Road New York, described a lengthy legal battle that culminated in his release only after the organisation filed a federal lawsuit.

She said a judge had granted bond in late January 2026, but ICE refused to process the payment despite the court order. Make the Road filed a complaint in the Eastern District of New York alleging violations of the Administrative Procedures Act. ICE processed the bond only after the suit was filed.

Rizio said the government had paid a for-profit detention company, approximately US$24,750 to keep Dabrio-Marrero detained.

Matthew Marrero, who travelled repeatedly to Mississippi to visit his husband during the detention, said the couple felt “violated and deeply traumatised” but had emerged with a new sense of purpose.

“Love has brought him home, but justice still has work to do,” he said.

Dabrio-Marrero arrived in the United States in 2013 and subsequently married Matthew, a US citizen, entitling him to apply for a green card. That process is ongoing.

The US Department of Homeland Security previously said ICE arrested Allan Michael Dabrio-Marrero, described as “an illegal alien from the Cayman Islands”, on 24 Nov. 2025.

The department said he entered the US on a tourist visa that required him to depart by 8 Sept. 2013, and that after he failed to appear for an immigration hearing, a judge issued a final order of removal in 2022.

“He received full due process,” the department said.

At a glance

• Government aims to curb foreign business licences for property development
• Nearly half of Cayman’s 210 LCCLs are real estate related
• The licensing board says there are enough Caymanian developers to meet demand
• Existing LCCL holders will not be immediately affected
• Exceptions will still be considered for large or specialist developments

Government aims to restrict the grant of foreign business licences for most property development to protect local firms from international competition within Cayman.

Premier André Ebanks told the Compass Tuesday that government believes Cayman has enough local expertise that it does not need to approve more licences for foreign-owned businesses in that sector.

He said exceptions could be made for developments that involve cutting edge methods or were the scale of the project is beyond the capacity of the firms on island.

His comments came as government announced it is drafting legislation to allow Cabinet to place a moratorium on the granting of Local Companies Control Licenses in any sector. Ebanks said the aim in the first place is to target real estate development and property companies which currently account for around half of all LCCLs.

The LCCL regime is designed to allow exceptions to the rule that any business operating in Cayman must have at least 60% local ownership.

It will continue to be used in areas of the economy where specific expertise or global reach is required. International airlines, major branded hotels and advisory firms like EY and KPMG all operate under LCCLs. Healthcare providers like the Mayo Clinic referral office and Baptist Health operate under similar exemptions. Banks and law firms are licensed separately.

International airlines operating in Cayman use Local Companies Control Licences.

Most international brands operating in Cayman, including fast food chains such as Burger King and KFC, do so under standard trade and business licences held by Caymanian-owned franchise operators. Victoria’s Secret is a notable exception and one of only two retailers, along with Cost-U-Less, carrying LCCLs according to the list published by the Department of Commerce and Investment.

The majority of Cayman’s approximately 210 LCCLs, which account for less than 2% of all trade and business licences on the island, are currently connected with real estate holding and development.

A Cayman Compass analysis of the March 2026 LCCL register found that nearly 40% of the total are held by special purpose vehicles created to hold or manage existing property on behalf of foreign owners. A further 8% are held by active property developers currently building specific projects on the island.

The Trade and Business Licensing Board, which assesses LCCL applications, has already been pushing back on LCCL applications in the real estate development or property management category, chair Anne Storie told the Compass.

“This category is overrun. We’ve seen an excessive amount of applications come through and at this stage we don’t see the need for any foreign ownership of these real estate development companies.”

The current LCCL list broken down by sector.

Storie said the moratorium would also spare applicants the cost and frustration of pursuing applications that were unlikely to succeed.

“There’s a lot of people that are probably wasting their time on legal fees …

“It will just save everybody a lot of time and frustration.”

Existing LCCL holders will not be immediately affected. Storie confirmed that renewals would not be caught by the moratorium, saying they “will be reviewed individually depending on the stage of the project.”

Longstanding concerns

A previous Compass investigation found that more than 70% of LCCL applications had been approved over a three-year period, prompting complaints from local developers that the exemption had become the rule rather than the exception.

