On Friday (19) The Cayman Islands Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Secretariat announced the new civilian board.

The new board comprises:

Richard Coles, (ACC chair), is a former attorney general who previously served as chairman of the Human Rights Commission, deputy chairman of the Civil Service Appeals Commission and as a member of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. He has also served as the chair of Cayman Finance.

Norman Bodden, OBE, of Bodden Corporate Services and Bodden & Bodden, served as a member of the Legislative Assembly and was tourism minister in the 1984-1992 government. A one-time MD of Cayman Airways and board member at the airline, he has also served on the Immigration Board. Bodden is also a justice of the peace.

Sophia-Ann Harris, a founder of Solomon Harris, is a well-known corporate attorney who is a past chair of the Immigration Appeals Tribunal and past chair of the Board of Directors of Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Ltd.

Kadi Pentney (née Merren) is a certified public accountant and was a manager at PwC until she left to become a full-time mother. A past president of the Kiwanis Club of Grand Cayman, she was awarded the Young Caymanian Leadership Award last year.

Timothy Ridley
Tim Ridley, OBE was a senior partner for many years with leading Cayman Islands law firm Maples and Calder. A well-known offshore legal expert, he has wide regulatory and governance experience, having served on the boards of the Cayman Islands Health Services Commission and the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. He has also served on various consultative committees that advise the Cayman Islands Government on matters relating to the financial services and local industries. He writes and speaks widely on Cayman Islands legal, financial and regulatory issues.

The ACC is responsible for the administration of the law and has broad-reaching powers to investigate reports of corruption, liaise with overseas anti-corruption authorities, and obtain court orders to freeze the assets of those suspected of committing corruption offences.

“The ACC has an exceptionally important role to play in the Cayman Islands’ commitment to combat and deter corruption,” said Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick. “The members of the ACC work diligently to enhance and promote the accountability of all public officials.”