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The Editor speaks: This bird is not singing

Please see my last two Editorials on The Three Little Birds

One of our three birds is not singing.

Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) vice president Bruce Blake, the first of two local men arrested by anti-corruption investigators last week in relation to allegations of secret commissions and money laundering in relation to CIFA, has emphatically denied all the accusations. The other man has been identified as Canover Watson

He was also arrested in relation to the same CIFA probe and is currently serving seven years in prison on a number of fraud convictions in a government hospital CarePay contract scandal,

Blake, through his lawyer, Steve McField, said the whole matter revolved around two payments to CIFA’a Butterfield Bank account amounting to US$600,000 These payments were then transferred its loan account at Fidelity Bank. These were represented to Blake as loans to CIFA to pay down the existing loan to remove the charge on the Centre of Excellence in compliance with FIFA regulations.

In the press Statement issued by McField it said:

“Mr Blake has not at anytime received or arranged any corrupt payment for or to CIFA nor any other entity or person(s). Mr Blake has not at anytime engaged in any secret payment(s) or improper business or unprofessional practices or advantages for himself or any other person(s) or entity. He is obviously shocked and dismayed by these suspicious allegations,”

McField said his client has been released on bail and has not been charged with any crimes. Mr Blake had never engaged in arranging nor had he received any secret commission or in money laundering.

He had already cooperated with the US authorities, CONCACAF and FIFA in their investigations and “he is anxiously awaiting the outcome of this investigation to clear his name.”

We are all anxiously awaiting the outcome of this investigation and hope Bruce Blake will be cleared of any wrong doing.

There has been more than enough scandal attached to former CIFA President and former FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb to fill a barrel of rotten apples and with already disgraced Canover Watson also being arrested the International Press are having a field day with the name “Cayman Islands”.

“Notorious” being often banded about when the name of our country comes up.

Webb is obviously helping the US Authorities in their investigations in the now world wide FIFA scandal as his sentencing gets delayed and further delayed.

When finally Webb gets his dues, whether justice is served or not, one can presume he will be arrested here for his involvement in the CIFA fraud. Or should I presume otherwise?

Singers get paid for singing their songs. The sweeter the notes, the more you get paid, and not just money.

At this present time Blake is not singing at all. And we are all innocent until it has been proven otherwise. Right? We only sing when the time is right. Right?

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