“The public has already been made aware, in some detail, of the processes for review and acceptance of the budget, and I do not believe that further promotion of accountability within government would result. Disclosure would also not reveal wrongdoing or maladministration in the budget process.”

This was the ruling Jennifer Dilbert, the Cayman Islands Information Commissioner (ICO) made to uphold a decision by the Governor’s Office to keep correspondence secret between the Cayman government and the United Kingdom (UK) over the budget.

The “Caymanian Compass” made the request in August 2012 for budget-related communications between the governor, the financial secretary, the former premier, the UK’s economic advisor and the Overseas Territories minister. This was during the ‘terrible’ time the Cayman government was having with the UK over the 2012/13 Budget.

In making her decision Dilbert said disclosure would “be likely to have a significant adverse effect on Government’s ability to carry out free and frank discussions to the benefit of the Cayman Islands, and disclosure would therefore not be in the public interest.”

So secrets win again. That government secrets safe must be bulging.

All 10 pages of the ICO ruling are attached.