Storie acknowledged the board had allowed licences to become “automatic” but said that was changing.

“When we grant an LCCL we think about, is this bringing a skill set or specialisation to the Caymanian community that doesn’t already exist, and are we introducing unfair competition to Caymanian business owners?”

Ebanks said LCCL had become a default route to full foreign ownership of a business rather than the exception the legislation intended.

Under the proposed change, a foreign landowner wanting to build a condominium project in Cayman could no longer create their own LCCL entity to do so. Instead, they would have to work with an existing Caymanian-owned development company. Private landowners building their own homes would not be affected.

Storie added, “If somebody is wanting to do any type of real estate development here, they would have to consider working with a Caymanian-owned real estate development company for the development of their property, rather than doing it themselves and being 100% owner and taking out that LCCL.”

Ebanks said the moratorium power was also a matter of administrative efficiency, flipping the dynamic so that the board would only come to Cabinet if it was considering approving an LCCL rather than refusing one.

He said it would not close the door entirely, with hotels of sufficient scale and clear community benefit still to be considered on their merits. Similarly with a recent report warning that Cayman needs to build 5,000 new housing units in the next 15 years, he said innovative firms that could build sustainable and affordable housing at scale could be considered if they brought expertise that does not exist on island.

A Private Members Motion passed unanimously in July 2024 called specifically for a moratorium on real estate and property development licences. The National Coalition for Caymanians Caucus directed last week that the power extend to any business category where Cabinet deems it necessary.

Ebanks said this provides the legislative flexibility to respond to trends and to the advice of the board.

Premier André Ebanks speaking in Parliament on Friday, 1 May. Photo: Cayman Islands Parliament

In a statement to Parliament last Friday, Ebanks said the changes were “sensible adjustments to reflect the remarkable reality that Caymanians have gained a wide range of experience and expertise” that did not exist at the time the LCCL regime was first introduced.

Developers react to change

The proposed change has been welcomed by Caymanian developers who have long complained that LCCLs were being granted too freely in the sector.

Stefan Baraud, owner of Baraud Development, said he had raised concerns for many years.

“The continued issuing of LCCLs for development has, in my view, contributed to increasing land prices, scarcity of developable land, rising construction costs, infrastructure strain, overdevelopment, and reduced opportunities for Caymanian developers and Caymanian families seeking to enter the property market.”

He said profits from developments exclusively owned by overseas investors rarely stayed on island.

“In many cases, substantial profits generated from these developments ultimately leave the Cayman Islands with very little meaningful reinvestment back into the local economy or community.”

Not everyone is convinced the moratorium is the right mechanism, however. One developer said LCCLs had been useful for Caymanian developers structuring joint ventures with overseas partners. They questioned what government was trying to fix with the amendment and said the word “moratorium” might spook investors unnecessarily, especially if exemptions were going to be granted regardless.

Cline Glidden, an attorney with Ogier, who occasionally handles LCCL applications, said he felt the changes were largely positive and allowed Cabinet to set broad policy guidance for the board in a transparent way.

“If we have enough real estate companies (government now has power) to put a moratorium on the grant of LCCLs for real estate licenses. That’s a positive move.”

Daniel Altneu, a partner at Bedell Cristin who handles LCCL applications, said the approach made sense so long as balance remained.

“In practice, meaningful local participation is not always forthcoming, particularly for capital-intensive or highly technical projects, which is one of the factors that historically led to LCCLs being granted in those areas,” he said.

“While LCCLs represent a relatively small proportion of overall licences, their concentration in certain sectors, particularly real estate and development, means they have a disproportionate impact on key policy areas such as land use, pricing and market access.

“The Government’s approach appears to be aimed at ensuring that those sectors evolve in a way which meaningfully benefits Caymanians.”

But he cautioned against overcorrection.

“A carefully calibrated LCCL regime still has a role to play in supporting specialist or high-value activity that enhances our Islands’ overall offering and sophistication, including for internationally mobile families and businesses,” he said.

The Cayman Islands Government’s landfill remediation plan has come under scrutiny over whether it can prevent the George Town dump from reaching capacity within four years.

Speaking on Radio Cayman’s ‘For the Record’ programme on 6 May, opposition leader Joey Hew warned that key elements may not even get off the ground until late this year.

