From RCIPS Thu, Jan 30, 2014 at 2:02 PM

The RCIPS can confirm that 47-year-old Hassan Iftikar Syed has been arrested and is currently detained in Switzerland in relation to a number of offences which took place in the Cayman Islands.

The arrest, which took place in November, followed the international circulation of information that he was wanted by the RCIPS.

He has been arrested in connection with a number of offences including theft, obtaining money transfer by deception and obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.

The RCIPS is currently liaising with the DPP and the Swiss authorities in an effort to secure Syed’s extradition to the Cayman Islands as expeditiously as possible. It should be noted that extradition can be a lengthy and complicated process, as such, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time and a further update will be provided as and when appropriate.

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Hassan Syed was President of the University College of the Cayman Islands in August 2006 after having joined UCCI 2003. He resigned from his post and left the island suddenly on 12 May 2008, citing personal health issues.

In the following month it was discovered after an audit there were irregularities with Mr. Syed’s UCCI account.

It was revealed a report provided by the Auditor General, Dan Duguay to the Finance Committee in April 2008 showed Syed had received a salary advance of $71,472 on 17 January 2008. The advance was to be repaid by deducting $3,000 per month from his salary. The report also revealed Syed had charged more than US$50,000 of jewellery on the credit cards he was issued by the university, plus thousands of dollars’ worth of goods at Toronto and London department stores for furniture and spa treatments. The credit cards were also used to purchase a week–long stay at a villa in France from a Rotary Club auction in May 2007. An estimated US$294,000 of credit card transactions could not be adequately substantiated as UCCI’s expenditure.

Syed had even falsified the number of unique students attending the university for the fall 2007 semester by reporting registrations as students.

After leaving Cayman Syed took up a position in Canada at the Toronto’s Centennial College but resigned as soon as the college learnt what happened at UCCI.