John Evans, the former Cayman Net News Reporter whose action by trying to break into his former employer’s office [Desmond Seales], at the request of Cayman’s police chiefs, to find who was responsible for leaking police confidential information to Seales, has written to Governor Duncan Taylor.

Evans says in his letter:

“I believe [….] the time has come to consolidate all the complaints and concerns about Tempura/Cealt into a formal inquiry. So far everything has been dealt with piecemeal and that has given the impression of a cover up.

“What this letter is requesting is just such an inquiry to air all the grievances, possibly in front of a tribunal in the same way that the Levers’ issue was dealt with.

“At the same time, and as an integral part of this process, I would respectfully suggest that the 2009 audit be revisited and completed using the material that has surfaced since Dan Duguay’s original investigation.”

The whole of Evans’ letter to Governor Duncan Taylor is published below except for Evan’s personal data – home address and telephone #

Evans Letter to Governor Taylor

 

27 June 2013

HE the Governor

Suite 101

Government Administration Building

133 Elgin Avenue

Grand Cayman KY1-1000

Cayman Islands

(by email to [email protected])

Your Excellency,

This is in part a response to your letter to Commander Gibson dated 24 June 2013, which was kindly copied to me.

As you are aware I have been campaigning for several years to get a full public inquiry into the way in which Operations Tempura and Cealt were conducted.

I will try not to bore you by going over old ground but, in my view, ever since Justice Cresswell ruled on the unlawful arrest of Justice Henderson in early 2009 a big black cloud has hung over the whole investigation. This legacy has tainted everyone who was involved at the time and also almost everyone who has since become involved. In fairness to the innocent parties, it is clearly now time to stop what has effectively become a trial by anonymous comments on CNS and the only way I can see to do that is through a formal, public inquiry.

Cresswell identified clear breaches of accepted standards, which were never addressed, by Martin Bridger and others.

Attempts to secure convictions against the only two individuals ever charged in connection with the investigations failed.

Following his disbarment, former Tempura legal advisor Martin Polaine created the complaint that led to the Aina report.

In the meantime, I uncovered evidence suggesting that Martin Bridger had, apparently without any authorisation, removed confidential records relating to Operation Tempura from the Cayman Islands and that a substantial amount of important information had been withheld from Dan Duguay’s 2009 audit.

The list goes on and on. Now we have Martin Bridger’s rather belated (and factually flawed) complaints against your predecessor and others.

I think, and I believe this view is shared by many Caymanians including several senior politicians, that the time has come to consolidate all the complaints and concerns about Tempura/Cealt into a formal inquiry. So far everything has been dealt with piecemeal and that has given the impression of a cover up.

What this letter is requesting is just such an inquiry to air all the grievances, possibly in front of a tribunal in the same way that the Levers’ issue was dealt with.

At the same time, and as an integral part of this process, I would respectfully suggest that the 2009 audit be re-visited and completed using the material that has surfaced since Dan Duguay’s original investigation.

Unlike Mr Bridger I am not going to start naming people or making public allegations against them – that is a matter for the formal investigation. However, I will be copying this to the local media in the Cayman Islands and asking my MP, Elizabeth Truss, to refer the matter to the OT Minister, Mark Simmonds MP.

As you are probably aware I was due to meet with Mr Simmonds’ predecessor, Henry Bellingham MP, on 11 September 2012 to discuss Tempura/Cealt. The commitment to that meeting did not cease when Mr Bellingham left office so I will also be asking Mrs Truss to try and find when it is going to be re-scheduled.

Yours sincerely,

John Evans

END

Evans told iNews Cayman that he thinks the United Kingdom should pay for the inquiry. He has also sent a letter to his local Member of Parliament (MP) asking for it to be referred to Foreign and Commonwealth Overseas Territories Minister, Mark Simmonds.

Evans says his letter to his MP ends:

“Very bluntly, this whole fiasco is doing serious damage to the reputation of the Cayman Islands and to the public perception of the FCO. Ultimately all this is also reflecting very badly on the ability of the Government of the UK to manage the OTs. I think the time has come for someone to grasp the proverbial nettle and tackle it head on.”