Hew said that critical actions contained in the 10- to 12-year plan are contingent on the outcome of exit negotiations from the failed ReGen project with Dart – not expected to conclude until year’s end.

“So they won’t even start business plans or strategic policies and policy statements, outline business plans or strategic business plans until the end of the year,” Hew said.

He added: “The long-term plan has no timelines, no reporting mechanisms, no guts to it, and so I’m concerned that, yes, we are still kicking the can down the road.”

With the added necessity of an environmental impact assessment and a bidding process, Hew estimated it will be at least another four years before the government can pursue its concept of establishing an additional landfill.

That would place the project at the end of the four-year timeline, shared by health minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, for the George Town landfill to reach capacity – should the issue be left unaddressed.

Ebanks-Wilks acknowledged in parliament on 1 May that certain elements of the government’s waste management plan remained in development.

“Waste diversion and landfill life extension are being advanced together along with legislation and policies,” the minister said.

“As I mentioned at the beginning, the outcome of our [ReGen] exit negotiations are critical to how we move forward with the recycling work stream and the long-term solution.”

Hew, speaking on Radio Cayman, also raised doubts about whether government owns the land earmarked for a new landfill, suggesting it may form part of the ongoing negotiations.

He also flagged the continued absence of independent oversight at the landfill, noting there had been no independent testing of gases or leaching, and called for curbside recycling collection rather than relying on residents driving to supermarket drop-off points.

Those concerns also arose during last week’s parliamentary session, where opposition members questioned Ebanks-Wilks over fire safety gaps at the George Town site.

The questioning came against the backdrop of a recent major landfill fire and a recent smaller surface fire which Ebanks-Wilks said was extinguished quickly by fire service and Department of Environmental Health personnel.

She discouraged residents from improper disposal of batteries due to the fire risk they pose and directed people to use battery disposal tubes located at supermarkets.

Ebanks-Wilks defended her ministry’s fire response, telling parliament that the swift containment of the morning’s fire demonstrated that new mitigation measures were working.

She confirmed that landfill attendants now rotate through overnight shifts to monitor for fire risk and that fire extinguishers are present on site.

Addressing calls for independent oversight, the minister said the ministry was actively reviewing regulatory models from other jurisdictions and that the Department of Environment could play a role.

(CMR) The Cayman Islands' telecommunications regulator has issued an immediate cease and desist order to Cable & Wireless (trading as Flow) after learning the company planned to shut down its long-standing candw.ky email service with minimal notice to subscribers.

The Utility Regulation and Competition Office (URCO) issued Direction No. URCO/D/2026/2 on May 6, 2026, under section 87 of the Utility Regulation and Competition Act, halting any discontinuation of the email service without prior written consent from the regulator. According to the direction, URCO became aware of Flow's shutdown plans during an April 23 phone conversation between Interim CEO Sonji Myles and Flow's Country Manager, when the company indicated it was contemplating cessation during the second quarter of 2026.

The regulator determined that shutting down the service without adequate notice would threaten the continuity of an essential service, given that candw.ky email addresses have been integrated into banking authentication, government correspondence, healthcare communications, and business operations across the Cayman Islands for several decades. URCO noted there is currently no like-for-like successor offering available in the local market.

The direction states that Flow's proposed approach would violate multiple licence conditions, including requirements for quality of service, reasonable notice for service changes, and compliance with subscriber protection provisions. The regulator emphasized that the licence's suspension and termination regime is structured around individual subscriber circumstances, not wholesale withdrawal of ICT services.

Flow must now submit a detailed proposal within 14 days outlining the number of active accounts, proposed end-state for the service, customer notification plans, migration support arrangements, and engagement plans with banks and government agencies. The company must also maintain complaint and dispute procedures throughout any transition period.

URCO has mandated a minimum 12-month notice period to subscribers before any cessation can occur, calculated from the date the regulator approves a formal proposal. During this time, Flow must issue repeated notifications at intervals not exceeding 60 days through multiple channels including email, SMS, mail, and bill inserts.

Interim CEO Sonji Myles stated: “Many persons in Cayman have used a candw.ky email address for years – for banking, for healthcare, for Government, for business, for keeping in touch with family and more. Our job is to make sure no-one is left without proper notice, proper support, and a real opportunity to move on their own terms”. She emphasized that URCO is not requiring Flow to maintain the aging platform forever, but that any change must follow proper procedures.

Non-compliance carries significant penalties: CI$50,000 on summary conviction, CI$100,000 on indictment, plus CI$1,000 for each day the violation continues. The regulator may also seek court enforcement orders and impose additional administrative fines.

This regulatory action comes amid ongoing tensions between Flow and URCO, including a recent CI$400,000 proposed fine over infrastructure sharing violations in December 2025.

(CNS): An organisational review of several departments and entities within the Ministry of Planning, Lands, Agriculture, Housing and Infrastructure, conducted by local consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) last year, which cost more than CI$315,000, will not be released, MPs were told during the latest meeting of parliament.

Opposition MP Roy Tatum asked Planning Minister Jay Ebanks if the review was complete and if it would be made available. Ebanks responded that it was never meant to be made public.

According to the original procurement documents, the review was intended to provide recommendations to increase organisational transparency, efficiency, effectiveness and coherence in the ministry and was completed in 2025. But in his formal response to Tatum’s parliamentary question, the minister said it formed “part of internal government work and is confidential. As such, it is not being made available.”

The document was initially meant to be released, at the very least, to prospective consultants who engaged in the procurement process, which closes next week, to work on the proposed merger of the National Roads Authority, the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing, and the Public Transport Unit into a new Department of Transportation.

However, officials at the procurement office recently said the document would only be released to the successful bidder.

“The 2025 PwC Organisational Review contains proprietary and confidential information and is not in the public domain,” the procurement office stated in one of its responses to bidders’ questions, despite previously stating it would be available.

“Relevant insights and context from the review have been incorporated into the RFP to support proposal development. The full report will be shared with the successful bidder under appropriate confidentiality arrangements following contract award.”

The minister claimed in parliament that it was always only intended to be used for government internal management purposes. Tatum was cut off by the speaker in his efforts to get the minister to release the document once whatever commercial sensitivities preventing its release are no longer relevant. In correspondence with CNS since the meeting, Tatum said he had no idea why this document was now being withheld.

CNS has since filed an FOI request. While that request is almost certain to be refused, the process might at least force the government to explain why the entire report should remain under wraps and say whether any parts of it, or a redacted version, could be released.

Although the NCFC has claimed to be transparent, this is one of several significant documents that the government has failed to release to the public, even in a redacted form. Among others that remain secret is the Housing Task Force’s report, which is understood to have informed the government’s new housing policy but has been withheld from public view.

CNS submitted an FOI request for that report, which was refused. An appeal also failed to get even a redacted version.

(CMR) A baggage handler employed at Owen Roberts International Airport was convicted and sentenced for theft recently following an investigation by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS). The man has since left the Cayman Islands.

Details of his sentencing are not known; however, based on his departure, he may have been given a suspended sentence and deported.

According to the RCIPS, the incident was reported on Tuesday, 26 April, when police responded to a complaint that an item had been taken from the bag of a departing passenger at the airport. Upon arrival, officers interviewed a 34-year-old man working as a baggage handler, who admitted to the offense. He was subsequently arrested and the stolen item was recovered.

Following a full investigation, a case file was prepared and submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The man was formally charged with theft, and the matter was later heard before the court, resulting in a conviction and sentence. His employment was terminated, and he has since departed the Cayman Islands.

In the wake of the incident, a multi-stakeholder meeting is set to be convened involving relevant partners at the airport. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct a thorough review of the incident and to strengthen procedures surrounding the handling of passengers' baggage in a timely and effective manner.

Superintendent Roje Williams stressed the seriousness with which such offenses are treated.

“Incidents of this nature are taken seriously to protect both residents and visitors, and to safeguard the reputation of the Cayman Islands tourism product,” Superintendent Williams said. “Any attempts to steal from passengers will be dealt with decisively and expeditiously.”

The RCIPS said it remains committed to working closely with airport authorities and all relevant stakeholders to maintain public confidence and ensure the safety and security of everyone passing through the airport.